I looked through a few of the resources I have at my disposal, for accounts of Union soldiers who remained in the Shenandoah Valley, and were still present here, on July 4, 1862. Regretfully, I could only come up with two accounts that were either written on that day, or described, in brief, what happened that day.
Lt. Robert Gould Shaw, then near Front Royal with the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry, wrote a letter to his mother that day. As interesting as the letter is, it has nothing in it discussing any celebrations held that day.
On the other hand, John Mead Gould, of the 10th Maine Infantry, also near Front Royal, noted that, despite the pleasant and cool day, there was nothing more than a firing of guns and ringing of the Warren County Court House bell. As there was little recognition of the day around Front Royal, he imagined larger celebrations in the towns and cities of the North. It only served to turn Gould’s mood even more blue than it already was.
He had also given considerable thought to the war, on that day, especially with the recent string of defeats in both the Shenandoah Valley and Seven Days battles. Gould was feeling worn-down; weary of war, and growing skeptical of the rightness of the Union cause. He also resented the treatment of the Southern people he had encountered, despite what he considered, “kindness” of Union soldiers toward those same people. With all of this in mind, he began to reconsider the approach… a much harder war began to seem necessary…
While Jackson had not really cleared the Valley of Union forces, nor had he “conquered the Valley”, he had subdued effective resistance, both tactically, and mentally… for a while.
Yet, through soldiers like Gould, we can also see how defeat served to increase the resolve of many a Union soldier. I imagine that, at the time, Gould couldn’t possibly imagine that what he was thinking would unfold a mere two years later, in the next Valley Campaign.
Moving the clock forward, I regret to say that all is NOT pleasant and cool(!) in the Shenandoah, on this 150th anniversary of Gould’s comments. Still, here’s wishing all my readers well, on this 4th of July. I hope that all have enjoyed the day, so far, and look forward to an entertaining conclusion to fill the skies.
An image I found on the Web seemingly fitting image from the blog post of the Saturday Evening Post, July 3, 2010.
Janet
July 5, 2012
July 4 is the peak of the wheat harvest in the Valley. In a letter from Augusta, Rebecca writes to brother Dr. C.C. Henkel at the Seven Days Battle. Her husband manages her deceased father’s farm in New Market. She describes the Yankee plunder – (Hessians). Siram Henkel records farm work and repairing of the reaper, and we are reminded that the labor-intensive wheat harvest in the Valley is the end of June and the beginning of July.
http://oculus.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=henkel;cc=henkel;view=text;idno=2934124R-4;rgn=div1;node=2934124R-4%3A124
Robert Moore
July 5, 2012
Hi Janet,
I had to trim your comment a bit. I left what you noted about standard activity this time of year in the Valley, and the note about 1862, but had to trim back the remarks about 1861. I just wanted to make sure the comments regarding ’61 didn’t alter the point I was trying to make in the blog post. It’s good info, but best suited for a ’61 Sesquicentennial post, which would have been generated last year. Thanks.
Janet
July 5, 2012
No problem. I am used to collaborating with someone else, and welcome the impressions of others to find out how things sound to someone else – we do constant editing. I enjoy your comments.
Robert Moore
July 6, 2012
Thanks for being understanding about it. It’s interesting to see, but, depending on how many comments come in, the objective of a blog post can change based on those comments.