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1864 Shenandoah Valley Civil
War History
| Civil War Shenandoah Valley Campaigns, Battles |
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The "Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864" is commonly
referred to as: Early's Valley Campaigns, The Early Valley Campaign, Sheridan's Valley Campaign, Early's Raids, and even the
Lynchburg Campaign.
The "Valley Campaigns of 1864" were American Civil War operations
and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this
period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they interacted. Each campaign
consisted of numerous battles with different objectives.
The Army of the Valley (officially the Army of the Valley District)
was the name assigned to the army of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's independent command during the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns in
the summer and autumn of 1864. The Army of the Valley was the last Confederate unit to invade Northern territory, reaching
the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The Army became defunct after its decisive defeat at the Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia,
on March 2, 1865. (Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864-1865.)
Total War
The Union devised a coordinated strategy that would strike at the heart
of Confederacy from multiple directions: U. S. Grant, George Meade, and Benjamin Butler against Robert E. Lee's Army
of Northern Virginia near Richmond; Franz Sigel to invade the Shenandoah Valley (Great Appalachian Valley: History and Descriptive Map) and destroy Lee's supply lines; Sherman to invade Georgia and capture Atlanta; Nathaniel Banks to capture
Mobile, Alabama.
| Shenandoah Valley Map |
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| (Civil War Shenandoah Valley Map) |
The Confederacy's main objective of the entire series
of battles was to pull, draw or lure Grant's army and resources away from Lee, who was pinned down in the Richmond-Petersburg
Siege, and consequently relieve Lee of the overwhelming Union resources that confronted him. Although thousands of both Union
and Confederate soldiers died during the hotly contested Valley Campaigns, it is perhaps the least studied and talked about
of all the Civil War campaigns.
Lynchburg Campaign (May – June 1864)
This first campaign started
with Union Gen. Grant's planned invasion by Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel. Sigel, a German immigrant, was in command of the Department
of West Virginia, and his orders from Grant were to move "up the Valley" (i.e., southwest to the higher elevations) with 10,000
men to destroy the railroad center at Lynchburg, Virginia.
Lynchburg Campaign [May-June 1864] consisted of the following battles:
New Market – Piedmont – Lynchburg
| Map of Valley Operations in May - August 1864 |
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| (1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign Map) |
| Hunter's Civil War Raid |
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(Right) Map of Union Maj. Gen. Hunter's Raid (June 1864) through Virginia.
Map shows Hunter's route, with principal battles, and Confederate railroads.
Battle of New Market (May 15): Sigel was intercepted by 4,000 troops and
cadets from the Virginia Military Institute under Confederate Maj. Gen. John C. Breckenridge and defeated. Sigel, who
would die in New York in 1902, retreated to Strasburg, Virginia,
and was replaced by Maj. Gen. David Hunter, who later burned VMI in retaliation for the actions of the VMI cadets; Battle
of Piedmont (June 5 – June 6): Hunter resumed the Union offensive and defeated William E. "Grumble" Jones, who was killed
in the battle. Hunter occupied Staunton, Virginia;
Battle of Lynchburg (June 17 – June 18): Hunter was foiled in his plan to destroy railroads, canals, and hospitals in Lynchburg when initial units under Jubal A. Early arrived. Hunter,
short on supplies, retreated back through West Virginia.
Sigel, furthermore, was deemed an incompetent general for his disastrous
performance against Breckinridge on May 15 at the Battle of New Market. Sigel, in July 1864, was humiliated by Early's Confederate
advance to the outskirts of Washington City, present day Washington, D.C., and was forced to resign.
| Virginia 1864 Civil War Battle Map |
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Early's Raid and Operations Against the
B&O Railroad (June – August 1864)
Robert E. Lee was concerned about
Hunter's advances in the Valley, which threatened critical railroad lines and provisions for the Virginia-based Confederate
forces. He sent Jubal Early's corps to sweep Union forces from the Valley and, if possible, to menace Washington, D.C.,
hoping to compel Grant to dilute his forces against Lee around Petersburg,
Virginia. Early was operating in the shadow of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson,
whose 1862 Valley Campaign against superior forces was etched in Confederate history. (Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign: A History with Maps and Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862: Confederate Military
History) Early got off to a good start. He proceeded down the Valley without opposition,
bypassed Harpers Ferry, crossed the Potomac River, and advanced into Maryland.
Grant dispatched a corps under Horatio G. Wright and other troops under George Crook to reinforce Washington and pursue Early.
