2019 marks the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring.
On Saturday, July 20, 2019, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute will commemorate the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring at the University’s River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield located at 1400 Parker Lane, Bluemont, Virginia. This event is free and open to the public, although monetary donations are much appreciated to assist in defraying expenses associated with this event. No pre-registration is required for this event.
Schedule of Day’s Activities
9 a.m.: Site opens
10:15 a.m.-Noon: Walking tour of Battle of Cool Spring with Jonathan Noyalas (Shenandoah University). Tour will include vignettes with living historians.
Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch on your own (please note that there are no food vendors on site, please bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it either in the air-conditioned lodge or the shade of our pavilion).
1-1:45 p.m.: “Dreams of War & Peace”: The Remarkable Night Life of Civil War America with Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University).
2-2:45 p.m.:”Follow Him to the Death”: Sheridan, Early, and the Shenandoah Valley in the Summer of 1864 with Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University).
3-4 p.m.: Unveiling of “Through Their Eyes: An Augmented Reality Experience at Cool Spring”
Tour the battlefield trails
In addition to all of the scheduled activities, battlefield trails will be open throughout the day for self-guided tours (tour guides are available for free at the site or can be downloaded as a pdf below) and the exhibition about Cool Spring and its aftermath available for viewing. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park bookstore will also be on site selling books by the day’s speakers and other relevant titles.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact the McCormick Civil War Institute Director, Jonathan Noyalas, at jnoyalas01@su.edu or 540-665-4501.
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.
