Virtual Battle Brief - Shenandoah in Flames: Hunter’s Raid, 1864

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Library of Congress

During the burning of the Valley, the U.S. Army destroyed what they could not take: barns, mills, fields of grain, and livestock.

The late spring of 1864 saw Union troops advancing in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, destroying Confederate supplies and farms to cripple the South’s ability to wage war. A key part of this campaign was led by Maj. Gen. David Hunter who not only won a key battle against the rebels in June but also attacked Lexington, where he shelled the town and burned the state’s military academy. Join Museum’s historian and educator John Maass for a new look at “Hunter’s Raid,” and how Union forces tried to win the war in western Virginia.

Dr. John R. Maass is an education specialist at the National Museum of the United States Army. He received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in early U.S. history and military history. A former U.S. Army Reserve officer, his most recent book is “The Battle of Guilford Courthouse: A Most Desperate Engagement” (2020).