| Virginia (Frederick County), Clear Brook — Hopewell Friends Meeting House |
| | One mile west Meeting established 1734 since which time regular religious services have been held * Erected 1934 * — Map (db m2282) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Clear Brook — Z-291 — West Virginia / Frederick County |
| | West Virginia. West Virginia was long a part of Virginia. Morgan Morgan began the settlement of the region in 1728. A great battle with the Indians took place as Point Pleasant, 1774. West Virginia became a separate state of the Union in 1863.
Frederick County. Formed in 1738 from Orange, and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of King George III. Several battles were fought in the vicinity of Winchester, 1862–1864. — Map (db m1974) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Gore — Z 217 — Frederick County Va. / West Virginia |
| | (West Facing Side): Frederick County Va. Area 435 Square Miles Formed in 1738 from Orange and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of King George III. Several battles were fought in the vicinity of Winchester 1862-1864 (East Facing Side): West Virginia West Virginia was long a part of Virginia. Morgan Morgan began the settlement of the region in 1727. A great battle with the Indians took place at Point Pleasant, 1774. West Virginia became a separate state of the union in 1863. — Map (db m3097) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Gore — B 17 — Willow Shade |
| | This house, built in 1858, was the childhood home of novelist Willa Cather from 1874 to 1883, when she moved with her family to Nebraska. It was the setting of the final chapters of her novel SAPPHIRA AND THE SLAVE GIRL. Willa Cather was born December 7, 1873, one mile south in the community of Gore then known as Back Creek Valley. — Map (db m3095) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Green Spring — A 67 — Old Stone Church at Greenspring |
| | One-half mile west at Greenspring stands the Old Stone Church, the second church building on the site, which was built in 1838 for a Lutheran congregation. The first church had been built as a subscription school and as a house of worship. Old Stone Church and its large cemetery both had been long abandoned when, in 1927, Cora Bell Crim led local residents in restoring them and forming the Old Stone Church Memorial Association. The earliest extant Lutheran church in Frederick County, Old Stone . . . — Map (db m7340) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — 128th New York Volunteer Regiment |
| | Dedicated on 15 October 1907, this monument is adjacent to the original Valley Pike right of way. It marks the eastern limit of the XIX U.S. Corps positions occupied on 19 October 1864 and is at the approximate point where U.S. Generals Horatio G. Wright and William H. Emory conferred at the opening of the Confederate assault. The 128th New York, from Dutchess and Columbia Counties, lost nearly half its strength at the Battle of Cedar Creek. Its veterans placed the monument here as a memorial . . . — Map (db m3397) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — 1st Maine Battery |
| | Captain Eben D. Haley's 1st Maine Light Artillery occupied a knoll behind the contact point of Colonel Daniel Macaulay's 3rd Brigade and Brigadier General Henry W. Birge's 1st Brigade. The battery quickly came under Confederate artillery fire and lost 27 men and 46 horses before withdrawing. Under pressure from Connor's South Carolina Brigade of C.S. Major General Joseph B. Kershaw's Division, Birge's infantrymen began moving westward down the trench line. Donated to the People of the United . . . — Map (db m3427) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A-15 — Battle of Cedar Creek |
| | Near this point General Early, on the morning of October 19, 1864, stopped his advance and from this position he was driven by Sheridan in the afternoon. — Map (db m568) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Battle of Cedar Creek |
| | October 19, 1864. General Philip Sheridan defeated General Jubal Early here for the third time in 30 days. Sheridan’s pursuit of Confederates from Fisher’s Hill halted at Mount Crawford. On his return he encamped his three corps in this immediate area. Early followed the Federals, arriving at Fisher’s Hill October 13. Scarcity of food and forage forced him to decide on attack or withdrawal. Early chose to take the offensive despite the odds. At 4:30 a.m. on the 19th, General J. B. Gordon began . . . — Map (db m581) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A 56 — Battle of Cedar Creek |
| | In early Oct. 1864, portions of Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s army bivouacked here on the hills and rolling farmland just north of Cedar Creek along the Valley Turnpike (present-day U.S. Rte. 11). Just before daybreak on 19 Oct., Confederate Lt. Gen Jubal A. Early’s infantry divisions surprised and attacked the Federals, routing two of Sheridan’s three infantry corps. Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright, commanding in Sheridan’s absence, organized a retreat north. Sheridan arrived on the . . . — Map (db m583) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Battle of Cedar Creek |
| | The Battle of Cedar Creek 19 October 1864 (a.m.) Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan’s Union forces established themselves on both sides of the Valley Pike, north of Cedar Creek, centered on Belle Grove. Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early decided to send from below Strasburg three divisions, all under Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon’s command, along a trail south of the Shenandoah to Bowman’s and McInturff’s Fords. Once across, a hike of a mile got them onto the left flank of George . . . — Map (db m15171) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Battlefield Center |
| | From this position (Belle Grove Mansion is west of here) most of the VI and XIX U.S. Corps camps were visible on 19 October 1864. The XIX Corps camped close to their earthworks along the ridge to the south. VI Corps units were placed along the ridges west of Belle Grove. The tents of Sheridan's headquarters covered the ground around Belle Grove while the army supply trains deployed in the fields adjacent to the Valley Pike. Colonel Howard Kitching's Provisional Division of the VIII U.S. Corps . . . — Map (db m3363) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Cedar Creek The 8th Vermont Vol's |
| | Genl. Stephen Thomas
Commanding Brigade
Advanced across the Pike
The morning of Oct. 19, 1864.
