Shenandoah: Jackson’s Valley Campaign

About this board game

Shenandoah: Jackson’s Valley Campaign is a two-player, 180-minute historical strategy game covering the remarkable May/June 1862 Valley Campaign.

One player commands the Confederate States of America, led by Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, while the other directs the United States forces. The campaign recreates how a smaller Confederate army used audacious marching and fighting to paralyze and defeat three enveloping Union armies.

The Confederate player begins with the advantage of a central position, but that advantage must be used aggressively. The goal is to prevent the separated Union forces from combining against Jackson’s army, creating a campaign defined by movement, pressure, and the timing of engagements.

The Union player has a clear advantage in numbers, but must manage a command system that penalizes the wide separation of the three forces. Bringing those forces together is essential, yet their distance creates a significant challenge throughout the campaign.

• Players: 2
• Play time: 180 minutes
• Setting: The May/June 1862 Valley Campaign
• Central tension: Confederate positional advantage versus Union numerical strength

Shenandoah highlights the strategy and tactics that have made Jackson’s campaign a subject of study for military students worldwide. It offers a focused contest in which the Confederacy must act decisively and the Union must overcome the complications of coordinating widely separated forces.