Mid-February of 1862 was undoubtedly one of the happiest times for General Stonewall Jackson and his wife Anna. As with a number of officers' wives, Anna would travel to be with her husband as much as possible. This would be the first and only time, during the war, when she would be able to be with him for a relatively extended period. It was during this special month that Anna became pregnant, fulfilling many hopes and dreams. Theirs was one of the great love stories of the war.

Organizing and honing his command into what would become one of the most successful armies in the war was a difficult and demanding task. Anna's presence in Winchester would even out some of the turmoil. The Reverend Graham described how Anna "seemed to be the greatest alleviation to Jackson's trials... His devotion to her was unbounded and he lavished upon her every attention and expression of tenderness."

The previous year while at Harper's Ferry, Jackson had purchased two horses that had been recruited to the Confederacy while in the route by train to the Federal Army. One of the horses was a powerful, large sorrel, and the other gelding was a small well-rounded horse with an even temperament, which was purchased for Anna. Jackson initially named Anna's horse "Fancy", but as the horse became the General's primary mount, the horse became known as "Little Sorrel".

Riding along the pathways of Winchester in the stillness of the twilight, the couple enjoyed their time together. Jackson knew he had a great challenge ahead. He also knew that the Lord had a plan for his life, and that he needed only to follow the Lord's will. Riding alongside her husband on Little Sorrel, Anna knew she would also follow her husband wherever the Lord led him.

Cost: $600.00      

Those who heard it never forgot it. Such was the power of the legendary Rebel Yell. It was an odd mixture—part hunting shout, part hog-call, part excitement, part fear, and part bravado. Recalled a Civil War veteran who heard it in combat: "Then arose that do-or-die expression…that penetrating, rasping, shrieking, blood-curdling noise that could be heard for miles on earth…." Those who emitted it said it could never be duplicated outside of battle.

Among the numerous battlefields over which it arose was Second Manassas, where Confederate troops found themselves sorely pressed on the first day of fighting. After driving the mighty Army of the Potomac away from Richmond in the Seven Days Campaign, General Robert E. Lee and his newly organized Army of Northern Virginia moved boldly to strike another Federal force. The target was General John Pope´s 75,000-man Army of Virginia, which was poised to move against the Confederate capital from Northern Virginia. In a daring military gamble, Lee left the Richmond defenses and engineered a brilliant tactical maneuver against Pope´s army near Manassas, Virginia.

For two days, the armies launched a series of bloody assaults against each other. At one point, the Confederate left flank was struck a fierce blow by courageous Federal troops from New York and Pennsylvania. The men in blue hammered at two brigades of Carolina troops under Generals Maxcy Gregg and Lawrence O´Bryan Branch. Exhausted, low on ammunition and depleted by heavy casualties, the valiant Carolinians braced for another attack. Just when the Southern line seemed on the verge of breaking, fresh Virginia troops under General Jubal A. Early joined the battered Confederate defenders and struck the advancing Federals head-on in an open meadow.

The Southerners charged into combat, a veteran of the battle would recall, "with a wild Confederate yell." The two forces collided in a hand-to-hand and face-to-face struggle—and then the Northern line broke and fell back in retreat. The next day on the field of battle, the Southern success would be repeated and Second Manassas would become one of Robert E. Lee´s greatest victories. It would also remain a reminder of that uniquely Southern phenomenon, the Rebel Yell, an audible and ecstatic expression of the decidedly Southern, almost joyful, all-or-nothing attitude that carried the Southern Cross above countless fields of fire. At Second Manassas and elsewhere, it was the battle cry of brave men who knew they faced men of equal courage—Americans all.

Cost: $499.00      

Of the many charismatic and colorful leaders produced by the War Between the States, none shine brighter than Turner Ashby. Raised in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, an area noted for its superb horses and accomplished riders, he became at an early age an expert rider and trainer of horses. Ashby was well known for winning many riding tournaments in Virginia. In these contests he often used the title, Knight of the Black Prince. It was said that during the war he rode the two best horses of the army, one was white and the other black. The Black Knight of the Confederacy led his dashing command through the mountains and valleys of Virginia spreading havoc among the invading Union forces.