Engaged the enemy near
and beyond this point,
and before sunrise lost
in killed and wounded 110 men.
Three color bearers were shot down
and 13 out of 16 commissioned officers.
Whole number of men engaged 164.
Dedicated Sept. 1885.
Gift of Herbert E. Hill — Map (db m24368) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Colonel Charles Russell Lowell |
| | Commanding Reserve Brigade
Cavalry Corps
Army of the Shenandoah
Fell in action near this place
October 19, 1864
Useful Citizen * Gallant Soldier
He died too early for his country
(reverse side)
Cedar Creek
October 19, 1864 — Map (db m1868) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A-14 — End Of Sheridan’s Ride |
| | This knoll marks the position of the Union Army when Sheridan rejoined it at 10:30 A.M., October 19, 1864, in the Battle of Cedar Creek. His arrival, with Wright's efforts, checked the Union retreat. — Map (db m577) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A-16 — Engagement Of Middletown |
| | Here Stonewall Jackson, on May 24, 1862, attacked Banks retreating from Strasburg and forced him to divide his army. — Map (db m578) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Z 179 — Frederick County / Shenandoah County |
| | (South Facing Side): Frederick County Area 485 Square Miles Formed in 1738 from Orange, and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, Father of King George III. Several battles were fought in the vicinity of Winchester, 1862-1864. (North Facing Side): Shenandoah County Area 510 Square Miles Formed in 1772 from Frederick, and first named Dunmore for Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, 1771-1775. In 1778 the county was renamed for the Shenandoah River. — Map (db m3430) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Heater Fields |
| | The 2nd (Vermont) Brigade of the 2nd Division, VI U.S. Corps, briefly deployed around the Heater House as skirmishers in the first federal effort to stop the 19 October 1864 Confederate morning attack. When this proved unfeasible, the entire division withdrew to defensive positions on the high ground to the north. Units from the divisions of Confederate Generals Stephen D. Ramseur, John Pegram, and Gabriel C. Wharton then advanced past the Heater House in pursuit while two Confederate artillery . . . — Map (db m15653) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Heater House |
| | Probably built around 1800, this clapboard-covered log house was once the center of a prosperous 600 acre farm owned by Solomon and Caroline Wunder Heater. Although two of her sons died in Confederate service, Mrs. Heater, a native of Pennsylvania, was a Unionist and frequently provided shelter and supplies to the federals. Her loyalty was ultimately repaid by a 1901 federal grant for some wartime damages. Donated to the People of the United States by Candice and John Richards of Pennsylvania — Map (db m3334) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A 105 — Middletown |
| | The Virginia General Assembly established Middletown in 1794. Dr. Peter Senseney laid out the original lots for the village. Surrounded by farms and plantations, including historic Belle Grove, the community grew along the Great Wagon Road, which stretched from Philadelphia to Georgia. Early merchants and businesses included Jacob Danner, clock and instrument maker, James Ridings, a threshing machine designer, and the tavern now known as the Wayside Inn. Shenandoah Valley historian Samuel . . . — Map (db m1862) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Molineux's 2nd Brigade |
| | The westernmost brigade of U.S. Brigadier General Cuvier Grover's 2nd Division, XIX U.S. Corps, the 2nd Brigade first came under pressure when C.S. Major General Joseph B. Kershaw's Division attacked its front and left. Then C.S. Major General John B. Gordon's men, charging from the east, ran into the federal camps in the brigade's rear. Corps commander Major General William H. Emory ordered the brigade commander Colonel Edward L. Molineux to turn his trenches so his men faced what seemed the . . . — Map (db m3428) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A-37 — Old Stone Fort |
| | One mile west is the old stone fort, built about 1755. The northern end is loop-holed for defense against indians. — Map (db m569) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Ramseur Monument |
| | Esse Quam Videri
Northwest of this tablet, 800 yards, is the Belle Grove House in which died, October 20, 1864, of wounds received at Cedar Creek October 19, 1864, Maj.-Gen. Stephen Dodson Ramseur, C.S.A. A native of North Carolina, he resigned from the United States Army in 1861, and entering the Confederate Sates Army as a Lieutenant rose to rank of Major-General at the age of 27. — Map (db m18684) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — The Battle of Cedar Creek |
| | Fought on these hills and fields, Oct 19, 1864. Gen. Jubal A. Early's 22,000 Confederates attacked Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's 60,000 Federals. The first assault a surprise flank movement by Gen. John B. Gordon, was a Confederate success. This advantage not being followed up, enabled Gen. Sheridan to rally and win the victory. — Map (db m3380) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — A-17 — Tomb Of An Unknown Soldier |
| | On the highest mountain top to the southeast is the grave of an unknown soldier. The mountain top was used as a signal station by both armies, 1861-1865. — Map (db m586) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Union Trenches |
| | The main portion of the XIX U.S. Corps earthworks began here and extended one mile westward. Colonel Daniel Macaulay's 3rd Brigade, a part of Brigadier General Cuvier Grover's 2nd Division, occupied them with the 128th New York and 38th Massachusetts Regiments. The 176th and 156th New York Regiments left these trenches to form a line parallel to the Valley Pike north of this point to halt the Confederate attack. C.S. Major General Joseph B. Kershaw's main attack, coming from the southeast, hit . . . — Map (db m3399) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Middletown — Union Withdrawal |
