Fishers Hill: Animals and a Tour

Fishers Hill is just south of Strasburg. It's mostly farmland, with a battlefield and a village both sharing the name Fishers Hill.

I've toured the battlefield several times. I'll show you a few pictures of a recent tour but first let me show you some critters for Eileen's linkup.

The tour started at Ramseur's Hill Parking Lot. Ranger Jimmy from Cedar Creek Battlefield gave us an overview of the Battle of Fishers Hill and it's place in the 1864 struggle for control of the Shenandoah Valley.

The second stop on the tour was Emmanuel Church. The ranger described the approach of the Federal Troops as they moved into position to attack Jubal Early's army on Fishers Hill.

We returned to Ramseurs Hill to view the location of the surprise attack. I've made the walk up that hill several times and did not try to hike it this time.

The Battle of Fishers Hill was a Union Victory and preceded the decisive victory at Cedar Creek which ended Confederate control of the Shenandoah Valley. 

Link: Shenandoah Valley Civil War Time Line

Emmanuel Church of Fishers Hill

Today we visited the town of Fishers Hill. This church is on a hill next to the town, but not on the prominence called Fishers Hill, once called the Gibralter of the Valley.

Emmanuel Evangelical and Reformed Church is on Church Hill Road.

Let's descend into the town of Fishers Hill which is actually a charming village along Tumbling Run.  The same creek runs through the nearby Civil War Battlefield. 

Barns of Fishers Hill

Fishers Hill is a hill but it's also the name of a town and a Civil War battlefield. All of these are in Shenandoah County near Strasburg. I'm typing "Fishers" without an apostrophe because that's how the highway department spells it so that's what you see on modern maps.

The first time I saw the town of Fishers Hill, I was charmed by it. The red barn by the creek, the old mill, the country store... how cute!

In this third picture the old barn has almost disappeared so you may have to look closely to see what's left of it.  See more Fishers Hill posts. 

By the way, we had a couple inches of snow yesterday but today it has just about melted away.

Sharing with The Barn Collective and Our World Tuesday

and Through My Lens

A New Marker in Fishers Hill

Fishers Hill is a very small town so I would not expect any historical markers except for ones about the Civil War battle that took place near here in 1864.

Creative Women of Fishers Hill.

Three women who achieved national prominence for their creative endeavors, but were later largely forgotten, lived near Fishers Hill during the 1880's. Landscape artist Bertha Von Hillern (ca. 1857-1939), once renowned as a competitive endurance walker, shared a studio 1.5 miles northwest of here with painter Maria J. C. a’ Becket (1839-1904). The women, influenced by the French Barbizon Movement, drew inspiration from the rugged forests of this area, exhibited their works at elite galleries and World’s Fairs, and mentored one another. Emma Howard Wight (ca. 1863-1935) arrived here late in the 1880s and became a prolific author of novels, short stories, plays, radio dramas, and photoplays.

This marker was dedicated a week ago. It is along Battlefield Road next to the mill pond.

I Wrote a Guest Post.

My friend Dawn asked me to write a post on Fishers Hill for "On the Streets Where We Live." I've done a number of posts on this blog on Fishers Hill, partly because the village by that name is charming but also because the nearby battlefield is a nice place to walk.

Tuesday Treasures.  Historical preservation groups have preserved 362 acres of this Civil War battlefield. It was farmland before they acquired it but it was in a likely location for development, since Interstate 81 actually crosses part of it, and it is only an hour from the DC Metropolitan Area. The battlefield park is still used for grazing cattle, but it is open to visitors and features interpretive signs.

I first visited Fishers Hill with a history class from Northern Virginia Community College. This was before blogging and I was developing a site called Civil War Field Trips.

If you find yourself in the northern Shenandoah Valley, consider a visit to Fishers Hill. Tumbling Run flows through the battlefield and provides water to a lovely mill in the village. The peacefulness of the area today stands in contrast to the battle that raged here in 1864.

Reunion at Fishers Hill

Last month we attended the Fishers Hill Reunion Picnic. This event commemorates an event that itself commemorated an event!

