McDowell Battlefield Heritage Days

"On May 8, 1862 about 9,000 Rebel soldiers and an almost equal number of Yankees converged on Robert Sitlington's farm and the little village of McDowell. The year had opened with Union and Confederate forces jockeying for position throughout the western part of Virginia and West Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley, known as the 'Breadbasket of the Confederacy,' held provisions for the Southern army and also had Staunton, a large supply center and transportation network where two major roads and a railroad crossed. Months earlier, General Stonewall Jackson had stated, "If this valley is lost, Virginia is lost."

Billed as: "THE LARGEST GATHERING OF CAMPAIGN-STYLE MILITARY AND AUTHENTIC CIVILIANS IN THE EAST" . . . This is the 145th Anniversary of the beginning of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Highland County is one of the most pristine areas in Virginia and a trip there is well worth the effort.

A true "Local Legacy": "Presents a regiment vs. regiment re-enactment of the May 8, 1862 Battle of McDowell--the first Confederate victory in General "Stonewall" Jackson's brilliant Valley Campaign that encouraged the demoralized Confederate forces. Battlefield Days offers tours of the camps of "Confederate" and "Union" troops, continuous portrayals of the local population's interaction with "Union" and "Confederate" soldiers and interpretations of the lives and culture of the landowners and farmers of the Virginia Allegheny Highlands during the mid-19th century. The event also showcases local arts and crafts through demonstrations of quilting, spinning, blacksmithing, butter-churning and more. Period music and church services lend authenticity. Project documentation includes newsletters and promotional materials of the Highland Historical Society (sponsor of Battlefield Days) a report, photographs, newspaper and magazine coverage."

Originally submitted by: Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte, (6th District).

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