Virginia

Name: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Through Time
Brand: John F. Cummings
SKU: 9781625450487
Price: 16.09 USD
Availability: InStock

It’s impossible to survey the Virginia landscape without seeing the layers of its history. Civil War battlefields in Virginia lie right next to landmarks of the American Revolution. The Old Dominion state is home to those who declared independence and framed the constitution, as well as the civil rights leaders and suffragists who still had to fight for freedoms withheld. From Richmond’s culinary traditions to the politics of a Middleburg foxhunt, examine the fascinating complexities of Virginia with our Virginia history books. [View all Virginia books]

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The Battle of Fisher's Hill: Breaking the Shenandoah Valley's Gibraltar

$16.99

The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek: Polegreen Church and the Prelude to Cold Harbor

$16.99

Virginia in the Civil War

$16.99

The Battle of Glendale: Robert E. Lee’s Lost Opportunity

$16.99

Civil War Graves of Northern Virginia

$16.99

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Through Time

$22.99 $16.09 Save 30%

Frederick in the Civil War

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Remembering Virginia's Confederates

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Yorktown, Virginia

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Unionists in Virginia:

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Lee's Body Guards

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Fredericksburg:

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Virginia Waterways and the Underground Railroad

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Chancellorsville Campaign

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Civil War Northern Virginia 1861

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Civil War in Loudoun County, Virginia: A History of Hard Times

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Yorktown's Civil War Siege

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Shenandoah County in the Civil War

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Waynesboro

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Cedar Creek

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Washington County, Virginia, in the Civil War

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

An African American History of the Civil War in Hampton Roads

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Civil War Legacy in the Shenandoah:

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Big Bethel:

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

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Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Through Time

9781625450487

$22.99 $16.09 Save 30%

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County is a region steeped in the history of our early nation, further punctuated by the defining, tragic drama of the American Civil War. Here was the boyhood playground of our first President, George Washington, as well as four tragic battlefields that would yield over 100,000 casualties during an eighteen-month nightmare. The depredations of this war produced a pall over the countryside that wore heavily on the local citizenry for generations.
This volume sets out to demonstrate not only the lasting tangibility of prominent landmarks of this eventful past, but also the starkly contrasting disappearance of vernacular structure, the homes and workplaces of the common man.
The shifting needs of the community amongst the growing technological advances of the modern world render a palimpsest landscape, where faint traces continue to erode, and are lost in popular memory. Visual historian John Cummings brings together some remarkable combinations of then and now journalistic imagery. His intent is go to beyond a "pretty picture book" of stately homes and florid gardens. Here we see how indeed, time marches on. The reader will also find an exploration of the identification process employed to solve some long-standing photographic mysteries.

Frederick in the Civil War

9781609490782

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Frederick, Maryland, was poised at the crossroads of the Civil War.

Here, Confederate troops passed west to the Battles of Antietam and South Monocacy, while Union troops marched north to Gettysburg and south to raid the resources of the Shenandoah Valley. Both heroes and villains were made in the spired city, such as Dame Barbara Fritchie, who is said to defied General Jackson; General Jubal Early, who threatened to put the town to the torch; and the local doctors and nurses who cared for thousands of wounded soldiers. Join local historian John Schildt as he recounts the fascinating history of Frederick in the Civil War.

The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers

9781596291485

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

In his latest book, The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers, Charles Mauro has given voice to the heretofore silent majority of the participants in the Civil War: the civilians. This overdue study examines the full spectrum of men, women, slaves and freedmen who lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, during this chaotic, uncertain period. Drawn from the files of the Southern Claims Commission, Mauro recounts the stories the civilians told the Commission after the war to document their losses, lives and living conditions. The citizens of Fairfax County found themselves occupying front row seats at the most horrific show that this country has ever seen. Because of its position just across the Potomac River on the doorstep of the city of Washington, Fairfax County was heavily targeted by the Confederate army and defended with equal determination by the Union army. Fairfax was the first county in the South that the Union army invaded, and the last it occupied as soldiers were mustered out of service after the Grand Review. The Civil War in Fairfax County contains stories of the devastation that both armies brought upon the civilians and their property, as well as the daily strife caused by a war that pitted neighbor against neighbor and family members against themselves. It gives an important, fascinating and unprecedented look into the everyday lives of the civilians who lived through the most tumultuous four years in American history, in a county that was occupied by both the Confederate and Union armies throughout the entire Civil War.

