Winchester in Frederick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Thomas Laws and Third Winchester

"I thought I was between Heaven and Earth"

— The Long Road To Freedom —

Thomas Laws and Third Winchester Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 13, 2024

1. Thomas Laws and Third Winchester Marker

Inscription.

Thomas Laws and Third Winchester. "I thought I was between Heaven and Earth". , Thomas Laws is one of the unsung heroes of the Civil War, a then-enslaved black man who risked his life to carry messages through Confederate lines, messages that helped Union troops earn victory at the Third Battle Winchester., In mid-September 1864, Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan needed information about Confederate forces in and around Winchester. He was told that pro-Union resident Rebecca Wright might help, but to communicate with Wright he needed someone who could pass through Confederate lines. A scout recommended Laws, a "loyal and shrewd" enslaved black man who had a Confederate-issued pass that allowed him to sell vegetables in Winchester. Sheridan met with Laws and asked him to carry a letter to Wright. Despite the danger, Laws readily agreed. Sheridan's message was written on tissue paper, compressed into a small pellet, and wrapped in foil. Laws carried it in his mouth so he could swallow it if stopped and questioned., But when Laws knocked on Wright's door at midday on September 16 and asked if she was "a Union lady," Wright hesitated, worried about her own safety. At that tense moment, Laws recalled that "I thought I was between Heaven and Earth." But Laws gave Wright the note, and when he returned that afternoon, she had written a response telling Sheridan that some Confederate troops had left the area, and that the remaining force was "much smaller than is represented." Laws traveled back through the lines and gave the message to Union scouts., The information that Wright provided and Laws smuggled at mortal risk proved crucial to Sheridan's pivotal victory at Third Winchester on September 19, a battle that turned the tide of the war in the Valley and ultimately helped ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection that November., Laws died in 1896 and is buried in Milton Valley Cemetery in the Josephine City Historic District in Berryville., (Captions):, Laws meeting with Sheridan. Drawing by James Taylor. , Courtesy Case Western Reserve Historical Society., Laws meeting Rebecca Wright. Drawing by James Taylor. , Courtesy Case Western Reserve Historical Society., Thomas Laws gravesite in Milton Valley Cemetery. , Photograph by Bethany Myers.

Thomas Laws is one of the unsung heroes of the Civil War, a then-enslaved black man who risked his life to carry messages through Confederate lines, messages that helped Union troops earn victory at the Third Battle Winchester.

In mid-September 1864, Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan needed information about Confederate forces in and around Winchester. He was told that pro-Union resident Rebecca Wright might help, but to communicate with Wright he needed someone who could pass through Confederate lines. A scout recommended Laws, a "loyal and shrewd" enslaved black man who had a Confederate-issued pass that allowed him to sell vegetables in Winchester. Sheridan met with Laws and asked him to carry a letter to Wright. Despite the danger, Laws readily agreed. Sheridan's message was written on tissue paper, compressed into a small pellet, and wrapped in foil. Laws carried it in his mouth so he could swallow it if stopped and questioned.

But when Laws knocked on Wright's door at midday on September 16 and asked if she was "a Union lady," Wright hesitated, worried about her own safety. At that tense moment, Laws recalled

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that "I thought I was between Heaven and Earth." But Laws gave Wright the note, and when he returned that afternoon, she had written a response telling Sheridan that some Confederate troops had left the area, and that the remaining force was "much smaller than is represented." Laws traveled back through the lines and gave the message to Union scouts.

The information that Wright provided and Laws smuggled at mortal risk proved crucial to Sheridan's pivotal victory at Third Winchester on September 19, a battle that turned the tide of the war in the Valley and ultimately helped ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection that November.

Laws died in 1896 and is buried in Milton Valley Cemetery in the Josephine City Historic District in Berryville.

(Captions):

Laws meeting with Sheridan. Drawing by James Taylor.
Courtesy Case Western Reserve Historical Society.

Laws meeting Rebecca Wright. Drawing by James Taylor.
Courtesy Case Western Reserve Historical Society.

Thomas Laws gravesite in Milton Valley Cemetery.
Photograph by Bethany Myers.

Erected 2024 by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Topics and series.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 13, 2024

2. Thomas Laws and Third Winchester Marker

The Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center is to the right and the Third Winchester Battlefield parking lot and trailhead is across the road on the left.

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 16, 1864.

Location. 39° 12.639′ N, 78° 7.616′ W. Marker is in Winchester, Virginia, in Frederick County. It is on Redbud Road (Virginia Route 661) 0.9 miles east of Martinsburg Pike (U.S. 11), on the left when traveling east. Marker is located in front of the James R. Wilkins Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 541 Redbud Road, Winchester VA 22603, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

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and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Third Battle of Winchester (a few steps from this marker); The Second Battle of Kernstown (a few steps from this marker); The Battle of Rutherford's Farm (a few steps from this marker); Ritchie Interpretive Plaza (a few steps from this marker); The Second Battle of Winchester (a few steps from this marker); The First Battle of Winchester (a few steps from this marker); The First Battle of Kernstown (a few steps from this marker); "Like A Thousand Bricks" (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winchester.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Third Battle of Winchester (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 13, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 13, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.