We'll be based in Staunton, VA for this great conference focused on Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign! Gary Ecelbarger will be our main tour guide studying the Battle of Kernstown, skirmish at Meem's Bottom all the way to the Battle of Cross Keys and the Battle of Port Republic. Our lecture day will be moderated by Eric Wittenberg and include talks by: Michael C. Harris, Bill Miller, Frank O'Reilly, Scott C. Patchan, Don Pfanz and Gary Ecelbarger.

Conference based at Holiday Inn Conference Center in Staunton, Va.

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Conference Location:

Holiday Inn Conference Center

152 Fairway Lane

Staunton, VA 24401

540-248-6020

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All participants are responsible for arranging hotel accommodations for the seminar, which is not included in tour price. $139/night double occupancy plus tax.

Pricing includes a full breakfast at the conference center restaurant,

which is only for our guests. Special pricing for participants based on room availability.

When making reservations, mention Chambersburg Civil War Seminars to ensure you book with the group.  If any issues, ask to speak with Lori Fielding or Tana Mino.

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· Full breakfast for Holiday Inn guests each morning.

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· Check-In will be in the hotel lobby about 1 hour before the day’s activities begin. You only need to check-in once.

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· Each participant will receive a packet of tactical maps and a name badge at check-in

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· Classroom sessions will be held in the Holiday Inn conference room.

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· Bus tours will leave from the Holiday Inn parking lot at the specified time.

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· Book Vendor Mark Ramsey with Owens & Ramsey will be on site on Friday selling works by our speakers. Please patronize this local business!

THURSDAY, APRIL 18

· Bus leaves from Holiday Inn

· Lunch included

· Return by 6 p.m.

· Dinner on your own

8:30  a.m. - 6 p.m. Day 1 Bus Tour led by Gary Ecelbarger

Bus Tour Description: We will experience the first phase of the Valley Campaign, from March through April, 1862. We begin with a detailed study of the Battle of Kernstown (March 23), the largest battle fought east of the Alleghenies for 9 months of the war. From there, we head southward, "up" the Valley Pike following Stonewall Jackson's retreating army and its defensive positions, including the scene of the skirmish at Meem's Botton, where Turner Ashby's close call cost him his beautiful horse. Our tour day ends in front of the fifth Stonewall Jackson headquarters house we will view this day, where some of the most momentous  decisions were made to set the stage for the rest of the campaign.

Sites to visit:

· Pritchard’s Hill

· Rose Hill Park

· Narrow Passage

· Chapman’s Landing

· Meems Bottom

· (roll by) Jackson Headquarters at Peale House

· Miller-Kite House

Dinner on your own.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 19

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8:30  a.m.—12 p.m.  Morning Lectures

• Lectures held at Holiday Inn in Staunton’s Conference Room
• Book Vendor on site

Lectures include:

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· Welcome & Introduction by Eric Wittenberg, program coordinator

· Overview of Civil War Preservation Project by Karen Lowry

"An Overview of the U.S. Army general's adjutant general reports project with specific reference to 1862 campaign" by Michael C. Harris

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"In 1864 and again in the 1870s, the U.S. Army's adjutant general's office asked the then living Union generals to submit accounts of their war service.  These are now being edited for the first time for publication.  Michael Harris will discuss this project and make specific reference to those reports which discuss aspects of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign."

"Jackson's Right Arm:  Dick Ewell in the Valley."  by Don Pfanz

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"Although he initially considered Jackson "crazy," Dick Ewell later became "Stonewall Jackson's most loyal supporter.  Jackson, for his part, highly valued Ewell's services, placing more than half of the Valley Army under his command.  This odd, but highly successful, partnership that would last until Ewell's wounding at Second Manassas two months."

12 - 2 p.m. Lunch on your own

2—5 p.m.  Afternoon Lectures

· Lectures held at Holiday Inn’s conference room

"Col. Nathaniel McLean and the Road to McDowell” by Scott Patchan

This talk will trace the saga of the McLean family from the role of Justice John McLean of the United States Supreme Court in the anti-slavery movement to the outbreak of the Civil War and the actions of his son in organizing the 75th Ohio Infantry to his heroism at the battle of McDowell.

"The Liberty Hall Volunteers Return Home: Jackson's College Boys in the Valley."  by Frank O’Reilly

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"Crossed Signals at Cross Keys" by Bill Miller

At Cross Keys -- a field of battle from an artilleryman's dream -- the two armies brought almost 50 guns into lively play for several hours on June 8, 1862. The battle stands as a near perfect demonstration of how the use, and misuse, of the long arm could determine the results on a Civil War Battlefield.

5 p.m. Dinner included

7 p.m. "The Bridge Blunder Before the Battle: The Shields/Carroll Controversy at Port Republic" by Gary Ecelbarger

"On June 8, 1862, Stonewall Jackson escaped his closest call to capture during the Civil War at the town of Port Republic. Yet, the story behind the Union mission that led to the surprise assault has never been told. Using original documents that haven't seen the light of day for 160 years, Ecelbarger will fill a yawning gap that has limited a more complete understanding of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign."

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SATURDAY, APRIL 20

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· Bus leaves from Holiday Inn

· Lunch included

· Return by 6 p.m.

· Dinner on your own

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8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Day 2 Bus Tour led by Gary Ecelbarger

Bus Tour Description: We will relive the Heart of the Valley Campaign by traversing the beautiful Luray Valley, following the footprints of Stonewall Jackson's "foot cavalry" on its clandestine trip to Front Royal. Then it is an action packed morning and afternoon as we attempt to match the dizzying pace of encounters from May 23-25, and appreciate its impact on opposing War Departments. Our final trek of the day picks up the pursuit of Jackson by elements of two Union armies, culminating at the exact site of the only general to be killed in action in the 1862 Valley Campaign.

Sites to visit:

· Luray Valley

· Asbury Chapel

· Battle of Front Royal

· Cavalry/Infantry Clash at Fairview

· Turner Ashby Monument

Dinner on your own.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 21

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· Bus leaves from Holiday Inn

· Lunch on your own

· Return by 1 p.m.

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8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Day 3 Bus Tour led by Gary Ecelbarger

Bus Tour Description: Our final day of touring is a whirlwind of action. We worked our way to the village of Port Republic to experience the unexpected raid by Union cavalry and artillery upon Stonewall Jackson's HQ on the morning of June 8, 1862. From there it's just a few miles up the historic road for us to relive and analyze the Battle of Cross Keys. Our tour ends during the noon hour with the second battle in consecutive days--the June 9 action at the Wheatfield and Coaling, where over 1,200 men and boys were killed and wounded (with hundreds of others captured) at the Battle of Port Republic.

Sites to visit:

· Port Republic (town)

· Cross Keys Battlefield

· Widow Pence Farm

· Port Republic Battlefield/Coaling

Conference Completion by 1 p.m.

Thank you for your patronage!