The Valley of the Shadow
The Valley of the Shadow is a digital history project about the American Civil War. It began in 1993 and is hosted by the University of Virginia. It presents the experiences of Confederate soldiers from Augusta County, Virginia, and Union soldiers from Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
Founded by William G. Thomas III and Edward L. Ayers, the project is described as an applied experiment in digital scholarship.
The site includes scanned copies of four newspapers from each county and nearby cities like Richmond and New York: Staunton Spectator (Staunton, VA; Whig), Republican Vindicator (Staunton, VA; Democratic), Franklin Repository and Transcript (Chambersburg, PA; Republican), and Valley Spirit (Chambersburg, PA; Democratic).
Elsa A. Nystrom and Justin A. Nystrom note that the site invites readers to choose their own path through the material, following their interests—“alternative readings.” It starts out straightforward, but there is a lot, and you can miss important things if you don’t explore.
In 2022, for the project’s 30th anniversary, New American History released an updated version with enhanced images and better search features.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:03 (CET).