Military unit
The
Army of the Shenandoah
was a
field army
of the
Union Army
active during the
American Civil War
. First organized as the
Department of the Shenandoah
in 1861 and then disbanded in early 1862, the army became most effective after its recreation on August 1, 1864 under the command of
Philip Sheridan
.
[1]
The army's actions during the
Valley campaigns of 1864
rendered the
Shenandoah Valley
of
Virginia
unable to produce foodstuffs for the
Confederate States Army
, a condition which would hasten the
conclusion of the American Civil War
.
History
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1861?2
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Under the command of
Major General Robert Patterson
before the three-month enlistments of a majority of its troops expired, the
Department of Pennsylvania
operated as the lone element of
Union Army
in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. After achieving a tactical victory at the
Battle of Hoke's Run
on July 2 and contributing indirectly to the Union disaster at the
First Battle of Bull Run
on July 21, its unexpired regiments and commanders were absorbed into a new
Department of the Shenandoah
under the command of
Major General Nathaniel P. Banks
on July 25, 1861. Neither Patterson nor Banks referred to his commands as the
Army of the Shenandoah
in official correspondence,
[2]
and when the
Army of the Potomac
adopted a Corps structure on March 18, 1862, Banks' command was redesignated as the "Fifth Corps."
1864
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On May 21, 1864, Major General David Hunter was appointed to command the Department of West Virginia. Hunter designated the field forces of his department the "Army of the Shenandoah". Hunter was in command of the Army of the Shenandoah from May 21 to July 3
[3]
which consisted of two infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions. The First and Second Infantry Divisions were commanded by Brigadier Generals
Jeremiah C. Sullivan
and
George Crook
respectively. The First and Second Cavalry Divisions were commanded by Brigadier Generals
Julius Stahel
(succeeded by
Alfred N. Duffie
) and
William W. Averell
respectively. In May Crook's and Averell's divisions fought independently at the
battle of Cloyd's Mountain
. Hunter personally led Sullivan's and Stahel's divisions at the
battle of Piedmont
. All four divisions were joined for the
battle of Lynchburg
. On July 3, George Crook assumed command of both infantry divisions and designated this as a new field army named the
Army of the Kanawha
.
[4]
The force was next created by order of
Ulysses S. Grant
on August 1, 1864, in response to a raid by
Jubal Early
and his
Confederate
army of 15,000 on
Washington, D.C.
, and especially his defeat of
Lew Wallace
at the
Battle of Monocacy Junction
. The new Army of the Shenandoah was composed of the Union
VI Corps
(commanded by
Horatio G. Wright
),
XIX Corps
(
William H. Emory
), and
George Crook
's
Army of West Virginia
(
VIII Corps
). It was placed under Sheridan's command with orders to repel Early, deal with Confederate guerillas, and press on into the
Shenandoah Valley
in
Virginia
.
Early, ever the cunning strategist, kept his force moving so as not to be trapped by Sheridan's vastly superior force. His raid had, if anything, a good deal of success for southern morale. Confederate General
Robert E. Lee
, coming to the conclusion that Early had done all that was practical, ordered Early to return two of his divisions to
Richmond
and remain to tie up Sheridan. Learning of this, Sheridan waited until Early weakened himself and then attacked at the
Third Battle of Winchester
on September 19 and then again at the
Battle of Fisher's Hill
on September 20?21. By the end of these battles, Early's force was effectively out of the war, and Sheridan proceeded with his secondary orders to destroy the ability of the
Shenandoah Valley
to produce foodstuffs for the Confederacy, torching farms and more than 2,000 mills.
Reinforced again in reaction to the threat of Sheridan's 31,000-man army, Early moved against Sheridan once more. After a decisive
cavalry
victory by Union forces under Brig. Gen.
George Armstrong Custer
at the
Battle of Tom's Brook
, Early's army launched a surprise attack against Sheridan at the
Battle of Cedar Creek
on October 19. Initially successful, the Confederates were repelled by a Union counterattack and the Valley was firmly under Union control.
Following those battles in the fall of 1864, the majority of the Army of the Shenandoah was detached to Grant at
Petersburg
and to
William Tecumseh Sherman
in
Georgia
. Sheridan joined Grant for the Appomattox campaign where Sheridan commanded the Army of the Shenandoah, which included two divisions of cavalry commanded by Wesley Merritt. In late April 1865, command of the army then passed to Brig. Gen.
A. T. A. Torbert
until July 12, 1865, when the force was disbanded for the final time.
Commanders
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Notable battles
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See also
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References
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External links
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