Remembering Virginia's Confederates

9780738566115

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The commonwealth of Virginia holds a prominent and distinguished place in American Civil War history. Home to the Confederacy's capital city of Richmond, more major battles were fought in Virginia than in any other state. The commonwealth also produced some of the war's most legendary and iconic figures, including Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and J. E. B. Stuart. Images of America: Remembering Virginia's Confederates explores the Confederate military and government service of a wide array of Virginia residents, ranging from the most prominent generals, politicians, and spies to little-known enlisted men. It also acknowledges their dedication and sacrifice to a cause in which they strongly believed.

The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton

9781609491970

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Piedmont has long been considered a small battle with massive consequences. A must-have for Shenandoah Valley and Civil War enthusiasts.

In 1864, General Grant tasked General David Hunter with raiding the breadbasket of the Shenandoah Valley and destroying the Confederate factories and supply lines. General Lee dispatched General William E. ""Grumble"" Jones, and the forces collided up the fertile fields of eastern Augusta County. It was a bloody day--the Battle of Piedmont saw more men killed and wounded than in any of Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley encounters. Sweeping on to victory, Federal forces then occupied Staunton and laid waste to the railroad and Confederate workshops.

Join Civil War historian Scott C. Patchan, a leading authority on the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign and sitting member of Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation's Resource Protection Committee, as he chronicles the campaign and sheds light on its place in the war.

A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe

9781596297432

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

As the Civil War raged, Confederate brigadier general J.E.B. Stuart entrusted a secret album to Laura Ratcliffe, a young girl in Fairfax County, "as a token of his high appreciation of her patriotism, admiration of her virtues, and pledge of his lasting esteem." A devoted Southerner, Laura provided a safe haven for Rebel forces, along with intelligence gathered from passing Union soldiers. Ratcliffe's book contains four poems and forty undated signatures: twenty-six of Confederate officers and soldiers and fourteen of loyal Confederate civilians. In A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia, Charles V. Mauro uncovers the mystery behind this album, identifying who the soldiers were and when they could have signed its pages. The result is a fascinating look at the covert lives and relationships of civilians and soldiers during the war, kept hidden until now.

Yorktown, Virginia

9781467139571

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Yorktown's history is often overshadowed by its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The site of the British surrender has held several victory commemorations over the past two hundred years. Yorktown also was a thriving colonial port and the site of one of the biggest Union blunders in the Civil War. During Reconstruction, former slaves created a vibrant community called Slabtown on the edge of the hamlet. In the 1930s, the National Park Service began preserving the battlefield; what was for decades a sleepy village is now dominated by tourism, and nearby modern military installations have helped to give it new life. Join author Wilford Kale as he reveals the many facets of Yorktown.

Unionists in Virginia:

9781626197459

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Whether the Civil War was preventable is a debate that began shortly after Appomattox and continues today. But even earlier, in 1861, a group of Union-loyal Virginians--led by George Summers, John Brown Baldwin, John Janney and Jubal Early--felt war was avoidable. In the statewide election for delegates to the Secession Convention that same spring, the Unionists defeated the Southern Rights Democrats with a huge majority of the votes across the state. These heroic men unsuccessfully negotiated with Secretary of State William Henry Seward to prevent the national tragedy that would ensue. Author and historian Lawrence M. Denton traces this remarkable story of Virginians working against all odds in a failed attempt to save a nation from war.

Lee's Body Guards

9781467141505

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

They considered themselves "Lee's Body Guard," cavalrymen specifically recruited to serve as scouts, couriers and guides for General Robert E. Lee. Though their battle experiences might pale compared to those of soldiers under J.E.B. Stuart and Wade Hampton, the men of the 39th Virginia served crucial roles in the Confederate army. From the fields of Second Manassas to Appomattox Court House, they were privy to the inner workings of the Confederate high command. They were also firsthand witnesses to the army's victories and triumphs and to its tragedies and trials, from losing Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville to losing the opportunity to win the war at Gettysburg. Award-winning author Michael C. Hardy chronicles the experiences of this unique group of Confederate cavalrymen.

The Battle of Fredericksburg:

9781596298408

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Fredericksburg is known as the most disastrous defeat the Federal Army of the Potomac experienced in the American Civil War. The futile assaults by Federal soldiers against the Confederate defensive positions on Marye's Heights and behind the infamous stone wall along the Sunken Road" solidified Ambrose Burnside's reputation as an inept army commander and reinforced Robert E. Lee's undefeatable image. Follow historian James Bryant behind the lines of confrontation to discover the strategies and blunders that contributed to one of the most memorable battles of the Civil War."