| | Elements of Brigadier General James W. MacMillan's 1st Division, XIX U.S. Corps, left their part of the earthworks to fight C.S. Major General John B. Gordon's men closer to the Valley Pike. When Colonel Edward L. Molineux's and Brigadier General Henry W. Birge's Brigades of the 2nd Division reached this area, corps commander William H. Emory detached the 11th Connecticut Regiment from Molineux and sent it toward Belle Grove. The remainder of the XIX Corps units in the trenches continued . . . — Map (db m3429) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Star Tannery — Z-283 — Frederick County / Shenandoah County |
| | Frederick County. Area 485 Square Miles. Formed in 1738 from Orange, and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, Father of King George III. Several battles were fought in the vicinity of Winchester, 1862–1864.
Shenandoah County. Area 510 Square Miles. Formed in 1772 from Frederick, and first named Dunmore for Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, 1771–1775. In 1778 the county was renamed for the Shenandoah River. — Map (db m9251) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephens City — A-12 — House of First Settler |
| | Springdale, home of Colonel John Hite, son of Joist Hite, leader of the first settlers in this section, was built in 1753. Just to the South are ruins of Hite’s Fort, built about 1734. — Map (db m2255) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephens City — Newtown — Burnings and Hangings — 1864 Valley Campaign |
| | As the Federal army attempted to conquer and hold the Valley in 1864, its lines of supply and communication were extended and became susceptible to attack by bands of Confederate partisans. On May 24, 1864, under orders from Union Gen. David Hunter, three residences in Newtown (now Stephens City) were burned in retaliation for shots fired at a wagon train the evening before. Five days later, Confederate Major Harry Gilmor’s 2nd Maryland Battalion attacked 16 wagons and their guards at the . . . — Map (db m2285) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephens City — A-12 — Stephens City |
| | General David Hunter ordered the burning of this town on May 30, 1864; but Major Joseph Streans of the First New York Cavalry prevented it. — Map (db m580) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephenson — A 1 — Action at Stephenson’s Depot |
| | Near this place on June 15, 1863, Confederate troops of General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s Division attacked and routed General Robert Milroy’s Union Army during its retreat from Winchester. The short, pre-dawn battle resulted in the capture of Milroy’s wagon train and more than 2300 Union prisoners. From here, the Confederate Army advanced into Pennsylvania where it suffered defeat two weeks later at Gettysburg. — Map (db m2329) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephenson — Jordan Springs — Healing Springs |
| | During the Civil War, both United States and Confederate forces used Jordan Springs resort as a hospital at different times. Wounded and sick Confederate soldiers from the Antietam and Gettysburg battlefields came to the springs—although Martinsburg, W.Va., was closer—because Confederate sympathies were stronger here. When soldiers died, they were buried on the resort grounds, and in 1866, their remains were reinterred in the Stonewall Cemetery in Winchester. The resort suspended . . . — Map (db m2358) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephenson — Stephenson Depot — "The Thermoplae of my campaign.” |
| | In the spring of 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia began a march that culminated at the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee chose the Shenandoah Valley for his invasion route. Ninty-six hundred Federals under Gen. Robert H. Milroy stood in his way at Winchester. Lee sent Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s 2nd Corps to clear the way. On June 14, 1863, the Confederates attacked the Federals at Winchester. Realizing it was in danger of being surrounded, Milroy’s command evacuated . . . — Map (db m2361) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Stephenson — Third Battle of Winchester — "One Moving Mass of Glittering Saber" |
| | 1864 Valley Campaigns On September 19, 1864, Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah routed Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early’s Valley Army at the Third Battle of Winchester (also called Opequon) in the bloodiest and largest battle in the Shenandoah Valley. The opening action was several miles to the east, where opposing infantry divisions slugged it out at the mouth of Berryville Canyon and over the plain of First Woods, Middle Field and Second Woods. The crushing end of the . . . — Map (db m2359) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — 1790 Stone Church |
| | These native limestone steps are in their original position and mark the main entrance to a 40' x 60' stone church built on this site in 1790. The entrance was in the center of its east wall with the pulpit area against the west wall. This church replaced the second of two log meeting houses which had occupied the site since Opequon’s organization in 1736. During the Civil War, the building was badly damaged and was used as a stable for horses by Union troops. Following the war, and after . . . — Map (db m2634) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 2 — Action of Rutherford’s Farm |
| | Near here, the Confederate General Stephen D. Ramseur was attacked by General William W. Averell and pushed back toward Winchester, July 20, 1864. — Map (db m12091) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 9 — Battle of Kernstown |
