Blood-Tinted Waters of the Shenandoah

Author Jonathan Noyalas's study offers not only a history of an overlooked engagement in the oft-contested Shenandoah Valley, but-as Pulitzer Prize finalist Brian Matthew Jordan notes in the book's Foreword-"e;a keen reminder that Civil War battles are rich laboratories in which to observe the human experience in all its complexity."e; Decades after the Civil War's end, Confederate veteran John Alexander Stikeleather reflected on his experiences as a soldier in the 4th North Carolina Infantry. He had served in many engagements during his four years of service, but there was one in particular that Stikeleather believed should "e;never be forgotten"e;: Cool Spring. While largely overlooked or treated as a footnote to Gen. Jubal A. Early's raid on Washington in the summer of 1864, the fight at Cool Spring, which one soldier characterized as "e;a sharp and obstinate affair,"e; proved critical to Washington's immediate safety. The virtually unknown combat became a transformative moment for those who fought along the banks of the Shenandoah River in what ultimately became the war's largest and bloodiest engagement in Clarke County, Virginia. The Blood-Tinted Waters of the Shenandoah examines Gen. Horatio Wright's pursuit of Jubal Early into the Shenandoah and the clash on July 17-18, 1864. It analyzes the decisions of leaders on both sides, explores the environment's impact on the battle, and investigates how the combat impacted the soldiers and their families-in its immediate aftermath and for decades thereafter. Years of archival research-including an investigation into the backgrounds of the Union and Confederate soldiers who perished in the fighting-coupled with intimate knowledge of the battlefield helps preserve the memory of the fight that should "e;never be forgotten."e; Author Jonathan Noyalas's study offers not only a history of an overlooked engagement in the oft-contested Shenandoah Valley, but-as Pulitzer Prize finalist Brian Matthew Jordan notes in the book's Foreword-"e;a keen reminder that Civil War battles are rich laboratories in which to observe the human experience in all its complexity."e;