June 1863. The Gettysburg Campaign is underway. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia pushes north down the Shenandoah Valley toward the Potomac River. Only one significant force stands in its way: Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy's Union division of the Eighth Army Corps at Winchester and Berryville, Virginia. What happens next is the subject of this provocative bestseller, now available in paperback for the first time.

Few students of the war understand the battle's complexity and fighting on June 13-15 that cost Milroy hundreds of killed and wounded and about 4,000 captured (roughly one-half of his command). The combat cleared the northern end of the valley of Federals, demonstrated that Lee could obtain supplies on the march, justified the elevation of General Ewell to replace Stonewall Jackson, and sent shockwaves through the Northern states.

Award-winning authors Eric J. Wittenberg and Scott L. Mingus Sr. used scores of archival and previously unpublished diaries, newspapers, and letter collections to produce the definitive study of the immensely interesting Second Winchester--the pivotal battle that opened the door to Gettysburg.