Early's Raid and Operations
Against the B&O Railroad, aka Early's Maryland Campaign, [June-August 1864] comprised the following battles: Monocacy – Fort Stevens – Heaton's Crossroads – Cool Spring – Rutherford's Farm –
Kernstown II – Folck's Mill – Moorefield
| American Civil War Railroads Map |
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Battle
of Monocacy Junction (July 9): Also known as the Battle of Monocacy. Early defeated a smaller force under Lew Wallace near
Frederick, Maryland, but this battle delayed his progress
enough to allow time for reinforcing the defenses of Washington; Battle of Fort Stevens
(July 11– July 12): Early attacked a fort on the northwest defensive perimeter of Washington
without success and withdrew back to Virginia; Heaton's
Crossroads (July 16): Union cavalry attacked Early's supply trains as the Confederates withdrew across the Loudoun Valley towards the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Several small cavalry skirmishes occurred throughout the day as the Federals continued to try and harass
Early's column; Battle of Cool Spring (July 17 – July
18): Also known as Snicker's Ferry. Early attacked and repulsed pursuing Union forces under Wright; Battle
of Rutherford's Farm (July 20): A Union division attacked a Confederate division under Stephen
Dodson Ramseur and routed it. Early withdrew his army south to Fisher's Hill, near Winchester,
Virginia; Second Battle
of Kernstown (July 24): Wright withdrew, thinking Early was no longer a threat. Early attacked him to prevent or delay his
return to Grant's forces besieging Petersburg. Union troops
were routed, streaming through the streets of Winchester.
Early pursued and burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,
along the way in retaliation for Hunter's previous destruction in the Valley; Battle
of Folck's Mill (August 1): Also known as the Battle of Cumberland. An inconclusive small cavalry battle in Maryland; Battle of Moorefield
(August 7): Also known as the Battle of Oldfields. Confederate cavalry returning from the Chambersburg
burning were ambushed and defeated by Union cavalry.
| Maryland Civil War Map of Battles |
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| (Maryland Civil War Battlefield Map) |
Sheridan's Valley Campaign (August – October 1864)
Grant finally lost patience
with Early, particularly his burning of Chambersburg, and knew that Washington remained vulnerable if Early was still on the loose. He found a new commander
aggressive enough to defeat Early: Philip Sheridan, the cavalry commander of
the Army of the Potomac, who was given command of all forces in the area, calling them the
Army of the Shenandoah. Sheridan initially started slowly,
primarily because the impending presidential election of 1864 demanded a cautious approach, avoiding any disaster that might
lead to the defeat of Abraham Lincoln.
Sheridan's
Valley Campaign [August-October 1864] witnessed the following battles: Guard Hill – Summit Point – Smithfield
Crossing – Berryville – 3rd Winchester – Fisher's Hill – Tom's Brook – Cedar Creek
| August 1864 - March 1865: Map of Valley Operations |
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| (Shenandoah Valley Civil War Map of Battles) |
Battle
of Guard Hill (August 16): Also known as Front Royal or Cedarville. Confederate forces under Richard H. Anderson were sent
from Petersburg to reinforce Early. Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritt's
Union cavalry division surprised the Confederate columns while they were crossing the Shenandoah River, capturing about 300. The
Confederates rallied and advanced, gradually pushing back Merritt's men to Cedarville. The battle was inconclusive; Battle
of Summit Point (August 21): Also known as Flowing Springs
or Cameron's Depot. Early and Anderson struck Sheridan
near Charles Town, West Virginia. Sheridan conducted a fighting withdrawal; Battle of Smithfield Crossing (August 25 –
August 29): Two Confederate divisions crossed Opequon Creek and forced a Union cavalry division back to Charles Town; Battle
of Berryville (September 3 – September 4): A minor engagement in which Early attempted to stop Sheridan's march up the
Valley. Early withdrew back to Opequon Creek when he realized he was in a poor position for attacking Sheridan's full force; Battle of Opequon (September 19): Also known as the Third Battle of
Winchester. While Early had his forces dispersed, raiding the B&O Railroad, Sheridan struck near Winchester, Virginia. Sustaining ruinous casualties, Early
retreated from the largest battle in all three of the campaigns, taking up defensive positions at Fisher's Hill; Battle of
Fisher's Hill (September 21 – September 22): Sheridan
hit Early in an early-morning flanking attack, routing the Confederates with moderate losses. Early retreated to Waynesboro, Virginia. With Early damaged
and pinned down, the Valley lay open to the Union. And because of Sherman's
capture of Atlanta, Lincoln's
re-election now seemed assured. Sheridan pulled back slowly down the Valley and conducted a
scorched earth campaign that would presage Sherman's March
to the Sea in November. The goal was to deny the Confederacy the means of feeding its armies in Virginia, and Sheridan's army
did so ruthlessly, burning crops, barns, mills, and factories; Battle of Tom's Brook (October 9): As Early began a pursuit
of Sheridan, Union cavalry routed two divisions of Confederate cavalry; Battle of Cedar Creek (October 19): In a brilliant
surprise attack, Early routed two thirds of the Union army, but his troops were hungry and exhausted and fell out of their
ranks to pillage the Union camp, and Sheridan managed to rally his troops and defeat Early decisively.
