Cozzens (The Darkest Days of the War) is an independent scholar and a master of Civil War military history at tactical and operational levels. He deploys a large body of unfamiliar primary material in this detailed analysis of a campaign less one-sided than the accepted view that it represented Union blundering and the triumph of Confederate planning and execution signaling the emergence of one of history's great generals, Stonewall Jackson. Without debunking Jackson, Cozzens describes a commander still learning his craft. Jackson's obsession with keeping his strategic intention to himself too often left his subordinates confused. As a tactician he tended to commit his forces piecemeal. The Union generals opposing him performed reasonably well in the context of divided command, inadequate logistics and constant micromanaging by Abraham Lincoln. In particular the president's concern for Washington's safety led him to withhold troops from McClellan's Peninsular Campaign—a decision Cozzens reasonably says enhanced McClellan's natural caution. Jackson's victories revitalized a Confederacy whose morale was at its lowest after a string of Union victories. The South now had a new hero, whose personal idiosyncrasies and overt religiosity only enhanced his appeal.- Publishers Weekly;""Examines, from both sides, a campaign that has been scrutinized from the Confederate side, but rarely closely examined from the Union perspective.""- Appalachian Heritage;""A welcome, much-needed addition to Civil War campaign studies; valuable to scholars and enthusiasts alike. Highly recommended.""- Choice;""An excellent, unbiased view of both sides in the early part of the war and is strongly recommended for those interested in how the soldiers and leadership conducted themselves during the 1862 Shenandoah campaign.""- On Point;""Utilizing his extensive collection of sources, the author paints for the reader an excellent description of the region in which the campaign took place. . . . Cozzen's book, both in its research and scope, will certainly surpass Robert G. Tanner's impressive Stonewall in the Valley as the standard work on the 1862 Valley Campaign.""- The Historian;""The definitive history of the Valley Campaign.""- Army Magazine;""Cozzens succeeds at recounting a version of this story which offers a more balanced, if not more complete, narrative of the campaign. . . . Cozzens' conclusions are well bolstered, his prose is clever and accessible to any public or academic audience, and common sense would dictate that Shenandoah 1862 will remain a relevant, if not definitive, look at Jackson and the Valley Campaign for years to come.""- H-Net Reviews;""Peter Cozzens' superb history of events in the Shenandoah Valley provides much greater depth and analysis than any study preceding it, and in the process enhances our larger understanding of the Civil War in the East. . . . Cozzens' artful narrative effectively mines both civilian and military perspectives. . . . This is a first-rate piece of research, well argued and engagingly presented. One can safely say that the history of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign has been written for this generation.""- Military History of the West;""Able research presented in a careful, accurate, and critical manner. . . . Will become a ""must-have"" . . . for any serious student interested in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862.""- H-Net Reviews;""A fresh look at the 1862 Valley Campaign. . . . Provides a fair discussion of the command and operational issues facing both sides . . . by far the best book . . . on the 1862 Valley Campaign.""- Journal of America's Military Past;""Cozzens uncovered a gratifying body of new primary source material and provides a fresh chronological narrative of a major Civil War campaign.""- Robert K. Krick, author of Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain;""Well-written, informative, and entertaining. . . . An important new work giving the Northern perspective while at the same time taking a critical look at Jackson. . . . Highly recommended.""- TOCWOC A Civil War Blog;""Drawing from an impressive array of both Union and Confederate primary sources, Peter Cozzens has produced the most comprehensive and balanced study of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign to date. A fascinating, in-depth work of scholarship--and a great read!""- Kent Masterson Brown, author of Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign;""As campaign literature, this book stands out as a superlative narrative. The sentence structure is succinct, the prose is scintillating, the characters and their environment are vividly portrayed and developed, and the chronology of the campaign is well-placed in chapters bookended by distinct and memorable introductions and conclusions. . . . Stand[s] out as the definitive work on the campaign.""- Virginia Magazine of History and Biography;""[A] well-researched study. . . . The most detailed account we are likely to see on the Valley Campaign.""- Roanoke Times;""Thought provoking. . . . [Cozzens] sets out to correct the record in the first balanced treatment of an iconic campaign in an iconic war. . . . Civil War buffs will gobble up this hefty volume and historians will dive in to agree or disagree with Cozzen's cogent analysis. . . . It doesn't get much better than Peter Cozzens with his trademark combination of solid research swept along by 'you were there' immediacy.""- Tennessee Advocate
