Part of a series of articles titled From Backcountry to Breadbasket to Battlefield and Beyond.
Article
The Aftermath
US Army Center of Military History (USAMHI)
“They have a valley rich and fertile and are gradually recovering what they lost. Instead of a battlefield, the Valley of VA has been changed to an immense summer resort.”
William C. King, 1887
In the postwar years, many former Confederates began to accept the war’s results and look forward, with the rest of the nation, to a period of national reconciliation. The nation remembered those who had fallen by building monuments and participating in Civil War. The impacts of the battle were widespread and lasted long after the Civil War ended.
A Countryside Deeply Scarred
The various battles in the Valley resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction. The waste of war had reduced land to a “wild” state, dismantled the rural economy and destroyed implements and structures. From this scene of devastation, civilians turned forward to rebuild their lives. The aftermath of war slowly brought hope for a peaceful and prosperous future.
Stability Returns
After the war, Valley farmers returned to cultivating the land once more. They turned to the tried and true business of mixed farming, again with a focus on growing wheat. By 1900, wheat yields had increased 63 percent. For Virginia as a whole, production rose by only three percent. The Valley recovered much more rapidly than the rest of Virginia largely due to the very same reasons that had made it such an attractive place in which to settle.
Last updated: December 3, 2021