The Constructing Star Fort wayside marker is at Star Fort on the northwest side of Winchester, Virginia. The original was erected by Virginia Civil War Trails. It was updated by a new version erected in 2024 by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. The text for both is included here for archival reasons.
The original Constructing Star Fort marker
Text from the current marker:
Constructing Star Fort
“With axe, pick and shovel””
The first works on this site were constructed in 1861, when Confederate troops in the 4th Alabama built a series of gun emplacements called “Fort Alabama.”
When Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy arrived in Winchester on January 1, 1863, he put his men to work strengthening the town’s existing fortifications. His soldiers rotated various tasks, spending one day per week working on Winchester’s defenses, three days on guard duty, and three days dedicated to camp chores. On any given day during the first half of 1863, approximately 1,000 Union soldiers labored on the earthworks. They strengthened Fort Jackson, Fort Garibaldi (renamed Fort Milroy), and West Fort, and constructed a new, stronger fortification on this site – Star Fort – “Working on the fort and rifle pits, with axe, pick, and shovel.”
Star Fort’s elevated position afforded long views as far away as Harper’s Ferry that were strategically important for protecting the town, the Valley Pike, and the nearby railroad lines. Milroy believed that the terrain here was suitable for a star fort, a design that enabled defenders to fire into an attacking enemy’s flanks. The soldiers who constructed these works used the excavated soil from the ditch at the base of the fort and the rifle pits that encircled it to build the parapet. When finished, the fort could hold up to 1,500 men and 8 cannon.
Text from the sidebar
When constructing the forts, Milroy, a fervent abolitionist, instructed his men to use limestone and brick from the nearby home of former U.S. Senator James Mason, author of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.
James Mason
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Captions for the graphics at upper right
Earthwork fortification under construction.
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Star Fort. Detail from Jedediah Hotchkiss map.
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy.
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Text from the original marker:
Constructing Star Fort
“It was hard work”
Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy and his division entered Winchester on January 1, 1863. The abolitionist general, who vowed to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation aggressively, soon set to work strengthening the town’s defenses. His soldiers rotated various tasks, spending one day per week working on Winchester’s defenses, three days on guard duty, and three days dedicated to various camp chores. The schedule meant that on any given day during the first half of 1863, approximately 1,000 Union soldiers labored on Winchester’s defenses. The strengthened Fort Garibaldi (renamed Fort Milroy) and West Fort and constructed Star Fort here. The fortification originated in 1861 as a series of gun emplacements.
The construction of Star Fort, called “the large fort,” not only offered Milroy a sense of security but also satisfied his sense of justice. Some of the construction materials, in particular the limestone used for the footings on which the artillery pieces stood, came from the home of former U.S. Senator James M. Mason, author of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. “Today the walls of Mr. Mason’s house were pulled down,” Winchester resident Cornelia McDonald wrote in her diary on January 20, 1863. “They have taken the stones … to build their fortifications.”
Milroy’s soldiers found the labor here grueling. A soldier in the 18th Connecticut Infantry wrote that they were “working on the fort and rifle pits, with axe, pick and shovel. … Many of the boys had never used or handled that kind of tools. It was hard work.”
Caption to the photo on the left:
Gen. Robert H. Milroy
Courtesy Jonathan A. Noyalas Collection
Caption to the photo on the right:
Sen. James M. Mason
Courtesy Library of Congress
Caption to the map:
Map of Winchester, June 13-15, 1863, with Union forts
Courtesy Library of Congress
Location of the marker
The Constructing Star Fort wayside marker is on the northwest side of Winchester, Virginia. It can be reached from downtown or from the Virginia Route 37 bypass by taking the North Frederick Pike to Fortress Drive. Take Fortress Drive about 1/10 mile up the hill to a pull off where a short series of steps lead to a path. Continue on the path into the clearing and about 70 yards to the right (south) side of the earthworks. (39°12’21.6″N 78°09’51.7″W)