| West Virginia Civil War Map of Battles |
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| (West Virginia Civil War Battlefield Map) |
Having completing his missions of neutralizing Early and suppressing the Valley's military-related economy,
Sheridan returned
to assist Grant at Petersburg. Most of the men of Early's
corps rejoined Lee at Petersburg in December, while Early
remained to command a skeleton force. His final action was defeat at the Battle of Waynesboro on March 2, 1865, after which
Lee removed him from his command because the Confederate government and people had lost confidence in him. (Shenandoah Valley and the American Civil War and American Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley.)
(Sources listed at bottom of page.)
Recommended
Reading: The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (McFarland
& Company). Description: A significant part
of the Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, especially in 1864. Books and articles have been written
about the fighting that took place there, but they generally cover only a small period of time and focus on a particular battle
or campaign. Continued below...
This work covers
the entire year of 1864 so that readers can clearly see how one event led to another in the Shenandoah Valley and turned once-peaceful
garden spots into gory battlefields. It tells the stories of the great leaders, ordinary men, innocent civilians, and armies
large and small taking part in battles at New Market, Chambersburg, Winchester, Fisher’s
Hill and Cedar Creek, but it primarily tells the stories of the soldiers, Union and Confederate,
who were willing to risk their lives for their beliefs. The author has made extensive use of memoirs, letters and reports
written by the soldiers of both sides who fought in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.
Recommended
Reading: The
Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (Military Campaigns of the Civil War) (416 pages) (The University of North
Carolina Press). Description: The 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign
is generally regarded as one of the most important Civil War campaigns; it lasted more than four arduous months and claimed
more than 25,000 casualties. The massive armies of Generals Philip H. Sheridan and Jubal A. Early had contended for immense
stakes... Beyond the agricultural bounty and the boost in morale to be gained with its numerous battles, events in the Valley
would affect Abraham Lincoln's chances for reelection in November 1864. Continued below...
The eleven
essays in this volume reexamine common assumptions about the campaign, its major figures, and its significance. Taking advantage
of the most recent scholarship and a wide range of primary sources, contributors examine strategy and tactics, the performances
of key commanders on each side, the campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of civilians caught in the path
of the armies. The authors do not always agree with one another, but, taken together, their essays highlight important connections
between the home front and the battlefield, as well as ways in which military affairs, civilian experiences, and politics
played off one another during the campaign.
Recommended Reading: General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse.
Review: You cannot say that University
of North Carolina professor Glatthaar (Partners in Command) did not do
his homework in this massive examination of the Civil War–era lives of the men in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
Glatthaar spent nearly 20 years examining and ordering primary source material to ferret out why Lee's men fought, how they
lived during the war, how they came close to winning, and why they lost. Glatthaar marshals convincing evidence to challenge
the often-expressed notion that the war in the South was a rich man's war and a poor man's fight and that support for slavery
was concentrated among the Southern upper class. Continued below...
Lee's army
included the rich, poor and middle-class, according to the author, who contends that there was broad support for the war in
all economic strata of Confederate society. He also challenges the myth that because Union forces outnumbered and materially
outmatched the Confederates, the rebel cause was lost, and articulates Lee and his army's acumen and achievements in the face
of this overwhelming opposition. This well-written work provides much food for thought for all Civil War buffs.
