Posted on 07/24/2005 4:10:53 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
This Day In History | Civil War
July 24
1864 Battle of Kernstown, Virginia
Confederate General Jubal Early defeats Union troops under General George Crook to keep the Shenandoah Valley clear of Yankees.
On June 13, 1864, General Robert E. Lee sent Early north from Petersburg to clear the Shenandoah of Union troops and relieve pressure on his own beleaguered force. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had been pinned in Petersburg after a bloody six-week campaign with General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac. The campaign mimicked that of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's in 1862, when the Confederates successfully relieved pressure on Richmond and held off several Union armies in the Valley.
Early moved into Maryland in July and even threatened Washington before moving back up the Potomac and into the valley with Yankee troops in pursuit. On July 23, Early's troops engaged the Union force under Crook near Kernstown, with no clear victory for either side. The next day, Early struck Crook with his entire force and found the Federals in a vulnerable position. The Yankees were routed and fled back down the valley.
Early's victory led to significant changes in the Union approach to the Shenandoah Valley. President Abraham Lincoln urged Grant to secure the area once and for all. Grant sent General Philip Sheridan to command the district in early August, and in the fall Sheridan dealt a series of defeats to Early and pacified the valley.
that quickened the end of the war somewhat, but really when Lee couldn't and wouldn't get out of Petersburg, the CSA's fate was sealed....
Yup. He should have told Jeff Davis earlier in 1864 to evacuate Richmond.
It's a good thing George Washington didn't try to defend Philadelphia the way Lee did Richmond.
yeah....
Or Boston for that matter....
Well he did try to hold New York. That didn't work out too well.
Nope....
Washington was as good an escape artist as Billy Bob Clinton was....and Washington was much more honorable too.
It wouldn't be the last time that year Washington's men would cross a river in the middle of the night.
No it wasn't.
The 2nd time worked out much better though.
Yes it did. Have you seen the movie "The Crossing"?
No I don't think so, but I did catch a part of a movie where Jeff Daniels was playing George Washington...it was pretty good...
That's the movie. It was very well done. Folks today don't appreciate how big a risk Washington was taking.
ahhh...
ok thats cool. The part I saw was when Washington was more or less dismissing Gage.....
A very good scene. I love the part at the when Washington tells a soldier to escort Gage out of the camp and to shoot him if he resists. Gage tells Washington, "You wouldn't dare!". Washington replies, "Try me General Gage. Merely try me."
Actually it was Gates he dismissed. I often he get him mixed up with Gage as well.
Yeah. We are thinking of the same scene.
Jeff Daniels does some great historical characters. He was awesome as Chamberlin in Gettysburg too.
Yes he was. Just the other weekend TNT showed Gettysburg with some extra scenes.
I happened to live just west of Gettysburg at the time they were filming that.
I don't imagine it was fun. It was frikin hot when they were filming most of the battle scenes.
I've talked to a couple of reenactors who were in the movie. They told me the same thing.
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