The First Battle of Kernstown- Battlefield Tour Part 1- Kernstown Battlefield Park

The First Battle of Kernstown is interpreted at multiple sites in Winchester. The first is at the Kernstown Battlefield Park where the Pritchard House, Pritchard Hill, and the Fulkerson-Garnett Assault Trail are located, the second site is Rose Hill Park which is where the action on the western side of Sandy Ridge is interpreted and the stone wall is located, the third is a new park recently acquired by the Kernstown Battlefield Association from the American Battlefield Trust which interprets the action on the eastern side of Sandy Ridge. Other sites are located outside of these three parks including a Freeman stone marker just south of the battlefield on state route 11, a series of signs near the Opequon Presbyterian Church, and other areas along the Valley Pike (modern day route 11). The Second Battle of Kernstown was also fought over this same ground in July of 1864 and is interpreted in many of these same locations but will not be included here. They will be shown in a series of posts on the 1864 Valley Campaign. Since my last visit there have been several changes to the signs in both the Kernstown Battlefield Park and Rose Hill Park and a brand-new section added that interprets the battlefield on the eastern part of Sandy Ridge. The Kernstown Battlefield Park (link) is open on weekends from May through October. The Battlefield Tour will cover six separate posts that will include: three posts from the Kernstown Battlefield Park (trails, the Visitor Center, and the Artillery Building); Rose Hill Park; the recently acquired Sandy Ridge Park; and sites outside of these parks.

The next series of pictures were taken at the Kernstown Battlefield Park.

The Kernstown Battlefield Association has established three trails: The Blue Trail which interprets the First Battle of Kernstown; the Green Trail which interprets the Pritchard Farm; and the Red Trail which interprets the Battle of Second Kernstown.