Winchester, Virginia
Third Winchester
Battlefield
Site of the Third Battle of Winchester · September 19, 1864
Walk the preserved ground where Philip Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah broke Jubal Early’s lines in the largest and bloodiest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.
The Charge of Custer at Winchester by William B. T. Trego, 1879
The battle in brief
The Valley’s Largest Battle
On September 19, 1864, Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan advanced toward Winchester to confront the smaller Confederate army commanded by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early. Fighting began along the Berryville Pike before spreading across rolling fields, wooded ridges, and Red Bud Run. For hours, Confederate forces resisted repeated Union attacks around the Middle Field and Second Woods.
Late in the day, Union infantry renewed its advance while Federal cavalry swept in from the north. With his position collapsing, Early withdrew through Winchester. Today, preserved landscapes and miles of trails allow visitors to follow the battle across many of its defining locations.
- Date
- September 19, 1864
- Result
- Union victory
- Commanders
- Philip H. Sheridan · Jubal A. Early
Plan your visit
Choose where to begin
Begin with battlefield orientation, step directly onto the trail system, or explore Winchester with the free mobile audio tour.
James R. Wilkins Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center
541 Redbud Road
Winchester, VA 22603
Begin with exhibits, orientation films, and maps introducing Third Winchester and the other battles fought around Winchester. The visitor center also offers a gift shop, battlefield information, and restrooms.
Season: March 1–November 30
Hours: Mon, Thu–Sat 11–4 · Sun 1–5
Third Winchester Battlefield Trails
Main entrance: 541 Redbud Road
Winchester, VA 22603
Explore more than five miles of walking trails through Red Bud Run, the West Woods, First Woods, and other important battlefield landscapes. More than 30 markers interpret the course of the fighting.
Hours: Open daily, dawn to dusk
Civil War Winchester Audio Tour
Free mobile tour
Begin wherever you are
Use 25 audio stories, historical photographs, interactive maps, and driving directions to explore Third Winchester and Civil War locations throughout Winchester.
Access: Free mobile experience; begin wherever you are
Explore the battlefield
Find your way through Third Winchester
Use the interactive visitor guide to locate trail entrances, parking, monuments, and interpreted battlefield features.
Open full trail map Walking trails
Third Winchester Battlefield Park Trail Map
Plan a walk through the preserved battlefield using five color-coded trails. The map identifies trail distances, trailheads, monuments, historic sites, Red Bud Run, and the visitor center.
- Red Bud, Sempeles, Middle Field, West Woods, and First Woods trails
- Fifteen numbered battlefield locations
- Trail distances and orientation points
The history
The Third Battle of Winchester
September 19, 1864
After weeks of cautious maneuvering, Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan learned that Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early had divided his smaller army around Winchester and Martinsburg. Before dawn on September 19, Sheridan sent his Army of the Shenandoah west across Opequon Creek toward Winchester.
The narrow Berryville Canyon delayed the Union advance, giving Early time to gather his scattered divisions. Late that morning, the Union VI and XIX Corps attacked across the First Woods and Middle Field. Confederate infantry and artillery resisted fiercely, breaking portions of the Union line and turning the battle into a costly stalemate.
Sheridan committed George Crook’s VIII Corps north of the main fighting while Union cavalry pressed Early’s flanks. Crook’s soldiers crossed Red Bud Run and advanced against the Confederate left, helping force Early’s army into a tightening defensive position. Repeated assaults and counterattacks continued throughout the afternoon across the Middle Field, Second Woods, and surrounding farms.
Late in the day, Union infantry renewed its advance as powerful cavalry formations swept south from the north. The combined attack broke the Confederate left flank. Early’s army retreated through Winchester and withdrew toward Fisher’s Hill. More than 54,000 soldiers fought at Third Winchester, and approximately 8,630 were killed, wounded, or captured. The Union victory began a series of defeats that ended effective Confederate control of the Valley.
Campaign context
The road to Third Winchester
Begin with the armies’ movement toward Winchester, then use the overview to read the entire battlefield in one view.
Movement to Battle, September 18–19
Sheridan moved west from Berryville while Early’s scattered divisions returned toward Winchester for the coming battle.
Third Winchester: The Entire Battle
See the full battlefield and the major movements that carried the fighting from Opequon Creek to Winchester.
The battle in maps
How the fighting unfolded
Follow the action from the early advance along the Berryville Pike through the Confederate retreat from Winchester.
View full mapEarly morning · September 19
Early Morning on the Berryville Pike
Federal forces crossed Opequon Creek, encountered Confederate resistance, and became delayed in the narrow Berryville Canyon.
View full mapAbout 12:30 p.m.
Rodes’s Counterattack
Newly arrived Confederate troops struck the dangerous gap that had opened between the Union VI and XIX Corps.
View full mapEarly afternoon
Russell and Dwight Restore the Line
Union reserves blunted the Confederate advance and stabilized Sheridan’s army after the midday crisis.
View full mapMid-afternoon
Crook’s Attack
The VIII Corps moved north of the main fighting to threaten the Confederate left flank.
View full mapAfter 3 p.m.
Crook Attacks Along Red Bud Run
Federal infantry crossed the difficult stream valley and began turning the Confederate position.
View full mapLate afternoon
Sheridan’s Final Attack
Union infantry and cavalry combined against Early’s weakening line north and east of Winchester.
View full mapLate afternoon to dusk
The Confederate Collapse
Early’s army broke and retreated through Winchester toward a new position at Fisher’s Hill.
at Third Winchester Battlefield Park
Preservation in action
A battlefield preserved and open to the public
Third Winchester Battlefield Park preserves the fields, woodlands, farms, and stream corridors where Americans fought and fell on September 19, 1864. Across this landscape, more than 54,000 Union and Confederate soldiers struggled in the largest and bloodiest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.
Exhibits, orientation films, and a digital battle-projection map.
Walking routes connect visitors with the preserved battlefield landscape.
Memorials honor the soldiers who fought and fell on these fields.
On-site interpretation explains the people, events, and terrain that shaped the battle.
Ready to explore
Plan your visit to Third Winchester Battlefield
Begin at the visitor center, choose a trail, or open the self-guided Winchester audio tour.