During the war Fort Collier

1 during war

1.1 1861
1.2 1862
1.3 1863
1.4 1864

during war
1861

confederate troops began construction on july 7, 1861, under orders of confederate engineering officer, lieutenant collier, assisted detachment of federal prisoners. supervision of construction may have been under major william h.c. whiting, chief engineer gen. johnston, , fort occupied army of shenandoah during winter of 1861 1862, under command of general johnston. fell under valley district, commanded majgen stonewall jackson 1 of 3 districts under department of northern virginia. stonewall jackson s headquarters located south of fort.

on august 21, 1861, fort described in diary of harriet h. griffith:

i have day visited breastworks or fortifications on martinsburg pike father , johnnie. exceedingly interested. first work of kind d ever seen. first time ever near cannon. looked them. there 4 cannons planted , ammunition there. great many men working [and i] saw magazines. have several rifle ports seem secure. have read of them, have never seen them. had several masked batteries. seems real strong , built. there high embankment of sand bags, barrels, , brush covered dirt, part sodded over. intend sod big ditch on lower side. have surrounded stine s house occupied soldiers, of whom working there, come cooking, washing, on guard, , lounging, , sleeping ... surely remembered, hope never used.

1862

defensive troops occupied fort during romney expedition in 1861, jackson evacuated winchester in march 1862 majgen banks invaded town @ outset of valley campaign. may, jackson returned winchester , routed remaining federal troops on may 25, chose not defend fort during first battle of winchester.

1863

majgen. milroy s defensive fortifications in winchester, virginia in june, 1863.

during occupation of majgen milroy january june 1863, federal troops manned fort, , listed under name of battery no. 10, making part of series of fortifications in defensive scheme of gen. milroy. second corps, army of northern virginia under ltgen ewell routed milroy on movement gettysburg, bombarded milroy s command holed in various winchester forts, damaging stine house on night of june 15. next morning, milroy abandoned fort , winchester, fleeing north on pike, fort collier being last fortification abandoned troops marched north toward martinsburg.

1864

in september, 1864, fort , winchester again became base confederate operations during ltgen jubal s valley campaigns of 1864. majgen sheridan advanced on winchester september 17, forcing make defensive stand along north , eastern borders of winchester on september 19, fort collier center piece , anchor of defensive line, stretched fort alabama (also known star fort) on west long line of trenches , ramparts east , south of fort collier berryville pike. federal cavalry charge made day during third battle of winchester composed of 6,000 cavalrymen coming south stephenson s depot. assault, composed of 5 brigades lined across open fields north of town, largest charge in war made cavalry against infantry.

three regiments commanded colonel george s. patton, grandfather of world war ii general, defending fort , locations, , colonel patton killed during course of battle. confederate forces in fort collier , along defensive line overrun , fort captured no survivors, while s forces retreated valley through winchester, rallied short while @ mount hebron cemetery, , reconsolidated further south @ fisher s hill near strasburg, virginia.