Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 [Paperback]

Robert G. Tanner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

The Valley Campaign conducted by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson has long fascinated those interested in the American Civil War as well as general students of military history, all of whom still question exactly what Jackson did in the Shenandoah in 1862 and how he did it. Since Robert G. Tanner answered many questions in the first edition of Stonewall in the Valley in 1976, he has continued to research the campaign. This edition offers new insights on the most significant moments of Stonewall's Shenandoah triumph.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert G. Tanner is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. A native of Southern California, he now lives and practices law in Atlanta, Georgia. He has studied and lectured on the Shenandoah Valley Campaign for more than twenty-five years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811720640
• ISBN-13: 978-0811720649
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I feel like I was there in the valley, October 10, 2003

By 

Bryan Karson (Birmingham, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 (Paperback)

Very well written, detailed account of Jackson's dazzling Shenandoah valley campaign. The valley campaign, Jackson's last significant independent activity before attaching himself to General Lee, makes for great civil war history. The author writes in a way that makes you feel like you're a part of Jackson's army, from lowest private to brigadier general. The maps, most of which are reproductions of Jed Hotchkiss's maps drawn at the time, could stand a little more detail but the narrative fills in most of the gaps pretty well. Focuses entirely on Jackson during the campaign and his place in the overall picture at the time. While this book is probably not for novices, it is an excellent and informative read for those with an interest in Jackson and/or the Northern Virginia theater of the war.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Book!, October 16, 2004

By 

H. Lim (Carlingford, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 (Paperback)

I have always been fascinated by the Valley Campaign, and surprised that nothing appeared to have been written specifically on the Campaign itself - at least nothing definitive.

I just knew Tanner's book was what I was looking for, just by the appearance of it. And in fact it is THE definitive account of the Shenandoah Campauign of 1862.

This is a remarkable campaign history. Never does Tanner's pacing seem off. He tells the reader precisely what he or she wishes to know. At proper moments he gives a literary touch to th writing; at other times he tells us what the soldiers were thinking; and at other times he tells amusing anecdotes.

THe sheer amount of research that must have gone into this book is phenomenal. Most books on civil war battles and campaigns tend to rely on accrued secondary evidence, and those pieces of primar evidence that are already widely known.

Tanner, on the other hand, has miraculously discoverd sources NEVER before seen. He is so thorough that the bibliographu and notes take up a seriously large portion of the book. And the information is important - a good deal of it clarifies points that have always been puzzling. For example, he proves that the famous Staunton maneuver, where Jackson seemed to deliberately leave the Valley on foot, only to return by train, was actually ad hoc, and probably not intended.
On the other hand, the new evidence regarding the march south from the Battle of Winchester really makes you feel sorry for the Valley soldiers - my feet really almost felt sore even reading about walking that fast, and going without sleep for so long.

Jackson himself comes across as a flawed genius, which he undoubtedly was. While he was a remarkable soldier, one must admit that there were certain aspects of his character that nearly defeated him on occasion; his almost continuous friction with his subordinates, his extreme strictness, his extreme inflexibility, his religious fervour, his inability to know when his soldiers were past breaking point.
Yet we also see Jackson's incredible energy, his strategic genius, his unerring instinct for what to do next.

Ultimately Tanner's book is about as definitive as a campaign book can get, and is highly recommended to anyone interested in the Civil War.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History of the 1862 Valley Campaign, September 13, 2004

By 

Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 (Paperback)

Tanner has written an excellent summary of the Valley Campaign that established Jackson as a Civil War legend. He manages to describe the experiences of privates and officers who fought in the campaign. While the majority of the book focuses on the Southern side, Tanner is fair and objective in his description of the abilities of the main characters.

Before going into the campaign study, Tanner describes the early history and importance of the Shennandoah Valley and why the area was such an important objective during the Civil War. The maps were okay but could have been more detailed and numerous to enable the reader to better understand the campaign movements and locations.

I particularly appreciated Tanner's fair treatment of Jackson: while we Southerners tend to idolize Jackson, Tanner points out Jackson's most serious flaws: secrecy and inability to get along with subordinates. Indeed, both tendencies probably would have kept Jackson (had he survived the war) from attaining the status of Lee, Grant, Sherman, Thomas, and Johnston. Admittingly, I have read of Jackson's tendencies in several other books.

I highly recommend the book as the standard for a study of the 1862 Shennandoah Valley Campaign. Read and enjoy!