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

Three Battlefields

"We could hear heavy cannonading"

— Civil War Winchester —

Three Battlefields Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike McKeown, May 29, 2026

1. Three Battlefields Marker

Inscription.

Three Battlefields. "We could hear heavy cannonading". You are standing on ground that was part of three different Civil War battlefields, a testament to the frequency of combat in around Winchester., On June 15, 1863, during the Second Battle of Winchester, Louisiana troops cut off Union Col. Andrew T. McReynolds's men trying to break free just north of here. A Louisiana Tiger recalled how, "[W]e jumped over a fence, fired into the enemy and charged." The Confederates captured many Federals, but small grounds escaped, some across this ground. "Away we started in all directions" remembered one. "Every man was running for himself." Most of the 6th Maryland managed to escape "by making a circuitous route" through this area., During the Battle of Rutherford's Farm on July 20, 1864, Confederate Col. William L. "Mudwall" Jackson's cavalry attacked across the ground in front of you to bolster their army's crumbling right flank. The North Carolinians there were falling back, some throwing down their guns to surrender. As Jackson's men charged, they shouted, "Boys, gather up your gouns [sic]!" The attack temporarily drove back the Federals, saving many Tarheels from capture., On the morning of the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864, Confederate troops hurrying south to the battlefield passed here. "We had to march through open fields, woods, etc.," recalled Pvt. George W. Nichols, 61st Georgia Infantry, and "we could hear heavy cannonading on our left front." Later, Confederate Col. William Payne's cavalry crossed this ground to join an attack on Federal horsemen threatening the Confederate flank. Payne's men, "with hideous yells, cursing and swearing," enjoyed initial success, but were routed by a Federal counterattack, which put them "in a wild flight, all efforts to rally them proving unavailing," as Confederate Pvt. Joseph C. Donohue recalled., (captions) , Union Col. Andrew T. McReynolds Courtesy Library of Congress, Confederate Col. William L. "Mudwall" Jackson, cousin of Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Courtesy West Virginia University Library., Union cavalry at the Third Battle of Winchester. Harper's Weekly, October 8, 1864.

You are standing on ground that was part of three different Civil War battlefields, a testament to the frequency of combat in around Winchester.

On June 15, 1863, during the Second Battle of Winchester, Louisiana troops cut off Union Col. Andrew T. McReynolds's men trying to break free just north of here. A Louisiana Tiger recalled how, "[W]e jumped over a fence, fired into the enemy and charged." The Confederates captured many Federals, but small grounds escaped, some across this ground. "Away we started in all directions" remembered one. "Every man was running for himself." Most of the 6th Maryland managed to escape "by making a circuitous route" through this area.

During the Battle of Rutherford's Farm on July 20, 1864, Confederate Col. William L. "Mudwall" Jackson's cavalry attacked across the ground in front of you to bolster their army's crumbling right flank. The North Carolinians there were falling back, some throwing down their guns to surrender. As Jackson's men charged, they shouted, "Boys, gather up your gouns [sic]!" The attack temporarily drove back the Federals, saving many Tarheels from capture.

On the morning of the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864, Confederate troops hurrying south to the battlefield passed here. "We had to march through open fields, woods, etc.," recalled

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Pvt. George W. Nichols, 61st Georgia Infantry, and "we could hear heavy cannonading on our left front." Later, Confederate Col. William Payne's cavalry crossed this ground to join an attack on Federal horsemen threatening the Confederate flank. Payne's men, "with hideous yells, cursing and swearing," enjoyed initial success, but were routed by a Federal counterattack, which put them "in a wild flight, all efforts to rally them proving unavailing," as Confederate Pvt. Joseph C. Donohue recalled.

(captions)
Union Col. Andrew T. McReynolds Courtesy Library of Congress

Confederate Col. William L. "Mudwall" Jackson, cousin of Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Courtesy West Virginia University Library.

Union cavalry at the Third Battle of Winchester. Harper's Weekly, October 8, 1864.

Erected by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 15, 1863.

Location. 39° 12.643′ N, 78° 7.654′ W. Marker is in Winchester, Virginia, in Frederick County. It is on Redbud Road 0.9 miles east of Martinsburg Pike (U.S. 11), on the left when traveling east. Located at the James R. Wilkins Winchester Battlefields Visitor

Photographed by Mike McKeown, May 29, 2026

2. Three Battlefields Marker

Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 541 Redbud Rd, 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,

and the Antebellum South.

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

Other markers no longer nearby. Three Battlefields (has been replaced with this marker); a different marker also named Third Battle of Winchester (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . The James R. Wilkins Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center. Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (Submitted on May 30, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 18 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.