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If anything about the Civil War is funny, its the Shenandoah Campaign of 1864

OK so if you don't know east coast geography, there is this ...
Coiffed Unhinged Haunted Graveyard Dilemma
  02/17/18
now: I-81 traverses the Shenandoah Valley very popular ro...
carnelian box office
  02/17/18
Oh how funny. If only there was a movie.... https://en.w...
low-t learning disabled school
  02/18/18
180
Violet adventurous ticket booth legend
  02/18/18
Thank. Would read again
talented indecent gaming laptop
  02/18/18
...
Violet adventurous ticket booth legend
  02/18/18
...
erotic pale juggernaut orchestra pit
  02/18/18
...
Unholy business firm
  02/18/18
you lost me at "Thankfully"
hyperactive plum goyim stead
  02/18/18
ran here
Boyish Set
  02/18/18
How can a valley even be that big? Isn't it more of just a b...
silver hell
  02/18/18
it's pretty big and runs up and down the east coast. it's ca...
sable associate
  02/18/18
25 miles wide? It's just flat inside, the relative scale is ...
silver hell
  02/18/18
what? it's the GOAT-POTUS valley in are history.
sable associate
  02/18/18
...
razzmatazz drab mad-dog skullcap
  02/18/18
Sheridan wrecked the rebels in short order.
Exhilarant Range
  02/18/18
lmao 180
erotic pale juggernaut orchestra pit
  02/18/18
Anyone who has ever been to luray knows that it is gods coun...
Yapping pit mad cow disease
  02/18/18
Tyft. I think newspapers used to do historical refreshers li...
ruddy free-loading field generalized bond
  02/18/18


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Date: February 17th, 2018 11:52 PM
Author: Coiffed Unhinged Haunted Graveyard Dilemma

OK so if you don't know east coast geography, there is this thing called the Shenandoah Valley. It's a valley that goes through western Virginia, roughly paralleling what is today the WV/VA border. The valley also goes through the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, through western Maryland, and if you follow it all the way up north you end up in central Pennsylvania.

This is a good enough map, I suppose

https://www.shenvalleylodgings.com/images/shenandoahvalleyhighlevelmap.png

Anyway, the Shenandoah Valley contains some of the most fertile farmland in Virginia. If you are the Confederacy, you want to protect it as a food source. If you are the Union, you are worried that south could sneak a big force of soldiers up the valley (their movements obscured by the mountains on either side), get into western Maryland or central Pennsylvania, and from there threaten to attack major northern cities like Washington DC, Baltimore, or Harrisburg.

Anywhoo, in 1864 the Confederacy is clearly on the ropes. Lee got his ass kicked at Gettysburg the previous summer, Vicksburg has fallen to the Union, Stonewall Jackson is dead, and the Union now controls a lot of southern ports and rivers. Grant has just taken control of the main Union Army and is forcing Lee to retreat to Richmond. The main Confederate Army soon is surrounded and besieged at Petersburg.

The Union sends a second army to invade the south via the Shenandoah Valley. Surely, with the main Confederate force tied up hundreds of miles away, the north should be able to march through the valley and easily run shit there.

The first Union general they send is a guy named Franz Sigel. He is a political hire: German immigrants are an important voting bloc, and Germans fucking love Franz Sigel. Franz Sigel marches his army down the Shenandoah Valley...and promptly gets his ass kicked by a bunch of VMI students at the Battle of New Market. Sigel is fired and his military career ends.

New Union general comes, General Hunter. Things start well for Hunter. He wins his first battle, he sacks and pillages Lexington, VA, and it seems he will capture the important Confederate city of Lynchburg, Virginia. But the Confederacy, smelling blood in the valley, send a big force under General Jubal Early to defend Lynchburg. The Confederates win the battle. General Hunter then...runs away, retreating into West Virginia, leaving the entire Shenandoah Valley in Confederate hands.

The Confederates waste no time. They march up the valley and get into Maryland. The Confederates march on Washington DC.

Remember, Grant is outside of Richmond. There's no big army defending Washington DC. For a moment, it seems that because of Union incompetence in the backwater Shenandoah Valley, the Confederates are going to capture Washington DC with a relatively small force.

Thankfully, a small force led by the guy who would later write Ben-Hur (Lew Wallace) manages to put itself between the Confederates and DC. Lew Wallace is defeated, but the battle delays the Confederate attack on Washington DC until reinforcements can be sent to defend the capital. The Confederates attack the outskirts of Washington DC but are driven off.

Another Union general, General Wright, now comes out of Washington DC and tries to chase the Confederates back into the valley. General Wright forces the Confederates to retreat back into the valley, and, thinking all is clear, declares victory and sends most of his forces back to Petersburg to support Grant. The Confederates are not done, however, and route General Wright's Army. They then get GET INTO FUCKING PENNSLYVANIA and burn Chambersburg, PA.

The Confederacy is everywhere in retreat and disarray, except in the Shenendoah Valley where it has actually gained territory back from the Union.

Finally, in like September of 1864, Grant sends a competent general to the valley and he mops up the Confederates. But for over half the year, the Shenandoah Valley is like an alternative universe where the south is winning the war.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428777)



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Date: February 17th, 2018 11:55 PM
Author: carnelian box office

now: I-81 traverses the Shenandoah Valley

very popular route for truckers, think peterman summers there

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428792)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:02 AM
Author: low-t learning disabled school

Oh how funny. If only there was a movie....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenandoah_(film)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428809)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:06 AM
Author: Violet adventurous ticket booth legend

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428816)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:11 AM
Author: talented indecent gaming laptop

Thank. Would read again

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428839)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:11 AM
Author: Violet adventurous ticket booth legend



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428840)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 1:14 AM
Author: erotic pale juggernaut orchestra pit



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429071)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 9:27 AM
Author: Unholy business firm



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429896)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:14 AM
Author: hyperactive plum goyim stead

you lost me at "Thankfully"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428850)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 9:14 AM
Author: Boyish Set

ran here

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429868)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:21 AM
Author: silver hell

How can a valley even be that big? Isn't it more of just a big dip in the terroir?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428881)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:24 AM
Author: sable associate

it's pretty big and runs up and down the east coast. it's called the Shendandoah in Virginia but has other names elsewhere. about 25 miles wide there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Appalachian_Valley#/media/File:Greatvalley-map.png

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428889)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 1:13 AM
Author: silver hell

25 miles wide? It's just flat inside, the relative scale is too big for it to be considered a valley, maybe a depression, but that's pushing it. Maybe if you're a giant.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429062)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 9:44 AM
Author: sable associate

what? it's the GOAT-POTUS valley in are history.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429938)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:22 AM
Author: razzmatazz drab mad-dog skullcap



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428887)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 12:37 AM
Author: Exhilarant Range

Sheridan wrecked the rebels in short order.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35428923)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 1:11 AM
Author: erotic pale juggernaut orchestra pit

lmao 180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429058)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 8:48 AM
Author: Yapping pit mad cow disease

Anyone who has ever been to luray knows that it is gods country http://www.shenandoahatwar.org/about-the-area/the-new-market-luray-area-crossroads-of-destiny/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429818)



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Date: February 18th, 2018 9:21 AM
Author: ruddy free-loading field generalized bond

Tyft. I think newspapers used to do historical refreshers like this but since they have been taken over by geeks, freaks, and people who have been here for 50 years, seems to have been abandoned. Let's do are part to keep this alive.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3896443&forum_id=2#35429880)