Luray Valley, 1862

Actions in the Luray Valley generally receive short shrift in accounts of Stonewall Jackson’s Spring 1862 campaign. The primary focus is almost always Jackson and his Foot Cavalry. Gary Ecelbarger has stepped up to fill the void for those who wonder where Jackson’s foils came from, why they were in his way, and how they got there.

Ignoring events in the Luray Valley is to ignore half the story. Ecelbarger’s previous feature for Blue & Gray (2010) covered Jackson vs. Nathaniel Banks in the Luray Valley after the former’s defeat at Kernstown. The action carried through the First Battle of Front Royal on May 23. This issue takes up where that one left off. Maps help to recap earlier events.

General Banks was sent packing in the first issue, across the Potomac and out of the picture. General James Shields reenters the stage as the protagonist in this one, with a grand plan to trap Jackson. While Stonewall is pursued southward along the North Fork of the Shenandoah by General John C. Frémont’s army, Shields plots and plans on the other side of Massanutten Mountain in the Luray Valley—not just trying to defeat Jackson on the battlefield, but also seeking personal advancement.

Shields displayed devious behavior after the Battle of Kernstown, claiming victory when he was not present, nor was he even aware for most of the day that his troops were engaged. His penchant for back-stabbing reveals itself again in the Luray Valley and the resulting Battle of Port Republic.

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The last issue on the Struggle for Port Hudson, La., was very well received. I gave up this space in that issue for a preservation message about Brandy Station, so I’d like to brag a bit here about how Port Hudson came together.

It was a group effort. There was the author and former Port Hudson site director, Larry Hewitt; the present museum curator, Mike Fraering; the man who grew up on the battlefield, Ronnie McCallum, who has metal detected the field since he was a kid and knows every inch of ground; and me, the guy who wanted some nice maps to go with Larry Hewitt’s feature article.

There was some interpretive give and take along the way, and in the end, what emerged was a triumph of gratifying, if not downright historic proportions. It marked the first time in the 148 years that have elapsed since Port Hudson fell, that detailed, studied, and impartial battle maps were prepared.

Curator Mike Fraering, who mans the 42-pounder for firing demonstrations at Port Hudson State Historic Site, sent the photo below. It’s the gun that appeared on the front cover of the Port Hudson issue.

Editor