Winchester, Virginia at the start of the Civil War was a bustling city at the hub of a network of roads that drew commerce from the whole lower Shenandoah Valley and at the end of a rail lne that connected with Baltimore and the Ohio River valley. Its location made it the headquarters of a series of generals from both sides and its publc buildings were turned into prisons and hospitals.
Several Civil War sites can be covered in a short walk in the downtown area (as well as a number of sites from colonial days and other periods of history that are not shown):
Jackson’s Headquarters
Frederick County Courthouse in the Civil War
Loyal Quaker and Brave Slave
Second Battle of Winchester Monument
Sheridan’s Headquarters
Winchester – The Valley Campaigns
Several other major Civil War sites are just a short drive from downtown:
Winchester Natonal Cemetery and Stonewall Cemetery, a Confederate burial ground within Mount Hebron Cemetery, are just a few blocks to the east. Both contain numerous Civil War monuments and markers.
Remnants of some of the city’s Civil War fortifications can still be seen. Star Fort to the northwest and Fort Collier to the north are a little over a mile from downtown.