Winchester III (Opequon) (VA119)
September 19, 1864
The Third Winchester battlefield, looking north across Redbud Run
Description:
The large Opequon (Third Winchester) battlefield occupies most of present-day Winchester, including Old Town, plus the rolling topography east of town—especially the lands along present-day Va Route 7 and the “Berryville Canyon”—and lands northeast of town along Opequon Creek. Outside the city most of this landscape is open farmland with low rises punctuating the landscape. Today much of the area has been built upon -- and I-81 crosses through the middle of the battlefield -- but most of the eastern stretches retain their integrity as farmland and orchards.
More than 600 acres have been protected at Third Winchester -- most of it contiguous -- by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the Civil War Trust, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the Virginia departments of Historic Resources and Game and Inland Fisheries, and other partners.
Study Area (including Core Area)
13,689
Core Area
5,289
Historical Designation:
None
Preservation Challenges:
Development Pressure
I-81 Expansion
Preservation Planning:
Third Winchester (Opequon) Battlefield Preservation Plan
Significance:
Third Winchester was one of the largest battles fought in the Shenandoah Valley and resulted in the wounding and deaths of several important generals on both sides. Federal use of spies provided vital information that led to success in the battle. The battle was an example of well-executed use of a cavalry charge to turn a fixed position. Because of its size, intensity, and result, many historians consider Third Winchester the most important conflict of the Shenandoah Valley.
Visitor Information:
Civil War Orientation Center & Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center
1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road
Winchester, VA 22601
Phone: 877-871-1326
Open Daily: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
