New Year Post: Review of Shenandonah Summer by Scott C. Patchan

 Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2024 brings you all peace, love, health and prosperity. 

I was able to finish most of what had in progress for 2023 before the turn of the year. This makes me happy. Among those was finally finishing Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign by Scott C. Patchan. This is a great book on a less well known campaign of the US Civil War. It covers the Jubal Early's Shenandoah campaign between his evacuation from the skirmishers at Fort Stevens , and the arrival of Phillip Sheridan. The epicenter is the 2nd Battle of Kernstown, a nasty Union defeat, were Early out-generaled George Crook (more well known for his involvement in the wars with Native Americans, and then his advocacy on behalf of their rights).

My interest for this campaign is that there is an Altar of Freedom scenario for this battle, and that it fits a 36x36 inch table. 

Patchan is a an excellent writer with a good knack to know how to balance the big pictures with tiny details. His writing is brisk and he brings to life a campaign that is dotted with many interesting brigade and division level actions (though once must keep in mind, that in many cases US Civil War brigades were the size of European battalions, and divisions the size of European regiments and brigades).

You have the Battle of Cool Springs, July 18, 1864, a Confederate victory, but also an excellent example of how even the tiniest terrain detail, a wall in this case, can make the difference between destruction and salvation. A dogged Union defense along a stone wall with their backs on a river, avoided the kind of catastrophe that happened in Ball's Bluff. 

Then you have the Battle of Rutherford Farm's, July 20, 1864, were once more terrain determines victory and defeat. In this case a subtle terrain feature divides Ramsuer's veteran division as it is attacking a inferior in numbers and experience Union force under Averell, who then proceeds to beat the Confederates. One of those battles that show that veteran status does not always determine the worth of soldiers. 

The Confederates get their blood back at 2nd Kernstown, were simply put Crook drops the ball. They inflict a stingy defeat on the Union side, which leads to a route by the support elements, though Crook did show grit in helping arrange a retreat that saved his army. 

Then we get the Chambersburg Raid, and Averell's revenge for it in the "Battle" of Moorfield where the numerically inferior Union cavalry surprised the unprepared Confederates and routed them without mercy (this one would be a very one sided scenario).

Thus a very rich campaign especially for players seeking  tough but interesting scenarios at the command level of brigade and division. Patchan spends time conducting a proper analysis of the reasons for victory and defeat for each action, and then makes a good argument about the limitations of Early when it came to grasping what exactly his task was. I would say he is fair to both sides. He does focus a bit on Colonel James A. Mulligan who died at 2nd Kernstown. 

A very good book that got my excited for my build for 2nd Kernstown.