In January 1862, General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson implemented his plan to launch an attach and capture the Federal garrison, strategically located in the town of Romney. The 7th Virginia Cavalry, consisting of nearly 500 horsemen led by Lt. Colonel Ashby would be the eyes and ears of Jackson's army.

As Jackson's troop began their march in January 1, the pleasant weather suddenly turned cold as a norther blew in. Temperatures dropped and snow began to fall. Ashby and his cavalry led the way through the snow-covered mountains and valleys of northwest Virginia to Jackson's objectives.

Jackson's troops drove the Federals out of Bath and took the B&O Stations at Alpine, Sir John's Run, and burned the bridge at Great Capacon. As the main body of Jackson's army approached the occupied city of Hancock, Maryland, Jackson sent Lt. Col. Ashby and his men with a flag of truce to demand the town's surrender. General Lander had earlier rushed Federal troops to reinforce the garrison, and refused the demand. Jackson's men shelled the town and marched to Romney. Romney fell without resistance and Jackson now had control of the area. General Jackson had achieved his objective with the able assistance of his Black Knight....

Cost: $350.00      

They too bore the burden of war. America´s civilians – both North and South – endured hardship and deprivation comparable, in many cases, to the men in uniform. They endured the loss of loved ones - husbands, fathers and sons - who were "gone for a soldier." They sacrificed time and treasure to support the men at war. And in many cases, the loss of loved ones was permanent. Between 1861 and 1865, the wages of war were often issued in deep and personal suffering on the home front. This was especially true in the South, where the war fought, and it was particularly true in Fredericksburg, Virginia - a handsome, historic city perched alongside Virginia´s Rappahannock River.

As the War Between the States swept over the embattled South, it came to Fredericksburg with a mighty vengeance in December of 1862. Huge and powerful, the North´s Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Ambrose E. Burnside, massed on the northern side of the Rappahannock. On the opposite side lay General Robert E. Lee´s hard-driving, hard-fighting Army of Northern Virginia. Between both armies lay picturesque Fredericksburg. Eventually, one of the bloodiest battles of the war would ravage Fredericksburg, leaving devastation in its wake.

In early December, however - as winter draped the riverside town in its customary cloak of white - Fredericksburg´s residents made do with the ways of war. To avoid drawing Federal artillery fire into the city, General Lee kept a reduced presence in the city: even the handful of troops detailed for picket duty were careful not to provoke enemy fire. Hard times lay ahead for the people of Fredericksburg – not only in the weeks to come, but in the years that followed until the end of the war. Yet, like Southerners everywhere - and many of their Northern counterparts - the citizens of the city valiantly moved forward with life. They endured sacrifice. They persevered. They were Americans.

Cost: $350.00      

During the winter of 1863 a "Great Revival" took place in the Army of Northern Virginia. Many believed after the Battle of Fredericksburg that the Lord had blessed the Southern cause with a great decisive victory, possibly changing the course of the war. As so often happens in times of war and great struggle, men turn toward their creator for understanding, insight, and guidance for their uncertain future. General Stonewall Jackson used the winter respite as an opportunity to increase the spirituality of his men. Jackson believed his army's religious character was an integral part of being successful on the battlefield.

The Stonewall Brigade built a number of log chapels around Fredericksburg to serve the men, while General Jackson endeavored to enlist as many chaplains as he could find. One of Jackson´s aides described one of the emotional services. "The crowded house, the flickering lights, the smoke that dimmed the light, the earnest preaching, the breathless attention, broken only by sobs of prayers…. made an occasion never to be forgotten."