Recommended
Reading: From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah Campaign
of 1864. Amazon.com Review: Virginia's Shenandoah Valley was a crucial avenue for Confederate armies
intending to invade Northern states during the Civil War. Running southwest to northeast, it "pointed, like a giant's lance,
at the Union's heart, Washington, D.C.,"
writes Jeffry Wert. It was also "the granary of the Confederacy," supplying the food for much of Virginia. Both sides long understood its strategic importance, but not until the fall of
1864 did Union troops led by Napoleon-sized cavalry General Phil Sheridan (5'3", 120 lbs.) finally seize it for good. He defeated
Confederate General Jubal Early at four key battles that autumn. Continued below…
In addition
to a narrative of the campaign (featuring dozens of characters, including General George Custer and future president Rutherford
B. Hayes), this book is a study of command. Both Sheridan and Early were capable military leaders, though
each had flaws. Sheridan tended to make mistakes before battles,
Early during them. Wert considers Early the better general, but admits that few could match the real-time decision-making
and leadership skills of Sheridan once the bullets started
flying: "When Little Phil rode onto the battlefield, he entered his element." Early was a bold fighter, but lacked the skills
necessary to make up for his disadvantage in manpower. At Cedar Creek, the climactic battle of the 1864 Shenandoah campaign,
Early "executed a masterful offensive against a numerically superior opponent, only to watch it result in ruin." With more
Confederate troops on the scene, history might have been different. Wert relates the facts of what actually happened with
his customary clarity and insightful analysis.
Recommended
Reading: Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J.
Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862. Description: 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. Continued below…
About the Author:
Robert G. Tanner is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Tanner is 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.
Recommended
Reading: Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign, by Peter Cozzens (Civil War America) (Hardcover). Description: In the spring of 1862, Federal troops under
the command of General George B. McClellan launched what was to be a coordinated, two-pronged attack on Richmond in the hope of taking the Confederate capital and bringing a quick end to the Civil
War. The Confederate high command tasked Stonewall Jackson with diverting critical Union resources from this drive, a mission
Jackson fulfilled by repeatedly defeating much larger enemy forces. His victories elevated him to near iconic status in both
the North and the South and signaled a long war ahead. One of the most intriguing and storied episodes of the Civil War, the
Valley Campaign has heretofore only been related from the Confederate point of view. Continued below…
With Shenandoah
1862, Peter Cozzens dramatically and conclusively corrects this shortcoming, giving equal attention to both Union and Confederate perspectives. Based on a multitude of primary sources, Cozzens's groundbreaking
work offers new interpretations of the campaign and the reasons for Jackson's success. Cozzens also demonstrates instances in which the
mythology that has come to shroud the campaign has masked errors on Jackson's part. In addition, Shenandoah 1862 provides the first detailed
appraisal of Union leadership in the Valley Campaign, with some surprising conclusions. Moving seamlessly between tactical
details and analysis of strategic significance, Cozzens presents the first balanced, comprehensive account of a campaign that
has long been romanticized but never fully understood. Includes 13 illustrations and 13 maps. About the Author: Peter Cozzens
is an independent scholar and Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State. He is author or editor of nine highly
acclaimed Civil War books, including The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth
(from the University
of North Carolina Press).
Recommended
Reading: Shenandoah Summer:
The 1864 Valley Campaign. Description:
Jubal A. Early’s disastrous battles in the Shenandoah Valley ultimately resulted in
his ignominious dismissal. But Early’s lesser-known summer campaign of 1864, between his raid on Washington and Phil
Sheridan’s renowned fall campaign, had a significant impact on the political and military landscape of the time. By
focusing on military tactics and battle history in uncovering the facts and events of these little-understood battles, Scott
C. Patchan offers a new perspective on Early’s contributions to the Confederate war effort—and to Union battle
plans and politicking. Patchan details the previously unexplored battles at Rutherford’s Farm and Kernstown (a pinnacle
of Confederate operations in the Shenandoah Valley) and examines the campaign’s influence
on President Lincoln’s reelection efforts. Continued below…
He also provides
insights into the personalities, careers, and roles in Shenandoah of Confederate General John C. Breckinridge, Union general
George Crook, and Union colonel James A. Mulligan, with his “fighting Irish” brigade from Chicago.
Finally, Patchan reconsiders the ever-colorful and controversial Early himself, whose importance in the Confederate military
pantheon this book at last makes clear. About the Author: Scott C. Patchan, a Civil War battlefield guide and historian, is
the author of Forgotten Fury: The Battle of Piedmont, Virginia, and a consultant and contributing writer for Shenandoah, 1862.
Review
"The author's
descriptions of the battles are very detailed, full or regimental level actions, and individual incidents. He bases the accounts
on commendable research in manuscript collections, newspapers, published memoirs and regimental histories, and secondary works.