| | On the hill to the west, Stonewall Jackson late in the afternoon of March 23, 1862 attacked the Union force under Shields holding Winchester. After a fierce action, Jackson, who was greatly outnumbered, withdrew southward, leaving his dead on the field. These were buried next day by citizens of Winchester — Map (db m3150) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Battle of Rutherford's Farm — Union Victory |
| | Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early attacked the defenses of Washington, D.C., in July 1864, then retreated to the Shenandoah Valley. Union Gen. Horatio G. Wright pursued him, and after a sharp fight and Confederate victory at Cool Spring on July 18, the two forces clashed again two days later here at John Rutherford’s farm. As Union Gen. William W. Averell’s Union cavalry and infantry division advanced south from Martinsburg, W.Va., pursuing Early, the Confederate general ordered Gen. Stephen . . . — Map (db m13988) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 3 — Capture of Star Fort |
| | The fort on the hilltop to the southwest, known as Star Fort, was taken by Colonel Schoonmaker of Sheridan’s Army in the Battle of September 19, 1864. — Map (db m2275) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Z 122 — Clarke County / Frederick County |
| | West Facing Side: Clarke County. Area 171 Square Miles. — Formed in 1836 from Frederick and added to from Warren. Named for George Rogers Clark, conqueror of the Northwest. Lord Fairfax and General Danial Morgan, Revolutionary Hero lived in this county. East Facing Side: Frederick County. Area 435 square miles. — Formed in 1738 from Orange, and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of King George III. Several battles were fought in the vicinity of Winchester 1862-1864. — Map (db m1784) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — B 16 — Colonel John Singleton Mosby |
| | This road, along which many of his skirmishes took place, is named for Colonel John Singleton Mosby, commander of the 43rd Battalion of the Confederate Partisan Rangers. Their activities in this area helped keep the Confederate cause alive in Northern Virginia toward the end of the Civil War. — Map (db m2668) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — J 16 — Defenses of Winchester |
| | The fort on the hilltop to the north is one of a chain of defenses commanding the crossings of the Qpequon. It was constructed by Milroy in 1863. — Map (db m2667) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Fight for the High Ground |
| | The Shenandoah Valley's strategic location and rich farmland caused it to be the scene of two major Civil War campaigns that comprised hundreds of battles and skirmishes. Many Valley farms, like Rose Hill, became battlefields or campgrounds unexpectedly and often repeatedly. By far the most significant event to occur here was the 1st Battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862. Here soldiers fought the first Civil War battle in the Sheanandoah Valley. Here Southern Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson suffered . . . — Map (db m3498) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — First Battle of Kernstown |
| | Was fought here Sunday, March 23, 1862 Confederates under Gen. T.J. “Stonewall” Jackson attacked Federals under Gen. James Shields. The fighting was chiefly west of the road and continued from early afternoon until nightfall. When Jackson retired with—his first and only reverse—Confederates engaged 3,000, casualties 718. Federals engaged 8,000, casualties 590. — Map (db m2635) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 11 — First Battle of Winchester |
| | Here Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and his army, early on the morning of 25 May 1862, defeated Union Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Bank’s forces during Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley campaign. Banks, outnumbered and outflanked, hastily retreated north through the streets of Winchester. The Confederate pursuit was lethargic, as the men were exhausted from a week of heavy marching, but they captured many Union soldiers and a heavy quantity of wagons and stores. President . . . — Map (db m2596) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 4 — Fort Collier |
| | Just to the east, a redoubt known as Fort Collier was built by Joseph E. Johnston in 1861. Early’s left rested here during the Third Battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864. — Map (db m2481) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Fort Collier |
| | “I never saw such a sight” Confederate troops constructed Fort Collier in 1861 after the evacuation of Harpers Ferry. The earthworks, which surrounded the Benjamin Stine house here, commanded the approach to Winchester on the Martinsburg and Winchester Turnpike. The fort saw little action until late in the afternoon on September 19, 1864, when, during the Third Battle of Winchester, it became a focal point of the engagement. Here a great Union cavalry charge led by Gen. . . . — Map (db m2492) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Q 4a — General Daniel Morgan / Winchester |
| | (North Side): Morgan used this road in traveling from his home, “Saratoga,” to Winchester. He was a frontiersman, Indian fighter and the commander of Morgan’s famous riflemen in the Revolution. He won glory at Quebec and Saratoga, and defeated Tarleton at the Cowpens. He died in 1802 and is buried in Winchester. (South Side): At first called Fredericktown, it was founded in 1744, near a Shawnee Indian village, by Colonel James Wood, a native of the English city of . . . — Map (db m2290) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Q 4c — George Washington in Winchester |
