The Second Battle of Winchester: The Confederate Victory That Opened the Door to Gettysburg

Second Winchester -- A History And A Story

Three American Civil War battles are named for Winchester, a small Virginia town in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley. Civil War historians Eric Wittenberg's and Scott Mingus' new book, "The Second Battle of Winchester: The Confederate Victory that Opened the Door to Gettysburg" (2016) offers a detailed study of the second of the three battles, fought from June 13 -- 15, 1863. At Second Winchester, the Confederate First Corps under its new commander Robert Ewell overran a much smaller Union army commanded by Major General Robert Milroy. The Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee then proceeded to cross the Potomac River north in the campaign that culminated in the July 1 --3 battle of Gettysburg.

Students of Gettysburg will have a basic familiarity with Second Winchester as the battle receives attention in all serious studies of the campaign. Still, prior to this book, there were only two book-length studies of the battle, and neither study has the detail or scope of this new book. Historian Jonathan Noyalas, the author of a biography of Milroy, writes in the Foreword that Wittenberg and Mingus "through clear prose offer an objective examination of the Second Battle of Winchester sure to become not only the final word on the battle for another generation, but a fitting tribute to the veterans of Milroy's and Ewell's commands who engaged in deadly combat for four days in and around the Shenandoah Valley's most important city, one which witnessed unspeakable horrors and incessant conflict throughout four years of hard war."

There is a different perspective in examining Second Winchester, or any historical event, as part of a broader campaign on the one hand and bracketing it off and examining it closely on its own on the other hand. Much can be learned from looking at events both ways. This book is a detailed account of a battle significant for the Gettysburg campaign but also well worth knowing in itself. The book examines Second Winchester, its actions, participants, and places on their own with only background references to the place of the battle in the campaign. Thus, the book will probably have most appeal to readers with a strong background in Gettysburg.

Wittenburg and Mingus offer both a history and a story. The book is a military history of every engagement and maneuver of the battle of Second Winchester. The writing is clear and accompanied by informative and frequent subheadings in the text so that the reader can follow the thread. The maps and topographical discussions are frequent and excellent. The authors have done meticulous micro-research on the battle and have thoroughly documented their study in footnotes (on the bottom of each page) and bibliography.

Without minimizing the value of a detailed military account, it may become confusing and tedious to readers without a passion for military history or for this particular battle. This book, however, combines military history with story -- to use the modern overworked term, "narrative" -- to give the reader a sense of the significance of an event that goes beyond military action.

The strongest parts of this book focus on people and places. Throughout the study, Wittenberg and Mingus discuss the controversial union commander, Robert Milroy. A committed, courageous Unionist but hotheaded, arrogant, and with limitations as a commander, Milroy was blamed for the large Union defeat at Second Winchester and spent the rest of his long life in an attempt to clear his name. The authors offer a nuanced, human portrayal of Milroy, including his strengths and weaknesses and of his life following the disaster of Second Winchester.

The book offers as well portraits of the small towns dotting the Shenandoah Valley, accompanied by historic photographs, and of life during the War. Prior to Second Winchester, Milroy had been in command for six months and had treated the Confederate sympathizers in the civilian population harshly. The book shows occupation life from a civilian perspective. It also describes well the tedium and boredom of military life in the long months leading up to Ewell's attack. Unlike Ewell's forces, the Union defenders of Winchester had little prior combat experience and yet responded bravely when they were attacked.

The accounts of the military action include many stories of individuals, soldiers, officers, chaplains, physicians, and civilian non-combatants. The book individualizes the people involved in Second Winchester, and it frequently tells something of their lives after the battle had ended. Again, many of the footnotes reward reading. The most moving sections of the book are those involving the aftermath of the battle. Wittenberg and Mingus discuss the fate of the thousands of Union captives as they trecked and were shipped in freight cars to Confederate prisons in Richmond. The book gives equally eloquent attention to the approximately one-half of the Union Army that escaped. Some of the survivors became parts of units with colorful names such as the "Hodgepodge Unit". The stories of people and their fates and places give this book its poignancy much more than does the detailed account of military movements.

Of the many stories and incidents recounted in this book, here is an example. It is part of an account of the climactic day of the battle on June 15 and describes how a Union surgeon and a Union chaplain stayed on the battlefield to try to help the wounded. The Confederates take the two men to their general, John Gordon.

"When the charismatic Georgian learned why these two men had lingered when they could have slipped away with their units, he sympathetically told an orderly, 'Let them have fifty soldiers and all the ambulances they want to help get their wounded off the field.' McCabe and Houston enlisted several other captives to help with the task. When they were finished, they presented themselves to General Early, who had taken overall command in Winchester. McCabe announced, 'General Early, we are a company of surgeons and chaplains who have stayed behind to look after the wounded; we have finished our work and would like very much to be sent through the Confederate line to our regiment.' Early smiled, turned to McCabe and remarked, 'You are a preacher, are you?' When McCabe replied in the affirmative, the volatile Early answered, 'Well, you preachers have done more to bring on this war than anybody, and I'm going to sent you to Richmond.' The Southern capital was 150 miles away, protested the reverend, while Harpers Ferry was only 30 miles away. Early responded by saying, 'They tell me you have been shouting, 'On to Richmond' for a long time, and to Richmond you shall go.' To their dismay McCabe and Houston were headed for Libby Prison instead of Harpers Ferry."

In their concluding paragraph, Wittenberg and Mingus liken the history of Second Winchester to a "Greek tragedy" thus emphasizing the attempt to find meaning and significance in the history of the battle that goes beyond military or even political significance. With all the military detail, this is a moving account of a particular, discrete event in the Civil War. The book concludes with driving tours for readers moved to visit the scenes and with orders of battle. Savas Beatie published this book and kindly sent me a copy to review.

Robin Friedman