Third Winchester Battlefield Park is the site where some of the fiercest fighting took place during the Third Battle of Winchester.
On September 19, 1864, Union General Philip Sheridan called up his Sixth and Nineteenth Corps to break the Confederate positions on the south side of Redbud Run. In making their advance on the Confederate positions, Sheridan called in his reserves of the Eighth Corps to assist in pushing the Confederate forces back. Following heavy fighting, the Confederate Army under the control of Jubal Early, were forced further back to Winchester. This location was the third phase of the Battle and after making defensive stands in and around Winchester, the Confederate forces were forced to retreat thus opening up the Shenandoah Valley to Sheridan and his Army. Future President, Rutherford B. Hayes, led the final assault on the Confederates at this location.
The park is now a peaceful place to walk and enjoy nature. This CITO event will start at the southern entrance to the park at a trail head near the TownPlace Suites, who have graciously allowed us the use of their dumpster for this cleanup activity. This part of the trail has debris from the interstate as well as trash dumped from the nearby neighborhood and could use some sprucing up.
CITO stands for Cache In Trash Out. It’s the geocacher’s approach to keeping our game board (i.e. the entire planet) in great shape. Geocachers gather together to pick up trash, remove invasive species, repair trails and more! Also all geocachers who participate in a CITO between September 1st to November 30th will earn a pretty sweet new souvenir!
October 11, 2021
4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Third Battle of Winchester Park
(Southern Trail Head)
170 Getty Ln
Winchester, VA 22602
Bags for the clean up have been provided by NoVAGO, and I will have bags at the starting coords. You WILL get dirty, so please dress appropriately, and wear good footwear. The fields could be soggy. The wood line may have thorns and some poison ivy. Your garden gloves will come in handy as well. Our planned cleanup area is marked in yellow on the picture below. The ambitious among us are welcom to go further, but the northern part of the park is usaully better maintained.
