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The Valley of
Virginia, in its largest sense, embraces all that country lying between the
Blue Ridge and
Alleghany Mountains, which unite at its southwestern end.
The Shenandoah Valley, which is a part of the
Valley of Virginia, embraces the counties of
Augusta,
Rockingham,
Shenandoah,
Page,
Warren,
Clarke,
Frederick,
Jefferson and
Berkeley.
This valley is bounded on the north by the
Potomac, on the south by the county of
Rockbridge, on the east by the
Blue Ridge and on the west by the
Great North Mountain and its ranges.
The
Shenandoah River is composed of two branches, called, respectively, the “
North Fork” and the “
South Fork,” which unite near
Front Royal in
Warren County.
The
North Fork rises in the
Great North Mountain, and runs eastwardly to within a short distance of
New Market in
Shenandoah County, and thence northeast by
Mount Jackson and
Strasburg, where it turns east to
Front Royal.
The
South Fork is formed by the union of North, Middle and South Rivers.
North River and
Middle River, running from the west, unite near
Mount Meridian in
Augusta County.
South River rises in the southeastern part of
Augusta, and runs by
Waynesboro, along the western base of the
Blue Ridge, to
Port Republic in
Rockingham, where it unites with the stream formed by the junction of the
North and Middle Rivers, a few miles above.
From
Port Republic, the
South Fork of the
Shenandoah runs northeast, through the eastern border of
Rockingham and the county of
Page, to
Front Royal in
Warren County.
The
North Fork and
South Fork are separated by the
Massanutten Mountain, which is connected with no other mountain but terminates abruptly at both ends.
Its northern end is washed at its base, just below
Strasburg,
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by the
North Fork.
Its southern end terminates near the road between
Harrisonburg and Conrad's Store on the
South Fork, at which latter place the road through Swift Run Gap in the
Blue Ridge crosses that stream.
Two valleys are thus formed, the one on the
North Fork being called “The main Valley,” and the other on the
South Fork, and embracing the
county of Page and part of the county of
Warren, being usually known by the name of “The
Luray Valley.”
The
Luray Valley unites with the
Main Valley at both ends of the mountain.
There is a good road across
Massanutten Mountain from one valley to the other through a gap near
New Market.
South of this gap, there is no road across the mountain, and north of it the roads are very rugged and not practicable for the march of a large army with its trains.
At the northern or lower end of
Massanutten Mountain, and between two branches of it, is a valley called “Powell's Fort Valley,” or more commonly “The Fort.”
This valley is accessible only by the very rugged roads over the mountain which have been mentioned, and through a ravine at its lower end. From its isolated position, it was not the theatre of military operations of any consequence, but merely furnished a refuge for deserters, stragglers and fugitives from the battlefields.
From
Front Royal, the
Shenandoah River runs along the western base of the
Blue Ridge to
Harper's Ferry, where it unites with the
Potomac, which here bursts through the mountains.
The mountain, in extension of the
Blue Ridge from this point through
Maryland and
Pennsylvania, is called “
South Mountain.”
Strictly speaking, the county of
Berkeley and the greater part of
Frederick are not in the
Valley of the Shenandoah.
The
Opequon, rising southwest of
Winchester, and crossing the
Valley Pike four or five miles south of that place, turns to the north and empties into the
Potomac some distance above its junction with the
Shenandoah; the greater part of
Frederick and nearly the
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whole of
Berkeley being on the western side of the
Opequon.
Little North Mountain, called in the lower valley “
North Mountain,” runs northeast, through the western portion of
Shenandoah,
Frederick and
Berkeley Counties, to the
Potomac.
At its northern end, where it is called
North Mountain, it separates the waters of the
Opequon from those of
Back Creek.
Cedar Creek rises in
Shenandoah County, west of
Little North Mountain, and running northeast along its western base, passes through that mountain, four or five miles from
Strasburg, and, then making a circuit, empties into the
North Fork of the
Shenandoah, about two miles below
Strasburg.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad crosses the
Potomac at
Harper's Ferry, and passing through
Martinsburg in
Berkeley County, crosses
Back Creek near its mouth, runs up the
Potomac, crossing the
South Branch of that river near its mouth, and then the
North Branch to
Cumberland in
Maryland.
