Fierce battles were fought across much of the nation during the American Civil War. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, in particular, saw some of the most significant action. Indeed, more than 325 armed conflicts took place here. Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley campaign, Lee’s drive toward Gettysburg, and Sheridan’s 1864 Shenandoah campaign all played key roles in the course of the Civil War.

Modern visitors are able to view the Shenandoah Valley’s landscape much as it was seen by soldiers and civilians during the region’s important Civil War campaigns. The agricultural economy that was so devastated by the war rebounded in the post-war years and has sustained the Valley’s rural character for 140 years.

But this historic landscape and the battlefields are rapidly disappearing.

In 1996 the United States Congress created the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District to protect this national resource and to ensure that future generations would be able to explore the Valley’s CivilWar story and more fully understand its impact on the American experience.

The National Historic District – one of the nation’s congressionally-designated National Heritage Areas – encompasses ten battlefields and more than 325 military engagements as well as numerous related historic sites.

As approved by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is responsible for leading the preservation effort.

Visit the web-site of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation