Cedar Creek & Belle Grove

https://www.nps.gov/cebe/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Creek_and_Belle_Grove_National_Historical_Park Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park protects several historically significant locations in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, notably the site of the American Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek and the Belle Grove Plantation. Much of the battlefield is not accessible to the public, but the park offers ranger-led and self-guided driving tours of the battlefield via public roads. Nearly all of the remaining land (approximately 1,500 acres) and buildings are preserved and administered by partner sites which predate the park. Since summer 2010, the park has offered interpretive ranger programs at key partner sites, including Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation headquarters, Belle Grove Plantation, and Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park. The Shenandoah Valley invites you to learn about its rich heritage, from Native Americans who first shaped the land, to pioneers of this frontier; this fertile area became one of the most important wheat producing regions of the entire South. The Valley also witnessed some of the most dramatic events of the Civil War,including the Battle of Cedar Creek, a decisive October 19, 1864 Union victory. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park is along U.S. Route 11 in Middletown, Virginia. Take exit 298 off Interstate 81 to Middletown. The Visitor Contact Station is at 7712 Main Street in Middletown Courts Plaza. Visitor Contact Station Start your visit at the Visitor Contact Station, where park rangers and volunteers can help plan your visit. Pick up park maps, auto tour self-guides, and Junior Ranger activity books. Masks are required inside the Visitor Contact Station. Occupancy is limited to 10 persons to protect staff and visitors from the threat of COVID-19. Keep six feet from staff and other visiting parties. Take exit 298 off Interstate 81 to Middletown. The Visitor Contact Station is at 7712 Main Street in Middletown Courts Plaza, a strip mall on U.S. Highway 11. Sunrise over Belle Grove Sunrise over Belle Grove Sunrise over Belle Grove The Heater House Image of the Heater House The Heater House Kids Program Ranger giving kids Program Ranger Jeff presenting a kids program. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove in a Box Visitors watching a ranger program at Belle Grove Ranger Shannon presents Cedar Creek and Belle Grove in a Box. Signal Knob Program Ranger presenting program on top of the Massanutten Moutain. Ranger presenting program at Signal Knob. War to the Hilt The Civil War ushered in a new era of warfare in which the effects of war were felt beyond the battlefield, including confiscation of civilians' personal property, holding prisoners for strategic purposes, and scorched earth military policy. Photo of Union troops at Arlington House The Civilian Experience in the Civil War After being mere spectators at the war's early battles, civilians both near and far from the battlefields became unwilling participants and victims of the war as its toll of blood and treasure grew year after year. In response to the hardships imposed upon their fellow citizens by the war, civilians on both sides mobilized to provide comfort, encouragement, and material, and began to expect that their government should do the same. Painting of civilians under fire during the Siege of Vicksburg Battle of Cedar Creek The Federal victory at Cedar Creek ended Confederate resistance in the Shenandoah Valley. Coming just three weeks before the presidential election, news of the victory boosted morale in the Northern states and helped carry Abraham Lincoln to a landslide reelection. An 1890 illustration shows charging blue uniformed cavalrymen. The Burning: Shenandoah Valley in Flames The Shenandoah Valley became a prime target in 1864 as the American Civil War took a turn from a limited war to a total war. "The Burning," as it came to be called, was part of a Federal strategy to hasten the end the of the war. A pencil sketch shows cavalrymen on the move with a burning town in the background. History in Bits and Pieces: The Battle of Cedar Creek Archeologists documented evidence of the Union encampment, interpreted parts of the battle flow, and reconstructed the cultural setting of the Cedar Creek Battlefield. Battle of Hupp's Hill Following “the Burning,” U.S. General Philip Sheridan pulled his army back north to the area along Cedar Creek, making Belle Grove Plantation his headquarters. Most Union soldiers were confident that the Confederates had been so soundly defeated in the Valley that they posed no further threat. They were greatly mistaken. Battle of Wapping Heights (or Manassas Gap) Towards late July 1863, U.S. Gen. Meade saw a chance to cut off Robert E. Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg near Front Royal. This attempt would result in the Battle of Wapping Heights, also called the Battle of Manassas Gap. Battle of New Market Confederates scored a late victory at New Market in 1864— one of their last in the Shenandoah Valley. Among the Confederate troops was a battalion of 257 cadets and two artillery guns from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).