From this place it runs into
Virginia again and, passing through
Northwestern Virginia, strikes the
Ohio River by two stems, terminating at
Wheeling and
Parkersburg respectively.
There is a railroad from
Harper's Ferry to
Winchester, called “Winchester & Potomac Railroad,” and also one from
Manassas Junction on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, through Manassas Gap in the
Blue Ridge, by
Front Royal and
Strasburg to
Mount Jackson, called “The Manassas Gap Railroad,” but both of these roads were torn up and rendered unserviceable in the year 1862, under the orders of
General Jackson.
From
Staunton, in
Augusta County, there is a fine macadamized road called “The
Valley Pike,” running through
Mount Sidney,
Mount Crawford,
Harrisonburg,
New Market,
Mount Jackson,
Edinburg,Woodstock,
Strasburg,
Middletown,
Newtown,
Bartonsville and
Kernstown to
Winchester in
Frederick County, and crossing
Middle River seven miles from
Staunton;
North River at Mount
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Crawford, eighteen miles from
Staunton; the
North Fork of the
Shenandoah at
Mount Jackson;
Cedar Creek between
Strasburg and
Middletown; and the
Opequon at
Bartonsville, four or five miles from
Winchester.
There is also another road west of the
Valley Pike connecting these several villages called the “Back road,” and in some places, another road between the
Valley Pike and the
Back Road, which is called the “Middle road.”
From
Winchester there is a macadamized road via
Martinsburg, to
Williamsport on the
Potomac in
Maryland, and another via
Berryville in
Clarke County, and
Charlestown in
Jefferson County, to
Harper's Ferry.
There is also a good pike from
Winchester to
Front Royal, which crosses both forks of the
Shenandoah just above their junction; and from
Front Royal there are good roads up the
Luray Valley, and by the way of Conrad's Store and
Port Republic, to
Harrisonburg and
Staunton.
From
Staunton, south, there are good roads passing through
Lexington, in
Rockbridge County, and
Buchanan, in Botetourt County, to several points on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad; and others direct from
Staunton and
Lexington to
Lynchburg.
The Central Railroad, from
Richmond, passes through the
Blue Ridge, with a tunnel at Rockfish Gap, and runs through
Waynesboro and
Staunton, westwardly, to Jackson's River, which is one of the head streams of
James River.
This description of the country is given in order to render the following narrative intelligible, without too much repetition.
In the spring of 1864, before the opening of the campaign, the lower Shenandoah Valley was held by the
Federal troops, under
Major General Sigel, with his headquarters at
Winchester, while the upper Valley was held by
Brigadier General Imboden, of the Confederate Army, with one brigade of cavalry, or mounted infantry, and a battery of artillery.
When the campaign opened,
Sigel moved up the
Valley and
Major
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General Breckenridge moved from
Southwestern Virginia, with two brigades of infantry and a battalion of artillery, to meet him.
Breckenridge, having united his forces with
Imboden's, met and defeated
Sigel at
New Market on May 15th, driving him back toward
Winchester.
Breckenridge then crossed the
Blue Ridge and joined
General Lee at
Hanover Junction, with his two brigades of infantry and the battalion of artillery.
Subsequently, the
Federal General Hunter organized another and larger force than
Sigel's, and moved up the
Valley, and on the 5th day of June defeated
Brigadier General William E. Jones, at
Piedmont, between
Port Republic and
Staunton-
Jones' force being composed of a very small body of infantry, and a cavalry force which had been brought from
Southwestern Virginia, after
Breckenridge's departure from the
Valley.
Jones was killed, and the remnant of his force, under
Brigadier General Vaughan, fell back to
Waynesboro.
Hunter's force then united with another column which had moved from
Lewisburg, in Western Virginia, under the
Federal General Crook.
As soon as information was received of
Jones' defeat and death,
Breckenridge was sent back to the
Valley, with the force he had brought with him.
