These are the days...: Shenandoah Valley and National Park

At the site of The Battle of Cross Keys and Artillery Ridge

On Saturday, we explored parts of the Shenandoah Valley and also Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah National Park is contained within the Shenandoah valley which is bordered to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the Appalachian Mountains, to the north by the Potomac River and to the south by the James River.

We didn't really see as much Civil War history as we would have liked since we didn't visit a major battlefield but there is a great deal of Civil war history in the Shenandoah Valley. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the Shenandoah Valley in the 19th century: "The Shenandoah Valley was known as the breadbasket of the Confederacy during the Civil War and seen as a back door for Confederate raids on Maryland, Washington and Pennsylvania. Because of its strategic importance it was the scene of three major campaigns. The first was the Valley Campaign of 1862, in which Confederate General Stonewall Jackson defended the valley against three numerically superior Union armies. The final two were the Valley Campaigns of 1864. First, in the summer of 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early cleared the valley of its Union occupiers and then proceeded to raid Maryland, Pennsylvania and D.C. Then during the Autumn, Union General Philip Sheridan was sent to drive Early from the valley and once-and-for-all destroy its use to the Confederates by putting it to the torch using scorched-earth tactics. The valley, especially in the lower northern section, was also the scene of bitter partisan fighting as the region's inhabitants were deeply divided over loyalties and Confederate partisan John Mosby and his Rangers frequently operated in the area."

Also, the Peninsular Campaign of 1862 took place when Union troops attempted to reach Richmond via the James River. The Battle of Williamsburg and Siege of Yorktown were part of this campaign which the Union troops lost due to the aggressive maneuvers of General Lee during the Seven Days' Battles.