Three Days in the Shenandoah: Stonewall Jackson at Front Royal and Winchester
By Gary Ecelbarger
(September 2008 Civil War News)

Illustrated, maps, notes, bibliography, appendix, index, 273 pp., 2008. University of Oklahoma Press, 2800 Venture Dr., Norman, OK 73069-8216, S29.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Kenneth D. Williams
Kenneth D. Williams is writing a book on the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteers and is doing doctoral level work in American history. He has worked as a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Review:
Volume 14 of the University of Oklahoma’s “Campaigns and Commanders” series turns its attention to the 1862 Valley Campaign. Gary Ecelbarger, who has penned biographies of Black Jack Logan and Frederick Lander, has also previously authored a book on the beginning of the Valley Campaign: We Are In For It! a discussion of the fight at Kernstown.

In this new work, Ecelbarger examines three critical days in May 1862, the 23rd through 25th.

“Fresh” from victory at McDowell, the exhausted Confederate forces under Jackson set northward to take back the town of Winchester and to push out Union defenders under Nathaniel Banks.

At the same time, the Lincoln Administration had stripped from Banks’ command the additional forces from McDowell’s corps to allow that massive force to join up with McClellan on the Peninsula.

Ecelbarger examines in detail the events leading up to and the fights at Front Royal and Winchester. He devotes equal time to both the Confederate and Union situations and shines in illustrating the “fog of war” that hampered both Jackson and Banks in understanding and reacting to events.

Banks comes off better than most other treatments have portrayed him — organizing defense in depth and adjusting to conflicting information from both Washington and his field commanders.

Jackson too scores points for strategic vision but is criticized for several command errors resulting perhaps from fatigue as well as misunderstanding the distances and time involved in moving troops and messages.

The Confederates also suffer from poor artillery coordination as well as disorganized and often ineffective cavalry, on top of heavy straggling due to the punishing pace of the campaign.

The Union forces, on the other hand, benefit from good field command leadership and well-utilized artillery. In all, the mostly green Northern soldiers hold their own respectably against the battle- tested Rebels.

In the end, however, both Front Royal and Winchester were tactical and strategic Union defeats, with great implications for the conduct of the war for the rest of the summer in Virginia.

Ecelbarger clearly illustrates the strategic implications and the resulting moves by both Richmond and Washington. Lincoln, especially, is called to task for “overreacting” to the defeats and disrupting the planned campaign against Richmond.

Ecelbarger also argues that these three days were the “heart of the Valley campaign” and what solidified the reputation of Jackson as a strategic and tactical leader, somewhat at the expense of the strategic planners, i.e. Davis and Lee.

Three Days in the Shenandoah contains 12 serviceable maps as well as a photograph insert and order of battle for the opposing forces. The bibliography and notes show extensive use of primary sources.

Ecelbarger has penned a most enjoyable and instructive battle study of three confusing spring days in the lower Shenandoah.