“It was hard work”

Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy and his division entered Winchester on January 1, 1863. The abolitionist general, who vowed to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation aggressively, soon set to work strengthening the town's defenses. His soldiers rotated various tasks, spending one day per week working on Winchester's defenses, three days on guard duty, and three days dedicated to various camp chores. The schedule meant that on any given day during the first half of 1863, approximately 1,000 Union soldiers labored on Winchester's defenses. The strengthened Fort Garibaldi (renamed Fort Milroy) and West Fort and constructed Star Fort here. The fortification originated in 1861 as a series of gun emplacements.



The construction of Star Fort, called "the large fort," not only offered Milroy a sense of security but also satisfied his sense of justice. Some of the construction materials, in particular the limestone used for the footings on which the artillery pieces stood, came from the home of former U.S. Senator James M. Mason, author of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. "Today the walls of Mr. Mason's house were pulled down," Winchester resident Cornelia McDonald wrote in her diary on January 20, 1863. "They have taken the stones ... to build their fortifications."



Milroy's soldiers found the labor here grueling. A soldier in the 18th Connecticut Infantry wrote that they were "working on the fort and rifle pits, with axe, pick and shovel. ... Many of the boys had never used or handled that kind of tools. It was hard work."




(captions)
(left photo) Gen. Robert H. Milroy Courtesy Jonathan A. Noyalas Collection



(right photo) Sen. James M. Mason Courtesy Library of Congress



(map) Map of Winchester, June 13-15, 1863, with Union forts Courtesy Library of Congress

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Show me all markers in:  Winchester, VA  |  Frederick County  |  22603  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

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