This work fills a tremendous gap in our available knowledge in a fundamental area of Civil War studies, that of basic quotidian information on the weather in the theater of operations in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. Krick adds to the daily records kept by amateur meteorologists in these two locations. Anecdotal descriptions of weather found in contemporary soldiers’ dairies and correspondence combines these scattered records into a chronology of weather information that also includes daybreak and sunset times for each day. The information in Civil War Weather in Virginia is indispensable for students of the Civil War in the vital northern Virginia/Maryland theater of operations.

Robert K. Krick is the former chief historian of the battlefield park that preserves the sites of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. He is author of 14 books and more than 100 published articles. Widely regarded as the top historian in modern times on the Army of Northern Virginia and the foremost authority of Chancellorsville, Krick is a popular lecturer and battlefield tour guide. Battlefield preservation is a prime concern for Krick, who has pushed tirelessly for legislation and federal funding for Civil War sites.

“The quotations included are very vivid.”

—David Laskin, author of Braving the Elements: The Stormy History of American Weather

“Students of the Civil War will find the book an extremely useful reference work. The tables and additional commentary from widely scattered sources offer indispensable information for anyone interested in military campaigns in Virginia. To have all of this information for the entire war readily available in one place is the single most significant contribution of this work.”

—George C. Rable, President, Society of Civil War Historians

“[Krick is] the greatest secret weapon for Civil War battlefield preservation we’ve ever had.”

—Former New York Representative Robert J. Mrazek