Virtual Battle Brief – The End of the Valley Campaign: The Battle of Port Republic, 1862

In early June 1862, Union Army forces in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley tried to catch and destroy the hard-marching Confederate forces led by “Stonewall” Jackson. Along the banks of the Shenandoah River, Maj. Gen. Erastus Tyler’s outnumbered bluecoats faced off against onrushing Southern regiments in a bloody contest in which almost 2,000 men fell. Join Museum educator John Maass for a detailed look at the engagement, including modern images of the battlefield today. John R. Maass, Ph.D. is an education specialist and historian at the National Museum of the United States Army. He received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in early U.S. and military history. His most recent book is “From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War.” (2025).