There
is probably no place in the
country more suited to Civil
War tourism than the
Shenandoah Valley. Beginning
around Harpers Ferry and
Martinsburg and running
southwest, along the Old
Valley Pike (modern US 11),
to Lexington, the Great
Valley of Virginia is filled
with historic homes, museums,
and some of the most pristine
battlefield land left in the
United States.
Towns
such as Winchester, a
transportation center and the
scene of five significant
battles; to Mount Jackson, a
Civil War hospital center and
home to one of the most
beautifully preserved
Confederate cemeteries in
Virginia, to the Villages of
McDowell, Cross Keys and Port
Republic around which the
battlefields look much as
they did during the War
Between the States, the
Valley has it all. This site
is dedicated to providing a
virtual tour of the area,
loaded with historic
information and guides to
getting
around.
If this Valley
is lost, Virginia
is
lost,"said General
Thomas J.
"Stonewall"
Jackson, before
leading his
Confederate troops
through the series
of brilliant
victories known to
history as
Jackson's
Shenandoah Valley
Campaign.
But Jackson's
incredible marches
are only a part of
Virginia's Civil
War legacy - by far
the richest of any
state. Today's
visitor, can trace
not only the
footsteps of
"Stonewall", but
also those of Phil
Sheridan, "Ole
Jube" Early, John
Mosby, the infamous
Custer, and the
hundreds of
thousands of other
soldiers and
civilians along
many of the same
routes they used
140 years
ago.
The battles and
maneuvers of the
Civil War in the
Shenandoah Valley
can be traversed
today just as they
occurred, in all
their chronological
complexity. Try
the
History of the
Civil War in the
Shenandoah
Valley
for a
chronological
overview of the
entire war with
more than 100 links
to particular
battles, skirmishes
and personalities.
But a far
simpler, more
practical approach
is to start at the
in northern end of
the Shenandoah
Valley, and work
south along "the
Valley Pike" (U.S.
11), taking each
site as it comes
and making key
detours to follow
the armies through
the wonderful
country-side. Take
the Civil War
Tours
section as a guide
for your
travels.
Check
out
Soldiers and
Civilians
for stories of the
people who lived
here and those who
came her to
fight.
Historic
Places
is a good place to
find homes, towns,
and other locations
with a rich
historic past.
Several interesting
military subjects
from the Civil War
period may be found
by
clicking
here
This information is brought to you by the Shenandoah Valley History Center at the Old Valley Pike Country store located at 2576 Old Valley Pike (US 11) New Market, VA, 22844, one mile north of New Market directly across from the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument on the New Market Battlefield. Telephone: (540) 740-2787
