Winchester, VA

Winchester, Va., changed hands more than 70 times during the Civil War. Most of those changes were bloodless, or nearly so, one army leaving, another one moving in. But three of the occupancy changes have gone down in history as battles.

The recognized First Battle of Winchester was Sunday, May 25, 1862, and involved one of the town’s favorite personalities, Stonewall Jackson. For a man who hated to fight on the Sabbath, he always seemed to find himself in a battle on Sunday. Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters at 415 Braddock St. is a popular tour stop for devotees of the general. In this first battle, against Nathaniel Banks, the Confederates lost about 400 men to the Union’s 2,000, most of the latter by capture or missing.

Robert H. Milroy’s name has been permanently etched onto the town by the fort he built on high ground west of Winchester. On June 14-15, 1863, as Robert E. Lee’s army maneuvered north in a march that would culminate in the Battle of Gettys-burg, a stubborn Milroy stayed too long at Winchester with his 7,000-man force and eventually lost more than half of them when he finally decided to get out.

By far the bloodiest battle was Winchester’s third one. If ever an event needed a public relations firm it’s this battle. Third sounds way too far down the list—an also-ran. Who, or what, wants to be third at anything? It’s bronze, not gold or silver; it’s the second place loser in any competition of three or more players. The alternative name for the battle, “Opequon,” has its problems, too, most often being mispronounced OPE-a-kwan, instead of the correct o-PECK-un.

And, why Opequon? The Yankees had to cross that stream to get at the Rebs, but there were numerous fords, and on September 19, 1864, there were only two fords that offered any real resistance. For many days prior to that there had been regular forays across the creek—so many, that on the day of the battle, the Confederates did not take the matter seriously when their pickets were driven in by Union cavalry at the Berryville Pike ford.

Unfortunately for the men of the 37th Virginia Battalion, coming along behind the Connecticut horsemen who had rudely awakened them at Spout Spring Ford that Monday morning, was a division of cavalry, two infantry corps, and a small army, all under the command of Phil Sheridan.

By the time the sun came up, Opequon Creek was a name already forgotten, well to the rear. It did not have to be fought over or through, nor did it present much of an obstacle. The battlefield of Third Winchester has a creek, Red Bud Run, which was fought over and through, and it proved to be an obstacle for maneuvering troops, but that name was not selected. Not only is the title of this battle too bland for bold print, three of the main features of the killing field are known from official records as the First Woods and the Second Woods, separated by—you might have guessed it—the Middle Field.

There is no Slaughter Pen or Hornets’ Nest on this battlefield, but one aspect of Third Winchester does stand out as conspicuous—the blood spilled on both sides. There were an estimated 55,000 men in the fight at Third Winchester, 40,000 with Sheridan, 15,000 with Early. Sheridan lost about 5,000 in the fight, and Early had some 4,000 casualties, almost half of the Confederate loss being missing or captured.

To be sure, there’s plenty of drama here. A female spy in Winchester sends messages through the lines to Sheridan. Jubal Early’s army finds itself fighting in open fields, then retreating to a huge fortification for a Last Stand. Hard-charging cavalry plays a decisive and conspicuous role, especially so for the Union. A Southern artillery battalion in a precarious position fires front, left, and rear at the same time. And General George S. Patton’s grandfather is mortally wounded.

Another reason the Third Battle of Winchester (or Opequon) deserves more notoriety is that two preservation groups have saved almost 600 acres of the main battlefield. Much of that acreage is open now for touring. I guess all the battle needs is a catchier name. Is Shiloh taken?

Editor