| | In Mar. 1748, George Washington first visited Winchester, then known as Fredericktown, as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax. Washington purchased property in Winchester in 1753 and was an unsuccessful candidate for a House of Burgesses seat here in 1755. Winchester served as Washington’s headquarters from 1755 to 1758 while he commanded Virginia troops on the western frontier during the French and Indian War. He was also involved with the construction of Fort Loudoun here and a series of other . . . — Map (db m2663) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 38 — Hackwood Park |
| | One mile east is the site of Hackwood Estate House, built in 1777 by General John Smith. Documents reveal that the Hackwood House caught fire during the Third Battle of Winchester. Union troops used the buildings on the site for a hospital, September 19, 1864. — Map (db m12090) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — How To See the Battlefield |
| | On March 23, 1862, the opening conflict of the famous Valley Campaign began on the adjoining Glass and Pritchard farms. You are visiting the Glass Farm called Rose Hill. The neighboring Pritchard Farm is 1½ miles to the southeast (right) of where you are standing. The conflict began early in the morning on the Pritchard Farm and concluded on the Glass Farm with the loss of sunlight at the end of the day. Acting on faulty intelligence that his small army outnumbered the Northern forces at . . . — Map (db m3496) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — In Memory of the Many Soldiers of the Revolution |
| | In Memory of the many soldiers of the Revolution interred at Opequon Church of whom only seven are known Major John Gilkeson Captain William Chipley Captain Samuel Gilkeson Captain James Simrall Captain Samuel Vance Captain William Vance Private James Hamilton — Map (db m2633) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — John Rutherford's Farm — Interrupted by War |
| | John H. Rutherford was born about 1820. He acquired approximately 275 acres here between 1843 and 1848 from the heirs of John Carter. About May 24, 1849, Rutherford married Camilla C. Baker. At first, the couple lived with Mrs. Susan Pitman Carter, a widow and sister-in-law of John Carter, whose large brick house stood just north of here on her adjoining 173-acre farm. Her farm produced wheat, corn, Irish potatoes, and hay. In 1850, she owned 8 horses, 8 head of cattle, 2 oxen, 2 sheep that . . . — Map (db m14028) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Q 4b — Jost Hite and Winchester |
| | German emigrant Jost Hite and about 16 other German and Scots-Irish families from Pennsylvania came to this region in 1732, creating one of the early permanent European settlements. They settled along the Opequon Creek watershed south-west of the present-day city of Winchester. Soon after their arrival, a number of other communities developed regionally, including Fredericktown, present-day Winchester. Winchester was chartered as a town in 1752. It began as a small farming community that . . . — Map (db m2267) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Kernstown Battles |
| | Around this site and a mile to the west occurred two major battles of the Civil War. First Kernstown March 23, 1862 Stonewall Jackson attacked what appeared to be a withdrawing federal force led by federal Br. Gen. Shields. Desperate fighting along a stone wall west of here ended with the arrival of federal reinforcements and Jackson was forced to withdraw. This action opened Jackson’s famous Valley Campaign and succeeded in preventing the withdrawal of Federals from the Valley to . . . — Map (db m2632) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Q 4d — Lord Fairfax |
| | Thomas Fairfax (1693-1781), sixth Baron Fairfax of Cameron, was the proprietor of the Northern Neck Proprietary, a vast landholding that lay between the Rappahannock and the Potomac Rivers, and extended to the Blue Ridge. Born in England, he came to Virginia about 1735 and moved to the Shenandoah Valley about 1747. He eventually lived at Greenway Court in present-day Clarke County, while managing his land-holdings. In 1749, he was named a justice of the peace for Frederick County, and also . . . — Map (db m2299) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Lt. Collier’s Earthworks |
| | From the time of Virginia’s secession from the Union on May 23, 1861, until just before the Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, the Confederate government in Richmond recognized the importance of defending the Lower Shenandoah Valley. When Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston occupied Winchester in June, 1861, he began to fortify the town with earthworks. Fort Collier was probably built under the supervision of General W.H.C. Whiting, Johnston’s chief engineer. In the first months of the . . . — Map (db m2494) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Northern Victory, Southern Defeat |
| | As Southern units retreated and resistance fell apart, Northern victory was assured. Jackson found himself surrounded by a disorderly retreat of his soldiers. In the growing dark, a few fresh Southern units made gallant attempts to cover the Southern retreat from Northern pursuit. One group formed a defensive square until they were completely surrounded and had to surrender. In the fields where you now stand, Northern horsemen gathered up approximately 250 wounded and retreating Southern . . . — Map (db m3507) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Opequon Presbyterian Church |