After Sunday afternoon services the leaders of the Army of Northern Virginia headed back through the snow draped countryside in a joyous mood. General Stuart´s close friend and horse-drawn artillery commander, Major John Pelham of Alabama, often accompanied the leaders. The idol of many southern belles, the gallant and dashing 24 year-old Pelham had proved his bravery at Fredericksburg and would fight in more than 60 engagements. His daring skill and ability to keep up with his commander´s fast moving cavalry raids refined the concept of flying artillery.

Leaders such as Lee, Jackson, and Stuart would call on many such men to sacrifice and give all for their country. It was also their hope and prayer that if the day came when they did not return to camp with their companions, the Lord would embrace them and say, "Well done my brave Christian Soldier."

Cost: $250.00      

Wisps of steam rose from the backs of the unsaddled horses on the cold moonlit evening of February 4, 1862. The countryside was covered with 4 inches of fresh snow and the waning moon was overhead as General Jackson returned from a long day's work to his headquarters at the Moore's home on Baddock Street. Waiting for Stonewall's return was an envoy on a special mission from the Governor of Virginia. It was Colonel Alexander Boteler's mission to try and convince General Jackson to withdraw his resignation from the Army of the Confederacy.

General Jackson's Romney Campaign in January had successfully driven the Federals from three counties of Northern Virginia, thus protecting Winchester from invasion. The difficulties and trials of that expedition also showed Jackson who he could count on during war time operations. To hold and protect this northern invasion route, General William W. Loring's command was posted in Romney and the South Branch valley. Other troops would guard Bath and Martinsburg while the Stonewall Brigade returned to Winchester. This action did not sit well with Loring and his officers who wanted to return to the relative comfort of Winchester. With the lack of discipline and complaints throughout Loring's command, morale plummeted. Bypassing the chain of command, Colonel William Taliaferro traveled to Richmond and, incredibly, gained audience with President Jefferson Davis to complain about General Jackson. On the morning of January 31st General Jackson received a letter from the Secretary of War directing him to withdraw Loring's command back to Winchester. Jackson's replied to the Secretary that his order would be promptly carried out. General Jackson concluded the communiqué with his resignation from the Army.

It didn't take long for Jackson's resignation to have an immediate effect in Richmond and Winchester. There was a flurry of activity in response to this turn of events. It seemed everyone was concerned and fearful if his resignation was accepted. Governor Letcher stepped into action on behalf of General Jackson, his old friend. The Confederate high command learned an important lesson on how to handle Generals in the field. Over the next two years Colonel Boteler would come to realize just how successful his mission had been, and how the course of military history would have changed had it not been for Stonewall's return.

Cost: $250.00      

One of the most beautiful backdrops of the Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley was known as the "bread basket" of the South. The area was not only a vital source of provisions for the Confederacy, but also a key strategic location as a possible northern invasion route. In command of southern forces in the Valley was General Thomas J. Jackson along with his friend and cavalry commander Lt. Colonel Turner Ashby. It was Jackson's responsibility to keep three Federal armies operating in his area from reinforcing Federal General George B. McClellan's offensive against Richmond.

During the month of February 1862 Jackson and his force camped around Winchester with Ashby and his cavalry guarding the Potomac from the Blue Ridge to the Alleghanies. To keep the Federals off-balance, Jackson engaged in one of his favorite pastimes, that of tearing up railroads. The "Old Railroad Wrecker" as some would call him, gleefully worked on destroying the Winchester and Potomac railroad line, that ran from Winchester north towards Harpers Ferry. "He seems to think he has a special mission on earth," a worn out South Carolinian captain wrote of Jackson's penchant for destroying railroads. In strategic locations along the Valley, rails were removed, cooked over a fire, and wrapped around trees with every cross tie burned. As resources and replacement parts for railroads became scarce, Confederate railroad officials asked that rails be saved. General Jackson then ordered his troops to remove the iron rails and have them hauled south to be used again.

Resting near Opequon Creek upon their famous mounts, Little Sorrel and Tom Telegraph, General Jackson and Col. Ashby ponder over a map of the Valley to plan their next chess move in the serious game against their opponent.

Cost: $300.00