The Battle of Fishers Hill was fought on September 22, 1864. A couple of decades later, veterans from both sides gathered together to remember it and to celebrate the reunification of the country. For many years it was an annual event and families came to picnic, listen to music and speeches, and even ride a carousel. In the 1930s the event was discontinued since the old veterans were either gone or too old to travel to the Shenandoah Valley for the occasion.

We didn't have a carousel at the re-creation of the event, but it did commemorate the reunification of the country, a fitting counterpoint to the long series of battle-related events that marked the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

I always enjoy seeing the costumes that represent the 1860s; and Fishers Hill is in a beautiful area not far from our home.

Sharing with My Town Shoot-Out 

and Orange You Glad It's Friday

Fishers Hill Battlefield Access is Closed

The trails at Fishers Hill Battlefield are closed as repairs are being made after a pipeline explosion on July 25. When a gas pipeline exploded that morning, flames shot high in the air, causing I-81 to be closed for a brief time. Fortunately, the burn area was all on the battlefield and did not reach any residences. 

The pipeline exploded just over the hill from the parking lot on Battlefield Road. You cannot see the burnt field from the parking area but you can see it from the interstate just south of State Route 601. I noticed that I could see some burnt trees on the far horizon from the parking lot.

Nearby there is a farm lane that is being used by Columbia Gas crews as they inspect the damage and replace the pipes. 

I’ve been to this battlefield many times over the years, both on Civil War tours and just to walk. It’s a lovely spot if you don’t mind the hum of highway traffic. 

Fishers Hill was the site of a Union victory in September 1864. 

I’ll close with a picture of a contrail and clouds.

Fishers Hill Random-osity

The Good, The Random and The Fun

The Good: There's a country store in town of Fishers Hill and the post office is back inside it. For a brief period the post office was in a mobile unit, which from the outside reminded me of a bookmobile.

The Random: I made a Photo Collage of Fishers Hill pictures for Mosaic Monday. Since the area is not far from my home, I've photographed it many times including yesterday. I have some more pictures for tomorrow.

The Fun: See the pink shoes? Someone has gone wading in Tumbling Run. 

A tree at Fishers Hill

Fisher's Hill Battlefield, south of Strasburg, VA

In September 1864, the Sheridan's Union Army dislodged Early's Confederates from their position at Fishers Hill. The battle resulted in over 1700 casualties.

Fences and Signs at Fisher's Hill

Progress continues on the installation of signs at Fisher's Hill Battlefield, with a couple of new signs at the entrance for Ramseur's Hill. Note that the apostrophes are in place, unlike highway signs for the nearby village of Fishers Hill. The state highway department has a policy of dropping apostrophes to keep signs short.

An earlier series of markers on this battlefield are being replaced. The battle took place here near the end of the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign. The hill here appeared to be an ideal defensive position, but General Early's Confederate army was spread too thin because of losses suffered at Third Winchester.

The battlefield is a pretty place to take a walk, although you can see and hear Interstate 81 nearby.

Sharing with Signs, Signs and Good Fences

Checking on Ramseur’s Hill

I stopped by Fishers Hill Battlefield this week to see if the trail had reopened. I couldn’t tell whether the yellow tape across the bridge had been taken down or whether it had just fallen down. The Keep Out sign was laying on the decking. 

 I see that the Shenandoah Battlefields website still lists the area as closed. It has been closed to the public since a gas pipeline exploded in July. It looks to me as though much of the repair work has been completed, but you can’t get close to it because it is on the next hill. 

Battle of Fisher’s Hill, September 1864

I noticed that cows are grazing on the battlefield again. I’ve posted pictures of this area before. This time I did not go through the gate to walk up Ramseur’s Hill, but I did take a photo of Tumbling Run.

Valley Minstrels

We enjoyed listening to this band playing "old-time music" at the Fishers Hill Reunion.

Fishers Hill is about 2 miles west of Strasburg, VA.

Link: Shenandoah Valley Minstrels