FromJanuarytoJulyof1862,thearmiesandnaviesoftheUnionandConfederacyconductedanincrediblycomplexandremarkablydiverserangeofoperationsintheCommonwealthofVirginia.UnderthedirectionofleaderslikeThomas“Stonewall“Jackson,GeorgeMcClellan,JosephE.Johnston,JohnRodgers,RobertE.Lee,FranklinBuchanan,IrvinMcDowell,andLouisM.Goldsborough,menoftheUnionandConfederatearmedforcesmarchedovermountainsandthroughshallowvalleys,maneuveredonandalonggreattidalrivers,bridgedandwadedtheirtributaries,battledmalarialswamps,dugtrenchesandconstructedfortifications,andadvancedandretreatedinsearchofoperationalandtacticaladvantage.Inthecourseoftheseoperations,theNorthdemonstratedithadlearnedquiteabitfromitssetbacksof1861andwasabletoachievesignificantoperationalandtacticalsuccessonbothlandandsea.ThisenabledUnionarmstobringaconsiderableportionofVirginiaunderFederalcontrol--insomecasestemporarilyandinotherspermanently.Indeed,atpointsduringthespringandearlysummerof1862,itappearedtheNorthjustmightsucceedinbringingaboutthedefeatoftherebellionbeforetheyearwasout.Asweepingstudyoftheoperationsonlandandsea,FromtheMountainstotheBayistheonlymodernscholarlyworkthatlooksattheoperationsthattookplaceinVirginiainearly1862,fromtheRomneyCampaignthatopenedtheyeartothenavalengagementbetweentheMonitorandMerrimactothemovementsandengagementsfoughtbyUnionandConfederateforcesintheShenandoahValley,ontheYork-JamesPeninsula,andinnorthernVirginia,asasingle,comprehensivecampaign.Rafusedrawsfromextensiveresearchinprimarysourcestoprovideafast-paced,completeaccountofoperationsthroughoutVirginia,whilealsoincorporatingfindingsofrecentscholarshiponthefactorsthatshapedthesecampaigns.Theworkprovidesinvaluableinsightsintothefactorsandindividualswhoshapedtheseoperations,howtheyinfluencedthecourseofthewar,therelationshipsbetweenpoliticalleadersandmeninuniform,andhowallthesefactorsaffectedthedevelopmentandexecutionofstrategy,operations,andtactics.