The words of the participants, quoted often by the author, give the narrative an immediacy. . . . A very creditable account
of a neglected period."-Jeffry D. Wert, Civil War News (Jeffry D. Wert Civil War News 20070914)
"[Shenandoah
Summer] contains excellent diagrams and maps of every battle and is recommended reading for those who have a passion for books
on the Civil War."-Waterline (Waterline 20070831)
"The narrative
is interesting and readable, with chapters of a digestible length covering many of the battles of the campaign."-Curled Up
With a Good Book (Curled Up With a Good Book 20060815)
"Shenandoah
Summer provides readers with detailed combat action, colorful character portrayals, and sound strategic analysis. Patchan''s
book succeeds in reminding readers that there is still plenty to write about when it comes to the American Civil War."-John
Deppen, Blue & Grey Magazine (John Deppen Blue & Grey Magazine 20060508)
"Scott C. Patchan
has solidified his position as the leading authority of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign with his outstanding campaign
study, Shenandoah Summer. Mr. Patchan not only unearths this vital portion of the campaign, he has brought it back to life
with a crisp and suspenseful narrative. His impeccable scholarship, confident analyses, spellbinding battle scenes, and wonderful
character portraits will captivate even the most demanding readers. Shenandoah Summer is a must read for the Civil War aficionado
as well as for students and scholars of American military history."-Gary Ecelbarger, author of "We Are in for It!": The First
Battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862 (Gary Ecelbarger 20060903)
"Scott Patchan
has given us a definitive account of the 1864 Valley Campaign. In clear prose and vivid detail, he weaves a spellbinding narrative
that bristles with detail but never loses sight of the big picture. This is a campaign narrative of the first order."-Gordon
C. Rhea, author of The Battle of the Wilderness: May 5-6, 1864 (Gordon C. Rhea )
"[Scott Patchan]
is a `boots-on-the-ground' historian, who works not just in archives but also in the sun and the rain and tall grass. Patchan's
mastery of the topography and the battlefields of the Valley is what sets him apart and, together with his deep research,
gives his analysis of the campaign an unimpeachable authority."-William J. Miller, author of Mapping for Stonewall and Great
Maps of the Civil War (William J. Miller)
Sources: Davis, William C., The Battle of New Market, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:
Stackpole Books, 1993, ISBN 0-8117-0576-5; Early, Jubal A., and
Gallagher, Gary W. (editor), A Memoir of the Last Year of the War for Independence in the Confederate States of America, University
of South Carolina Press, 2001, ISBN 1-57003-450-8; Eicher, David J., The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War,
Simon & Schuster, 2001, ISBN 0-684-84944-5; Gallagher, Gary W., ed., Struggle for the Shenandoah: Essays on the 1864 Valley
Campaign, Kent State University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-87338-429-6; Gallagher, Gary W., ed., The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of
1864 (Military Campaigns of the Civil War), University of North Carolina Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0807830055; Kennedy, Frances
H., ed., The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998, ISBN 0-395-74012-6; Knight, Charles, Valley
Thunder: The Battle of New Market, New York: Savas Beatie, 2009, ISBN 978-1-932714-80-7; Leepson, Marc, Desperate Engagement:
How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American History, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's
Press, 2007, ISBN 0-312-36364-8; Lewis, Thomas A., and the Editors of Time-Life Books, The Shenandoah in Flames: The Valley
Campaign of 1864, Time-Life Books, 1987,ISBN 0-8094-4784-3; Library of Congress; National Archives; National Park Service;
Pancake, John, "Virginia Reveres Civil War Bravery", Washington Post, November 26, 2008; Patchan, Scott C., The Battle of Piedmont, Virginia, Sgt. Kirkland's
Press, Fredericksburg, 1996; Patchan, Scott C. Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign. University
of Nebraska Press; Lincoln, Ne. 2007; Salmon, John S., The Official Virginia Civil
War Battlefield Guide, Stackpole Books, 2001, ISBN 0-8117-2868-4; Wittenberg, Eric J., Little Phil: A Reassessment of the
Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, Potomac Books, 2002, ISBN 1-57488-548-0;
Woodworth, Steven E., and Winkle, Kenneth J., Oxford Atlas of the
Civil War, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-522131-1; U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation
of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901; Carrie Hunter
Willis and Etta Belle Walker, 1937, Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of Virginia; Davis, Julia. The Shenandoah.
Rivers of America. Farrar&Rinehart, Inc. New York. 1945;
Joseph Doddridge, 1850, A History of the Valley of Virginia;
David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America,
New York: Oxford University
Press, 1989; Joseph Solomon Walton, 1900, Conrad Weiser and the Indian Policy of Colonial Pennsylvania.
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