The Shenandoah Valley

(Visited October 11 - 13, 1997)

The first stop of my tour of the Shenandoah Valley was Winchester, Virginia, the oldest city west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Winchester, being situated at the top of the Shenandoah Valley in northern Virginia, was a prize of great strategic value during the Civil War. It changed hands scores of times during the war and served as Stonewall Jackson's base of operations for his famed Valley Campaign.

45 blocks of Winchester's downtown area have been placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Winchester's Old Town provides visitors with an opportunity to visit a beautifully preserved historic area full of museums and a wide variety of shops and eateries. While in Old Town, I visited the Kurtz Building, which contains all the tourist information anyone could ever need, along with a gift shop and art exhibits. Cork Street (pictured above) is closed to vehicular traffic, offering vendors an opportunity to set up a Farmers' Market and various small stands.

While making my way to the house which served as Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters, I walked past the Handley Library, which I later learned contains a regional library and extensive records of local history and genealogy. I photographed it because I feel it's the most beautiful building in Winchester.

After visiting Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters and a log cabin which served as George Washington's survey office and military headquarters, I visited Abram's Delight, the oldest house in Winchester (built in 1754 by Isaac Hollingsworth, the first white settler).

My final stop before leaving Winchester was the Mt. Hebron Cemetery. Within the beautiful, well-maintained cemetery one finds the Confederate Cemetery; the cemetery for the Federal troops is found across the road in the National Cemetery.

Leaving Winchester, I made my way 15 miles south to the Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove Plantation. Belle Grove was built in 1794, a beautiful house built of native limestone with a large porticoed porch. The most impressive feature of Belle Grove however, is its spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In the fall of 1864, General Philip Sheridan made his headquarters at Belle Grove. On October 19, Confederate General Jubal Early, knowing that Sheridan was in Washington conferring with Secretary of War Stanton, led a surprise attack on the Union troops camped at Belle Grove. Sheridan returned unexpectedly and rallied his men, turning the tide of the battle and winning the last major battle for control of the Shenandoah Valley. More than 6,000 men died at the Battle of Cedar Creek.

From Cedar Creek, I once again was southbound on Interstate 81, which I learned is referred to as going "up" the Valley. I was confused by this term, as I am accustomed to referring to travelling from north to south as going "down". I learned that the reason for this "backward"-sounding phrase is that the Shenandoah River runs from south to north; therefore if a person is travelling from north to south, they are travelling upstream, and therefore up the Shenandoah Valley.

Next stop was the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in New Market, Virginia. Above is pictured the Bushong farmhouse, which was used as a hospital. The Jacob and Sarah Bushong and their family watched the Battle of New Market (which was fought in their orchard) from their basement.

The Hall of Valor Civil War Museum is located at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park; it is operated by the Virginia Military Institute. VMI operates the museum not only to commemorate the Battle of New Market, but to honor 257 VMI cadets who participated in the battle. Never before, or since, has a college student body been called into pitched battle as were the VMI cadets on May 15, 1864. New Market was the last Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley.

Luray Caverns are the largest and msot popular caverns in the East, visited by a half million people annually.

Discovered in 1878, the caverns opened several months after discovery and have been open every day since. Only walkways and lights have been added to the caverns, no colored lights or enhancements are necessary; the natural beauty of the caverns makes the hour-long tour an unforgettable adventure.

Prior to his service to the Confederate States of America, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson resided in Lexington, Virginia, and taught classes in natural philosophy and artillery tactics at Virginia Military Institute. He was a deeply religious, strictly disciplined man. This is the only home that Jackson ever owned, and he was very happy during the time he lived here and taught at VMI.

Yes, I know it's probably tacky to have a picture of an outhouse on my web page, but who knows how many people have never actually seen an outdoor bathroom???

In August, 1865, the Trustees of Washington College invited Robert E. Lee to become its president. Lee, who had been seraching for some means to continue serving his Southern compatriots during the time of destitution following the War Between the States, accepted and was installed as President of Washington College on October 2, 1865. He served until his death on October 12, 1870; during his presidency, the college prospered. The student body quadrupled, and new courses were added which were aimed at training young leaders for restoration after the ravages of the civil war. Construction of the Lee Chapel was begun at Lee's request in 1867 and completed in time for graduation exercises in 1868. General Lee attended daily worship services in the chapel with his students. After the General's death, Edward Valentine was commissioned to prepare the famed Recumbent Statue pictured above. Lee and his family are at rest in a family mausoleum which was built in a chamber directly below the statue.

The campus of the Virginia Military Institute is remarkably beautiful, When cadets enter the barracks today, they pass through the Jackson Arch, on which are carved Jackson's words: "You may be whatever you resolve to be."

The final stop I made on the Valley Pike Tour was the final resting place of General Jackson. Having been accidentally shot by his own men at Chancellorsville on May 2, the General died at 3:15 on the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, 1863. His final words were "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees." As one stands in the Stonewall Jackson Cememtary and looks around at the tranquil beauty of the tree-shaded graves, the realization comes that General Jackson is, indeed, at "rest under the shade of the trees."

For more information about the Valley Pike Tour, please click here to visit the "Guide to Virginia's Civil War Battlefield Sites".