Aside from the Shenandoah River, there is perhaps nothing more entwined with the Shenandoah Valley than its Civil War history. From hospitals to battlefields, gravesites, and former headquarters, Civil War sites abound in the region.

Frederick County/Winchester:

• Stonewall Jackson Headquarters at 415 N. Braddock St. is open for touring. This small house was used by Jackson after he took command of the Valley Army during the winter of 1861-1862. Artifacts from Jackson and his cavalry commander, Turner Ashby, are on exhibit. Hours are Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m. Admission is $5 per adult and $3.50 per child 12 years old and under. 667-3242. www.winchesterhistory.org


• Sheridan's Headquarters at 135 N. Braddock St. was used by Union Gen. Milroy in 1863 and then by Union Gen. Philip Sheridan from 1864 to 1865. From this building in October 1864, Sheridan made his ride 11 miles south to the Battle of Cedar Creek where he rallied his retreating army. The trek was made famous by Thomas Buchanon Read's poem, "Sheridan's Ride." The building, at 135 N. Braddock St., is at the corner of Braddock and Piccadilly streets. Kimberly's now occupies the building.


• Fort Collier at 922 Martinsburg Pike is a Confederate fort built in 1861 and the site of the Federal cavalry charge that effectively ended the Third Battle of Winchester.


• Historic Rose Hill at 1850 Jones Road in Frederick County is the Glass ancestral home and site of the First Battle of Kernstown on March 23, 1862. The farm was the location of later phases of battle. Efforts are under way to preserve the house, which is owned by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. A self-guided walking tour of the property is available for $5 on the third Saturday of each month from April to October. The tours are 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Children under age 6 and Museum of the Shenandoah Valley member are free. The house is not open for touring.


• Larrick's Hotel and Tavern, established in 1797 in Middletown, was frequented by Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The tavern became a stagecoach stop 20 years later. Jubal Early used the inn as his headquarters in 1864, and the inn has been renovated to reflect its 18th-century heritage. The Wayside Inn now occupies the building, and Virginia traditional cuisine is served in its seven dining rooms. 869-1797 or (877) 869-1797. www.alongthewayside.com

Winchester and Frederick County were the sites of at least five major battles during the Civil War. A few of these battle sites, including those of the Kernstown battles and the third Winchester battle, are part of the Virginia Civil War Trails system. (888) CIVIL-WAR. www.civilwartrails.org.

• The first battle, the Battle of Kernstown, took place March 23, 1862, south of Winchester along U.S. 11. "Stonewall" Jackson suffered his only defeat here. The Kernstown Battlefield Association, a grassroots, nonprofit group, formed in 1996, and purchased 315 acres of the First Battle of Kernstown and the Second Battle of Kernstown including Pritchard's Hill in 2000. The association converted one of the outbuildings into a visitor's center, at 610 Battle Park Drive, in Winchester and created walking trails. The center is open May-October, on Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m. Admission is free. www.kernstownbattle.org.


• During the First Battle of Winchester, on May 25, 1862, Jackson caught Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks' army retreating from Front Royal. The battle was fought in the southeastern and southwestern parts of Winchester. Apple Blossom Mall and a large portion of the town's residential and commercial development cover the battlefield. The land making up Williamsburg Heights subdivision and the hill behind John Handley High School also were parts of the battlefield.


• The Second Battle of Winchester, on June 14 and 15, 1863, was fought in the northwestern and northern sections of the city. The Second Corps of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army, under Gen. Richard S. Ewell, defeated the Union troops of Gen. Robert Milroy on their way to Gettysburg. Ewell moved toward Winchester from Front Royal while Gen. Jubal Early's troops marched north on what is known today as U.S. 11. Some of the sites from this battle include the area of Stephenson, known then as Stephenson's Depot, on Va. 761, the Old Charles Town Road. Other areas to note are Fort Milroy in the city, Star Fort and West Fort to the north of the city and a ridge west of the city known as Little North Mountain.


• The Second Battle of Kernstown, on July 24, 1864, was fought south of town along U.S. 11 and what is now Interstate 81. During this battle, Early drove Gen. George Cook's troops north to help secure the valley. The Second Battle of Kernstown was the last Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley.


• The Third Battle of Winchester, on Sept. 19, 1864, took place from the eastern to the northern parts of the city and ended in a Union victory. Sheridan defeated Early's troops in the largest, bloodiest and most complex battle in Winchester. The battlefield includes the Fort Collier Industrial Park, Regency Heights, Lake Estates and the Loudoun Street Mall.


• The Battle of Cedar Creek took place on Oct. 19, 1864. Led by Gen. Jubal A. Early, a much smaller Confederate force surprised 37,000 Union troops camped along the banks of Cedar Creek, near the Belle Grove Plantation on what is now U.S. 11, north of Strasburg. The Union troops were led by Sheridan. The battle is re-enacted each fall on the original battlefield. The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, formed in 1988, originally purchased 158 acres of the battlefield for preservation. Since then, more land has been purchased. The foundation now owns 308 acres. The Cedar Creek Visitors Center is located at 8437 Valley Pike in Middletown across from Belle Grove. The center overlooks the battlefield from U.S. 11 and houses an interpretive center with artifacts. Brochures for a self-guided tour are available. 869-2064. www.cedarcreekbattlefield.org

Shenandoah County:

• The Southern Railways train station, which now houses the Strasburg Museum, is the location where Stonewall Jackson re-employed B&O locomotives for the Confederate cause after moving them by teams of horses down Valley Turnpike from Harpers Ferry in 1861.


• Signal Knob Loop is a 10.2-mile mountainous hike leading to the site of an important Civil War outpost for both Union and Confederate armies. The trail can be accessed one mile north of Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area at the Bear Wallow/Signal Knob parking lot on Va. 678. Other long hikes are also available. 984-4101. www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/lee


• The New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, at exit 264 off Interstate 81, 8895 Collins Parkway, includes the battlefield, the Hall of Valor Museum and the Bushong Farm.


• The Hall of Valor Museum was built in 1970 and includes exhibits on the entire Civil War in Virginia and the Battle of New Market specifically. Each May, the Battle of New Market re-enactment is held on the original 1864 battlefield on the weekend after Mother's Day.


• During the war, Jacob Bushong and his family stayed in the basement of their home while Union and Confederate troops fought around them. When the Battle of New Market began, seven family members took shelter in the basement while medical authorities set up a field hospital above them. The museum is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. year round except for New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 740-3101. 866-515-1864. www.vmi.edu/new market


• Another Civil War battle site has been preserved at Fishers Hill, on Va. 601 (Battlefield Road) off U.S. 11 south of Strasburg. The Strasburg Guard, Sons of Confederate Veterans, developed an interpretive trail at the 195-acre site of the 1864 battle. (866) 515-1864.


• The Edinburg Mill, on U.S. 11, was built in 1848 and used as an operating grist mill until 1978. The mill was almost destroyed by fire during the Civil War, but was saved by residents of the community. The mill is owned by Edinburg Heritage Foundation and the town of Edinburg. 984-8521

For more information about additional Civil War sites in the valley, see "Visit a museum," "Tour an old home," "Honor the fallen" and "Visit a historic church."