Winchester, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Pritchard House
A Family Caught in the Midst of War!
The large brick dwelling before you is the Pritchard House, built by Steven C. Pritchard, Jr. and his son Samuel R. Pritchard. During the Civil War, Samuel, his wife Helen, and their two small children occupied the house. Fighting swirled around the home during the First and Second Battles of Kernstown, as it did during smaller engagements on June 13, 1863, and August 17, 1864. Whenever combat raged across the farmstead, Samuel sheltered his family in the cellar.
When the fighting subsided, the home was used as a field hospital, and Helen Pritchard, a Unionist from New York, personally cared for many wounded Union soldiers in the house. “If it had not been for me,” she recalled, “they would have died...” After Second Kernstown, Confederate soldiers carried the mortally wounded Colonel James A. Mulligan of the Union army into the house. A Confederate surgeon offered what little medical care he could, and a priest from the Louisiana Tiger Brigade gave Mulligan his Last Rites. Two days after the battle, Mulligan died peacefully as Helen Pritchard cradled his head in her arms.
With armies moving up and down the Shenandoah Valley throughout the war, the Pritchard Family (as did most other families) endured the loss of and damage to their property. After the First Battle of Kernstown, Union Colonel Nathan Kimball impressed seven of Pritchard’s horses to replace artillery horses killed in the battle. During the winter of 1864-1865, Major General Philip H. Sheridan’s Union Army occupied the Lower Shenandoah Valley, taking crops and harvesting a valuable stand of timber from Pritchard’s property to build and supply the Army’s large winter encampment near Kernstown. After the war, the Federal Government refused to reimburse the Pritchard’s for their losses because Samuel Pritchard could not prove his loyalty to the United States during the war, although many former Union officers supported his effort.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1862.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 8.662′ N, 78° 11.627′ W. Marker was in Winchester, Virginia. Marker could be reached from Battle Park Drive, on the right when traveling west. Located at the east side of the Pritchard House, in Kernstown Battlefields and Pritchard-Grim Farm Park. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 610 Battle Park Drive, Winchester VA 22604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Kernstown Battlefield (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Pritchard House (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Second Battle of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First Battle of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Second Battle of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away); Second Battle of Winchester (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Second Battle of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The First Battle of Kernstown (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winchester.
More about this marker. A photograph of the Pritchard home from around 1890 is on the left side of the marker. A photograph of “Helen Johnston and son, Samuel Reese Pritchard,” from around 1860 is on the right side.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced by the linked marker.
Also see . . .
1. Kernstown Battlefield Association. Association website homepage (Submitted on August 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Second Kernstown. NPS Battle Summary (Submitted on August 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,311 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on September 3, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on August 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on November 26, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3, 4. submitted on August 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5. submitted on January 15, 2009, by Linda Walcroft of Woodstock, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.