| | Early Years This historic church was established by Scotch-Irish and German settlers who migrated from eastern Pennsylvania in the early 1730’s. William Hoge donated two acres of land for a meeting house, and an additional two acres for a burying ground. Two log and two stone houses of worship have occupied this site. The congregation was officially organized as a Presbyterian Church circa 1736 under oversight of the Donegal (Pa.) Presbytery. Named Opequon Church after the original name of . . . — Map (db m2620) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Rose Hill — “I do not recollect having ever heard such a roar of musketry.” — 1862 Valley Campaign |
| | The First Battle of Kernstown, on March 23, 1862, was also the first major Civil War battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley. Throughout the morning, 16 Union cannons on Pritchard’s Hill held off Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s overmatched Confederate command. Relying on intelligence that was soon proved faulty, Jackson not only attacked a force that outnumbered his by 3,000 men, but also tried and failed to dislodge the Union guns by direct assault. In mid-afternoon, the tide . . . — Map (db m2646) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Rutherford's Farm — In the Path of Battle |
| | In addition to the action of July 20, 1864, known as the Battle of Rutherford’s Farm, two other significant events occurred on or near John Rutherford’s property here. The first took place on June 14-15, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign, as Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy’s army evacuated Winchester and fled north. Milroy had constructed fortifications around Winchester, but Confederate Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s corps, the vanguard of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, captured one . . . — Map (db m14026) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — A 8 — Second Battle of Winchester |
| | On June 14, 1863, Jubal A. Early moved west from this point to attack Federal fortifications west of Winchester. — Map (db m2597) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Second Battle of Winchester — Louisiana Tigers Capture West Fort — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | In June 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee marched his infantry from Culpeper County to the Shenandoah Valley to launch his second invasion of the North. First, however, he had to capture Winchester, the largest town on his line of communication, which Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy and a 9,000 man garrison occupied. Milroy soon faced Gen. Robert S. Ewell and 17,000 men of the Army of Northern Virginia’s Second Corps. After heavy skirmishing on June 12-13, Milroy ordered his command into three . . . — Map (db m2645) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — B 19 — Second Battle of Winchester |
| | Here Jubal A. Early, detached to attack the rear of Milroy, holding Winchester, crossed this road and moved eastward in the afternoon of June 15, 1863. — Map (db m2666) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Star Fort — Guardian of Winchester |
| | Three times during the Civil War, Star Fort played a major role in the defense of Winchester. Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy’s troops began constructing the fort in January 1863 on the site of artillery emplacements Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s men had built in 1861. Milroy, a fervent abolitionist, used stone from the nearby home of U.S. Senator James Mason, author of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Star Fort commanded the Martinsville Turnpike and the Pughtown Road. . . . — Map (db m12055) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Advance of Tyler’s Brigade |
| | Northern Colonel Nathan Kimball saw the position of his troops on nearby Pritchard's Hill (1.5 miles left and in front of you) becoming indefensible. Southern artillery recently placed on the higher elevation of Sandy Ridge (just in front of you) seriously threatened them. In an effort to capture these guns, Kimball dispatched Colonel Erastus B. Tyler (Ohio) with a brigade of infantry from Winchester. He hoped Tyler's troops would conduct a surprise attack on the Southern left and rear. . . . — Map (db m3501) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Defense of the Stone Wall |
| | Southern General Thomas Jackson was already going by the nickname "Stonewall" when he directed his troops to this location to support the Southern artillery on Sandy Ridge. Ironically, his troops' retreat from this stone wall led to Jackson's only tactical defeat of the war. The stone wall here at 1st Kernstown was originally waist-high. It was a farm fence, made of stones picked up from the farm fields full of limestone outcroppings common to the northern Shenandoah Valley. The wall began . . . — Map (db m3502) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Q 4 — The Great Indian (and Wagon) Road |
| | The Great Indian Road, called Philadelphia Wagon Road by many settlers, was developed by Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) warriors traveling in the 1700s through the Great Valley of the Appalachians (which they called Jonontore) from Cohongaronto (north of the Potomac), to raid the Catawba in the Carolinas. In 1743, Iroquois headmen complained that Europeans had settled along the road, a treaty violation. The Lancaster Treaty of 1744 clarified the road’s direction and acknowledged the Iroquois’ right . . . — Map (db m12089) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Order for Retreat |
| | Northern commander Colonel Nathan Kimball 1.5 miles away (over the hill on your right) on Prichard's Hill faced the threat of defeat. He decided to seize the initiative and order a second assault against the Southern artillery atop Sandy Ridge. At approximately 5:00 p.m., the first of these troops arrived, causing some of the Southern artillery to withdraw and threatening the Southern right flank behind the stone wall. The troops behind the stone wall were now under Southern Brigadier General . . . — Map (db m3504) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester |
| | (Left Side): The Third Battle of Winchester - September 19, 1864 Bloodiest Battle of the Shenandoah Valley Gen. Jubal Early assuming that Gen. Phil Sheridan was yet another cautious Union commander, divided his roughly 14,000 troops on a wide front north from Winchester. Sheridan planned to use his army of 39,000 men to attack the portion of Early's force near Winchester. Early, however, learned of the impending attack and raced to concentrate his army at Winchester. The Third . . . — Map (db m3090) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Confederate Horse Artillery |
| | "A more murderous fire I never witnessed..."Col. Thomas Munford, C.S.A. In an effort to protect the Confederate left flank, Gen. Fitzhugh Lee placed a detachment of cavalry and six pieces of horse artillery, lighter cannons made specifically for horse soldiers, along this rise. These guns, under the command of Major James Breathed, poured a devastating fire into the ranks of the Union Nineteenth Army Corps as it advanced and retreated across the fields on the other side of Red Bud . . . — Map (db m3091) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The Attack of the Eighth Corps |
| | "The order was to walk fast, keep silent, until within about one hundred yards of the guns, and then with a yell to charge at full speed." Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S.A. At noon on September 19, Union General Sheridan's Sixth and Nineteenth Corps met Early's Confederate force in attacks on the south side of Red Bud Run. Union Gen. George Crook's Army of West Virginia, the Eighth Corps, waited in reserve two miles east of here as the battle raged. When it became clear that the . . . — Map (db m3092) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Fording Red Bud Run |
| | "To stop was death. To go on was probably the same; but on we started again." Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S.A. Red Bud Run is as wide and boggy today as it was in 1864. During their attack, the men of the Eighth Corps sank into the marshy flood plain on the north bank, then trudged through the waistdeep water. The men forged on amid enemy fire and some reportedly fell wounded and drowned in the crossing. Hayes reported that "the rear and front lines and different regiments of . . . — Map (db m3159) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Hackwood House |
| | Prominent Virginian John Smith was charged with guarding prisoners of war held in Winchester during the Revolutionary War. He purportedly had this stately home (in front of you) built by Hessian and British prisoners around 1777. During the fighting at the Third Battle of Winchester, Gordon's Confederate troops formed around the Hackwood House and its outbuildings. At 3 p.m. the Union Eighth, Sixth, and Nineteenth Corps attacked. Col. Thoburn of the Eighth Corps described what happened next: . . . — Map (db m3164) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Confederate Defense |
| | In the mid-morning of September 19, Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon's infantry, veteran troops from Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia, took position to your right on the other side of Hackwood Lane. At 11:40 a.m., at the sound of artillery fire, infantry of the Union Nineteenth Corps advanced upon the Confederates. During the assault, Confederate Col. Carter M. Braxton brought seven guns to the hill on which you are standing. Braxton positioned his guns wheel to wheel, loaded with double . . . — Map (db m3174) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The Second Woods |
| | You are standing at the site of what is known as the Second Woods. The fighting in and around the Second Woods was so rapid and chaotic that many participants disagreed on the details and order of the events. But this is much clear: at 11:40 a.m., Gen. Cuvier Grover's Union Division attacked with fixed bayonets across the Middle Field before you. The rapid and impetuous charge caught the Confederates unprepared - apparently only Gen. Clement Evans' Brigade of Georgians was positioned in and . . . — Map (db m3175) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The Confederates Reform |
| | "Unless this force were driven back, the day was lost." General Jubal A. Early, C.S.A. Standing here about noon during the battle, you would have seen Union troops under Gen. Henry Birge pursuing Gen. Clement Evans' Georgians from right to left. The Confederates took shelter behind a rocky ledge and began to regroup. "The position was most critical," remembered Confederate commander Jubal Early, "for it was apparent that unless this force were driven back, the day was . . . — Map (db m3187) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The West Woods |
| | You are standing near the center of General Early's infantry line at what has come to be called the West Woods. Although these particular trees were not here during the Battle of Third Winchester, some are in the same location as those that stood on that day. At 11:40 a.m., the Union Sixth and Nineteenth Corps marched toward you to confront Early's troops positioned to your left and right. As Union Gen. Horatio Wright's Sixth Corps advanced along the Berryville Pike, it veered southward . . . — Map (db m3188) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The Middle Field - Bloodiest Encounter in the Shenandoah Valley |
| | You are standing in the Middle Field - perhaps the bloodiest place in the Shenandoah Valley. After hours of preparation, Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah was ready to advance against the Confederate position east of Winchester at 11:40 a.m. Emerging from the woods behind you Union Gen. Cuvier Grover's 2nd Division, Nineteenth Corps was to move across the field in two lines of battle, advancing with the Sixth Corps to its left. Unfortunately, the Sixth Corps was ordered to follow the Berryville . . . — Map (db m3189) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The First Woods - A Perfect Slaughterhouse |
