A few readers may know me from my Civil War Battles and Battlefields blog. For some time I have been considering another project of more substance and of more use to the Civil War community online. Enter The Valley Campaign of 1862, my new WordPress blog.
First, I need to tip my hat to three long-time bloggers whose work has inspired this effort. Harry Smeltzer, of Bull Runnings fame, inspired my idea of a digital resource for the Valley Campaign. More recently, Brett Schulte started Beyond the Crater, a similar effort focused on the Petersburg campaign. Finally, I need to mention Brian Downey’s Antietam on the Web (and Behind Antietam on the Web) one of the best resources for the Maryland Campaign of 1862 available, online or in print. Thank you all for such excellent models for this project.
I plan to collect and organize primary sources for all aspects of the Valley Campaign, and to provide overviews of available secondary sources as well. In addition, I plan to offer my own impressions developed through ongoing research, as well as information on current issues, such as battlefield preservation and interpretation. I am not currently an expert on this campaign. Rather, I plan to use this blog as a gateway to a more comprehensive understanding of the campaign, its ramifications for the participants and for the course of the Civil War in the eastern theater.
I have chosen WordPress as it offers superior capabilities for organizing a project such as this. I welcome your suggestions for improvement and hope you will join me in discussions as the project unfolds.
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