Winchester National Cemetery

Winchester National Cemetery (HM2EGO)

Location:
Buy flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 11.102', W 78° 9.39'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 283 views
Inscription
National Cemetery
Winchester National cemetery was established in 1866 on the site of the Third Battle of Winchester. Soon after the federal government created the 5-acre cemetery, remains were moved here from the battlefields at Winchester, New Market, Front Royal, Snickers Gap, Harpers Ferry, Martinsburg, Romney, and other nearby places.

Though approximately half of the 4,440 remains buried here were known, when possible they were placed in sections designated for particular states.

By law, the secretary of war appointed a "meritorious and trustworthy" superintendent to manage the cemetery. To qualify for the position, an individual must have been an army enlisted man disabled in service. Former private Philetus Sedgwick, 125th New York Infantry, was appointed the first superintendent on October 1, 1867. He served until his death in 1874.

Monuments
The cemetery contains fourteen monuments that honor men and regiments that fought in battles in and near Winchester.

The first monument was erected in 1866 to officers and soldiers of the 14th New Hampshire who died at the Third Battle of Winchester. Many more monuments were erected in the 1880s and 1890s, some on the anniversary of this battle, September 19.

A final wave of dedications occurred



in the early 1900s. In addition to New Hampshire, regiments from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Vermont, and troops of the 6th Army Corps are memorialized.

A monument dedicated to the 8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry, led by Col. Stephen Thomas during the Third Battle of Winchester, was moved from the battlefield to the cemetery in 1896 at the request of the Vermont quartermaster General's Office. It sits among the graves of Vermont's volunteer soldiers.

(sidebar)
Six Battles
Control of the Shenandoah Valley was essential for the Confederacy. Six major battles were fought in Winchester and nearby locations.

At the First Battle of Kernstown on March 23, 1862, Union Col. Nathan Kimball defeated Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. On May 25, 1862, Jackson won a decisive victory over Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks at the First Battle of Winchester. The Second battle of Winchester, June 1863, was another Confederate victory.

Three more battles occurred here in 1864. On July 24, Confederate Gen. Jubal Early defeated Gen. George Crook at the Second Battle of Kernstown, and kept Crook from reinforcing Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, Virginia. At the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, Union Gen. Phillip Sheridan defeated General Early. They met again on October 19 at the Battle



of Cedar Creek. Sheridan rallied his troops and drove the Confederates from the valley. It was the last major engagement in the area.
Details
HM NumberHM2EGO
Tags
Placed ByU.S Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, February 21st, 2019 at 1:01pm PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 745601 N 4341162
Decimal Degrees39.18503333, -78.15650000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 11.102', W 78° 9.39'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 11' 6.12" N, 78° 9' 23.4" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What country is the marker located in?
  2. Is this marker part of a series?
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. What year was the marker erected?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?