Near Winchester in Frederick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Northern Victory, Southern Defeat
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 29, 2026
1. Northern Victory, Southern Defeat Marker
In the evening of March 23, 1862, "Stonewall" 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 made a desperate attempt to form a defensive square. Pursuing Union forces prevented the completion of this rare formation, forcing the group to flee. Between the fields where you now stand and a millpond one mile south of here, Union troops captured approximately 250 Southern soldiers.
(Sidebar:)
Winchester Diarists Describe the Battle
But the reality of the day, has been dreadful; I could not doubt my own ears, when I heard the din of battle; nor could I believe but that there were numbers of immortal souls, being hurried into eternity, & that, most probably, some of them were our own soldiers, it might be friends & acquaintances.
Mary Greenhow Lee writing about the battle that evening, in The Civil War Journals of Mary Greenhow Lee, edited by Eloise C. Strader. Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, Winchester, Virginia, 2011.
They [her sons] told of the prolonged fight behind the stone wall, of the repeated onsets of our men, and the rolling back of the blue columns, as regiment after regiment was repulsed by the Confederates, till at last, outnumbered and borne back, they had retired from the field, leaving behind the dead and dying, and even their wounded.
CorneliaPeake McDonald writing about the battle as described by her young sons, who had watched much of it from a nearby hill, in A Woman's Civil War, edited, with an introduction by Minrose C. Gwin. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin, 1992.
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(Captions):
Sergeant Major Randolph Barton of the 33rd Virginia Infantry was one of more than 250 Southern soldiers captured as a result of the First Battle of Kernstown. He, like many of Jackson's men, was originally from the area.
Courtesy of Ann Barton Brown
Staunch Southern supporter Mary Greenhow Lee (1819-1906) kept a diary during the Civil War.
Courtesy Maryland Historical Society, Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society.
Diarist Cornelia McDonald (1822-1909) recorded the reports of her children who witnessed the First Battle of Kernstown.
Courtesy Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society.
Erected by Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is March 23, 1862.
Location. 39° 9.041′ N, 78° 13.07′ W. Marker is near Winchester, Virginia, in Frederick
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 29, 2026
2. Northern Victory, Southern Defeat Marker
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 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: Fight for the High Ground (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Defense of the Stone Wall (about 700 feet away); The Order For Retreat (about 700 feet away); War In The Backyard (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Rose Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First Battle Of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Advance of Tyler's Brigade (approx. Ό mile away); Caring For the Wounded and Dead (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winchester.
Other markers no longer nearby. How To See the Battlefield (was about 600 feet away but has been permanently removed); War in the Backyard (was about 700 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Northern Victory, Southern Defeat (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Rose Hill (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The Defense of the Stone Wall (was approx. Ό mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Order for Retreat (was approx. Ό mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The Advance of Tylers Brigade (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 8, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
