Here are some of the public tours and events that we either have scheduled ourselves or worked on with partners in recent months. (if you are looking for a private tour, click here).
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation’s 5th Annual National Civil War Conference
Saturday, April 16-18, 2020 Staunton, Virginia
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our friends at the SVBF were forced to cancel this event, so we did not have the pleasure of working with Terry Heder, Scott Patchan, and Gary Ecelbarger on tours of Piedmont and Staunton. Nor were we able to deliver our new talk on the role of the General Hospital in Staunton during the war. The event has been rescheduled for next year. The blurb explaining the talk: History loudly declares the names and the deeds of those who fought on the battlefields of Virginia, but the men and women who waged daily battles in Civil War hospitals remain anonymous. Through four years of war, the medical staff at General Hospital Staunton fought to help tens of thousands of critically ill or injured men struggle for life. Based on new research, this talk will reveal the hospital’s role in the 1864 Valley Campaign, especially in the wake of the Battle of Piedmont, a crisis point for the town, the medical staff and the hundreds of wounded men, Union and Confederate, who filled the hospital to overflowing.
Aldie, Middleburg, Upperville and Mosby Tour
Friday, May 15, 2020, Loudoun County, Virginia
Like everybody else, we have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We were eagerly looking forward to leading a private tour for a group of New Englanders who wished to see the the battlefields and hear the stories of the cavalry action in Mosby’s Confederacy in 1863 and 1864. We planned sites connected with Mosby’s operations in Loundon and Clarke Counties as well as visited all three of the battlefields at Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville. Those three underappreciated but beautifully preserved battlefields are a national treasure. While Gen. R.E. Lee’s main columns drove northward toward Pennsylvania, Jeb Stuart’s Confederate troopers and gunners struggled over four days to hold off determined attacks by rejuvenated Federal cavalry.
The Guns of Cross Keys Caravan Tour
Saturday, September 14, 2019, 10 am
Southeast of Harrisonburg, Virginia,
On June 8th and 9th, 1862, Stonewall Jackson’s troops delivered two stunning, back-to-back victories on consecutive days to end the Valley Campaign of 1862. This tour focuses on the first of the twin battles: Cross Keys. The story of the Battle of Cross Keys is a tale of dominant artillery. Both sides relied on the long arm, and few battlefield landscapes illustrate the decisive power of artillery as well as Cross Keys. This 90-minute caravan tour focuses on the use, and misuse, of the big guns that helped decide the result of Jackson’s campaign. The tour is FREE/ pay-what-you-wish, but space is limited so pre-registration is required. To learn more, click below or call 540-292-0863 and leave a message or text.
Rude’s Hill: “The Strongest Position in the Shenandoah Valley”
Saturday, September 28, 2019, 10 am
This two-hour car caravan and walking tour will take a soldiers-eye view of one of the four key strategic points in the Valley. Rude’s Hill and the adjoining Meem’s Bottom formed a natural bastion, and their war-time story includes the likes of Stonewall Jackson, Turner Ashby, Jubal Early, Sheridan, Banks, Fremont, rebel raiders Rosser, Gilmor, McNeill and many more. The tour is FREE/pay-what-you-wish, but pre-registration is required. To learn more, click below or call 540-292-0863 and leave a message or text.
Tom’s Brook Caravan
Friday, October 11, 2019, 10 am
This two-hour guided excursion focuses on the cavalry battle at Tom’s Brook. We team up with our friends at the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation to offer this FREE tour. Space is extremely limited. Click below or call (540) 740-4545 to reserve your place
tourshenandoahbattlefields.com 