Editing Shenandoah Valley (section)

===19th century===
The Shenandoah Valley was known as the [[breadbasket]] of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and was seen as a backdoor for Confederate raids on [[Maryland]], [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], and [[Pennsylvania]]. Because of its strategic importance it was the scene of three major campaigns. The first was the [[Valley Campaign|Valley Campaign of 1862]], in which [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] General [[Stonewall Jackson]] defended the Valley against three numerically superior [[Union Army|Union]] armies. The final two were the [[Valley Campaigns of 1864]]. First, in the summer of 1864, Confederate General [[Jubal Early]] cleared the Valley of its Union occupiers and then proceeded to raid Maryland, Pennsylvania, and D.C. Then during the autumn, Union General [[Philip Sheridan]] was sent to drive Early from the Valley and once-and-for-all deny its use to the Confederates through the use of [[scorched-earth]] tactics. The Valley, especially in the lower northern section, was also the scene of bitter [[partisan (military)|partisan fighting]] as the region's inhabitants were deeply divided over loyalties, and Confederate partisan [[John S. Mosby|John Mosby]] and his [[43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry|Rangers]] frequently operated in the area.