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The Rev. Rude Home-Jackson's headquarters in 1862

Shenandoah was established in 1772 and originally named Dunmore County in honor of John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore and the royal governor of Virginia at the time. In 1778, in the midst of the Revolutionary War, Dunmore’s name was so unpopular in Virginia the state legislature renamed the county Shenandoah, a Native American word that means “Beautiful Daughter of the Stars.” Third, in the distance to the southeast, the imposing Signal Knob first becomes evident. The knob is the northern face of the Massanutten Mountain range. It was used from time to time by both the Union and Confederacy as a signal station to relay information on troop movements.

Shenandoah County was the scene of many battles and skirmishes during the War Between the States. The battlefields of New Market, Fishers Hill and Toms Brook as well as large parts of Cedar Creek are all located within the boundaries of the county. Click here for a more through look at the battles and skirmishes in Shenandoah County.

The Shenandoah Valley in the Civil War

Woodstock, the county seat has an interesting war time history. Located directly behind Massanutten Military Academy is Massanutten Cemetery. Within the cemetery at a place known as Holly Circle is the final resting place of a number of Confederate soldiers moved to this location several decades after the War.

There are four other incorporated towns in Shenandoah County, each with its own unique stories of the War Between the States. Mt Jackson is famous as a medical center for Confederate troops andOur Soldiers Confederate Cemetery, the final resting place of more than 400 Confederate troops who died at the Mt. Jackson hospital.
My favorite town is Edinburg, maybe because I live there. Edinburg was witness to a number of events during the war including locally famous Edinburg Mill set ablaze during General Sheridan's campaign of destruction known as The Burning. Another mill in Edinburg, http://www.angelfire.com/va3/valleywar/places/wmill.html">Whissen Mill escaped dustruction because li was on the side of Stony Creek opposite the town and when Sheridan's troops forded the stream, they were fired on by Confederate troopers hiding on the bluffs.

Vignettes on the War in Shenandoah County

The 1st Connecticut Cavalry at Edinburg

Shenandoah County Civil War Links

New Market Battlefield and Museum
New Market Study
Rails in The Valley . Stonewall Jackson Museum
New Market Military Museum
Shenandoah Valley Gen Web

Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign

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