Virginia Waterways and the Underground Railroad

9781625859631

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

A part of the Underground Railroad, read here of enslaved people and their stories of using Virginia's waterways to achieve freedom.

Enslaved Virginians sought freedom from the time they were first brought to the Jamestown colony in 1619. Acts of self-emancipation were aided by Virginia's waterways, which became part of the network of the Underground Railroad in the years before the Civil War. Watermen willing to help escaped slaves made eighteenth-century Norfolk a haven for freedom seekers. Famous nineteenth-century escapees like Shadrack Minkins and Henry "Box" Brown were aided by the Underground Railroad. Enslaved men like Henry Lewey, known as Bluebeard, aided freedom seekers as conductors, and black and white sympathizers acted as station masters. Historian Cassandra Newby-Alexander narrates the ways that enslaved people used Virginia's waterways to achieve humanity's dream of freedom.

The Chancellorsville Campaign

9781596295940

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Chancellorsville Campaign was the true high water mark for both the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac. The campaign would be the Confederates' greatest battle, though it came at the cost of losing General "Stonewall" Jackson at the height of his military success and public popularity. Although the Confederacy prevailed at Chancellorsville, "Fighting Joe" Hooker used the defeat to institute a multitude of reforms in the Army of the Potomac, which paved the way for the hard-fought victory at Gettysburg and heavily influenced the Union winning the war. Shenandoah University professor James Bryant weaves together a concise yet comprehensive account of the engagement, one brought to life by excerpts from the letters of Lee, Jackson and Hooker, as well as many other soldiers.

Civil War Northern Virginia 1861

9781609493523

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Join William C. Connery as he recounts the notable events and battles that occurred in Northern Virginia in 1861 after the firing on Fort Sumter. Beginning in May 1861, both the Confederate and Union armies assembled in Northern Virginia as politicians were deciding how and where the Civil War would be fought. Several months passed as both armies maneuvered and attempted to complete reconnaissance on the other. During this early time, the first officers on both sides were killed; Mount Vernon was declared neutral territory; the Confederate battle flag was adopted; and the first real battles of the war took place in Northern Virginia.

The Civil War in Loudoun County, Virginia: A History of Hard Times

9781596293786

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

A no-man's land through which raiding armies frequently passed, Loudoun County, Virginia, was itself a land of divided loyalties--one in three voters rejected secession in 1861--but with each new regiment came strengthened resolve to salvage their shattered lives despite defeat and military occupation.
In this look at Loudoun County's role in the Civil War, historian Stevan Meserve narrates not only the large-scale fighting at Ball's Bluff in 1861 and in the Loudoun Valley cavalry battles of 1863, but also the lives of the citizens who
sacrificed their crops and livestock, cared for the wounded and buried the dead of storied regiments such as White's Comanches, Cole's Potomac Home Brigade, Mosby's Rangers and the Independent Loudoun Rangers. Drawing upon military accounts and other historical documents, The Civil War in Loudoun County celebrates their eventual triumph and the vibrant communities that exist today.

Yorktown's Civil War Siege

9781609496562

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

On 4 April 1862, Major General George McClellan marched his 121,500-strong Army of the Potomac from Fort Monroe toward Richmond. Blocking his path were Major General John B. Magruder's Warwick-Yorktown Line fortifications and the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia. Despite outnumbering Magruder almost four to one, McClellan was tricked by Magruder's bluff of strength and halted his advance. Yorktown, the scene of Washington's 1781 victory over Cornwallis, was once again besieged. It was the Civil War's first siege and lasted for twenty-nine terrible days. Just as McClellan was ready to bombard Yorktown, the Confederates slipped away because of his delays, McClellan lost the opportunity to quickly capture Richmond and end the war. Historians John V. Quarstein and J. Michael Moore chronicle the Siege of Yorktown and explore its role in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign and the final battles surrounding Richmond.

Shenandoah County in the Civil War

9781596297609

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Shenandoah County, in the years prior to the Civil War, was a prosperous place. Nestled within the Shenandoah Valley, it was a haven for agricultural commerce fueled by slave labor. Integral railways and transportation routes passed through Shenandoah County, feeding its impressive agricultural output throughout the Virginia. With the outbreak of Civil War, all of that would change. Four major battles took place in and around Shenandoah County New Market, Toms Brook, Fishers Hill, and Cedar Creek. Although the proceedings of these historic battles have been well-documented, the effect the combat had on residents of Shenandoah County has receded into the background. Now, author Hal Shape brings the lives of county residents to fore, recounting how their spirits were tested during this dark hour of American history.