| | As Confederates drove Union Gen. Grover's 2nd Division back across the fields in front of you, the 1st Division of the Nineteenth Army Corps was moving up to the edge of the First Woods behind you, (the tree line was then some 400 yards further east). Union Gen. William Dwight recalled that his men were barely in position when the 2nd Division "came back ... flying over the open ground between the two woods in the grandest disorder." Union Gen. William H. Emory, commander of the . . . — Map (db m3192) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester |
| | (Left Side): The Third Battle of Winchester - September 19, 1864 Bloodiest Battle of the Shenandoah Valley Gen. Jubal Early assuming that Gen. Phil Sheridan was yet another cautious Union commander, divided his roughly 14,000 troops on a wide front north from Winchester. Sheridan planned to use his army of 39,000 men to attack the portion of Early's force near Winchester. Early, however, learned of the impending attack and raced to concentrate his army at Winchester. The Third . . . — Map (db m3194) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Camp Averell |
| | In the months after the Third Battle of Winchester, this area became home to Camp Averell, named after Union cavalry gen. William Woods Averell. Elements of six cavalry and "mounted infantry" regiments from New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia all camped here from September 1864 to March 1865. Shallow pits from winter huts can still be found, remnants of the sprawling camp. This "camp" was hardly settled, however. The units stationed here conducted active operations in the Shenandoah . . . — Map (db m3196) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — The Union Rear |
| | The First Woods saw little combat, but areas near the front lines were bustling with activity. Here, men of Grover's, Dwight's, and Thoburn's Union divisions formed for their attacks across the Middle Field. Union Generals rallied the broken Nineteenth Corps, and field hospitals were established here to care for the wounded. More than 5,000 men were wounded in the Third Battle of Winchester. Before they could be moved to proper hospitals in and around Winchester, men limped, crawled, or were . . . — Map (db m3198) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Union Victories in the Valley |
| | After the successful attack of the Union Eighth Corps, it was only a matter of time before the Confederates lost the battle. As Confederate Gen. Early consolidated his lines closer and closer to Winchester, his men faced coordinated infantry attacks. Worse still, powerful Union cavalry forces fought their way along the Valley Pike, threatening to surround Early's forces. Although the Southerners offered stubborn resistance at Fort Collier, Star Fort, and from every fenceline and barricade they . . . — Map (db m3199) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — The Third Battle of Winchester — Thoburn's Attack |
| | As the Nineteenth Corps tried to reorganize its lines, Union Col. Joseph Thoburn's division of the Eighth Army Corps came up from reserve and took position at the edge of the First Woods behind you. Union Gen. Philip Sheridan soon arrived and directed Thoburn to move forward as soon as the other division of the Eighth Corps (on the other side of Red Bud Run) was ready. About 3 p.m. "a mighty battle yell," from the other side of Red Bud Run announced the arrival of those troops and the . . . — Map (db m6314) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — J 3 — Third Battle of Winchester |
| | Here Confederate forces under General Jubal A. Early, facing east, received the attack of Sheridan’s army at noon on September 19, 1864. Early repulsed the attack and countercharged, breaking the Union line. Only prompt action by General Emory Upton in changing front saved the Union forces from disaster. At 3 P.M. Sheridan made a second attack, driving Early back to Winchester. — Map (db m2268) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — J 13 — Third Battle of Winchester |
| | On a hill, approximately one-half mile to the west, Philip H. Sheridan established his final position on September 19, 1864. General Jubal A. Early held the ground one-half mile further to the west. At 4 P.M., Sheridan advanced with massed cavalry and infantry and broke Early's line. — Map (db m2271) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — Third Battle of Winchester — A Gathering of Future Leaders — 1864 Valley Campaign |
| | The Third Battle of Winchester, fought here on September 19, 1864, was a proving ground for several men on both sides who shaped post-war America. They included two future presidents, two senators, a state governor, and several military leaders. Statesmen Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, who commanded a Federal VIII Corps brigade, was president from 1877 to 1881. Capt. William McKinley, who led a VIII Corps infantry company, was president from 1897 to 1901, when he was assassinated. Gen. John B. . . . — Map (db m3086) |
| Virginia (Frederick County), Winchester — War in the Backyard |
| | At the beginning of the Civil War, the third generation of the Scots-Irish Glass family lived at Rose Hill. The household consisted of Thomas Glass (age 67), and his wife Margaret (age 51), his son William (age 25) and fifteen slaves, most of them children. The following year Thomas passed away. His son, William, recently married, took over the management of the farm. A Southern supporter, William was commissioned Lt. Col. of the 51st Regiment Virginia Militia serving under Gen. Thomas J. . . . — Map (db m3495) |
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