The Battle of Cool Spring 162nd Anniversary Commemoration

On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute will commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring at the University’s River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield located at 1400 Parker Lane, Bluemont, Virginia.

9:00 a.m.: Site opens, including exhibition area in the Lodge. The exhibition area and Lodge will be open throughout the day.

9:30-11:15 a.m.–“Coming Like a Meteor”: Artillery at Cool Spring with Jonathan A. Noyalas (Hugh & Virginia McCormick Chair in Civil War History and Director, Shenandoah University’s MCWI). This program will also include an immersive learning experience about field artillery during the Civil War with historian Alan Robertson.

11:30 a.m.–Noon: Copies of “The Blood-Tinted Waters of the Shenandoah”: The 1864 Valley Campaign’s Battle of Cool Spring and A Civil War Journey at Cool Spring: A History for Young Readers available for purchase and signing.

There is no pre-registration required for this event. It is free and open to the public. If you have any questions about this event please use the information below.

Contact Us

For questions, please contact the McCormick Civil War Institute Director, Jonathan Noyalas, at jnoyalas01@su.edu or 540-665-4501.

Cool Spring Orientation Video

This orientation video was created by students in Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas’ HIST 309 (Interpreting Civil War Sites) class during the spring 2020 semester. The following students, Ryan Endress, Caitlyn Graulau, Bobby Harvey, Gavin Horning, Kimberley Oliveto, Jay Richardson, Nicole Roland, David Skinner, Steven Stabler, and Corey Williams, assisted with this project. All images used in this production are courtesy of the following: the Library of Congress, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute, Jonathan Noyalas, and Nicholas Picerno.

MCWI

Cool Springs Battlefield