The Battle of Waynesboro

9781626190702

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Join author and Waynesboro native Richard G. Williams Jr. as he expertly traces the harrowing narrative of a prelude to the surrender at Appomattox.

In 1865, Waynesboro played host to the last gasp of the Confederate army in the Shenandoah Valley. Although the Battle of Waynesboro isn't among the most recognizable clashes, such as Gettysburg or Antietam, it still holds a special place in American history. The Union forces, led by General Philip Sheridan, included a young brigadier general named George Armstrong Custer. The battle was also the last major conflict for famed Confederate general Jubal Early, whose defeat during the fight spelled the end of his Civil War service.

The Battle of Cedar Creek

9781596295933

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Nestled between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia's Shenandoah Valley enjoyed tremendous prosperity before the Civil War.

This valuable stretch of land--called the Breadbasket of the Confederacy due to its rich soil and ample harvests--became the source of many conflicts between the Confederate and Union armies. Of the thirteen major battles fought here, none was more influential than the Battle of Cedar Creek. On October 19, 1864, General Philip Sheridan's Union troops finally gained control of the valley, which eliminated the Shenandoah as a supply source for Confederate forces in Virginia, ended the valley's role as a diversionary theater of war and stopped its use as an avenue of invasion into the North.

Civil War historian, preservationist, and author Jonathan A. Noyalas explains the battle and how it aided Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign and defined Sheridan's enduring legacy.

Washington County, Virginia, in the Civil War

9781609494957

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The citizens of Washington County, Virginia gave up their sons and daughters to the Confederate cause of the Civil War. Contributing six Confederate generals as well as Union officers, the region is emblematic of communities throughout the nation that sacrificed during the war. Though the sounds of cannon fire and gunshots were only heard at a distance, Washington County was the breadbasket for Confederate armies. From the fields surrounding Abingdon to the coveted salt works in Saltville, Union Generals were constantly eyeing the region, resulting in the Saltville Massacre and the burning of Abingdon's famous courthouse. Historian Michael Shaffer gives a detailed narrative of Washington County during the Civil War, painting vivid images of heroism on and off the battlefield.

An African American History of the Civil War in Hampton Roads

9781609490775

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Through a fascinating narrative and stunning vintage photographs, readers will discover the struggles and triumphs of the African Americans of Hampton Roads.

It was in Hampton Roads, Virginia, that hundreds gained their freedom. The teeming wharves were once a major station on the Underground Railroad, and during the Civil War, escaped slaves such as Shepard Mallory, Frank Baker and James Townsend fled to Fort Monroe to become contrabands under the protection of General Benjamin Butler. Upon arrival in the region, many took up arms for the Union, and the valiant deeds of some placed them among the first African American Medal of Honor recipients. Join Professor Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander as she charts the history of this remarkable African American community from the Civil War to Reconstruction.

Civil War Legacy in the Shenandoah:

9781626198883

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

After four bloody years of Civil War battles in the Shenandoah Valley, the region's inhabitants needed to muster the strength to recover, rebuild and reconcile. Most residents had supported the Confederate cause, and in order to heal the deep wounds of war, they would need to resolve differences with Union veterans. Union veterans memorialized their service. Confederate veterans agreed to forgive but not forget. And each side was key to the rebuilding effort. The battlefields of the Shenandoah, where men sacrificed their lives, became places for veterans to find common ground and healing through remembrance. Civil War historian and professor Jonathan A. Noyalas examines the evolution of attitudes among former soldiers as the Shenandoah Valley sought to find its place in the aftermath of national tragedy.

Big Bethel:

9781609493547

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The battle at Big Bethel Church, known as the Civil War's first land battle, was a baptism of fire for a nation newly torn apart by civil war. Northern and Southern soldiers alike could not imagine how fiery passions and technological advances would collide into America's bloodiest war, all beginning that hot, cloudless day at Bethel, as the shells burst among the smartly clad Zouaves. Here, the war saw its first friendly fire incident, the death of the first West Point graduate, the death of the first Confederate infantryman and the first Confederate victory. Join award-winning historian John Quarstein as he details the story of the June 10, 1861 battle, when soldiers first realized that the war would not be filled with glorious parades but rather desperate struggles to decide the fate of the nation