Soon after the end of the Civil War, veterans on both sides began holding reunions to walk familiar battlegrounds and renew friendships with former comrades. At Fisher's Hill, veterans of the battle fought on September 22, 1864, began gathering in the 1880s to commemorate their war experiences. Local veterans and others purchased portions of the battlefield land to hold annual picnics, and over the years hundreds and then thousands of Northern and Southern veterans attended with their families and friends. Participants from outside the local area took trains to nearby Strasburg, or to Staunton, 80 miles south, then journeyed here to the reunion each August. At the height of their popularity, these reunions often drew 9,000-10,000 people. Fisher's Hill featured a steam-powered merry-go-round as well as barbecue pits and picnic areas, and national and state dignitaries often spoke at the reunions. These gatherings served several purposes, including battlefield preservation and opportunities to reminisce. Veterans' organizations, ladies' commemoration and memorialization societies, and similar groups helped find and lay to rest soldiers' remains, dedicate and maintain cemeteries, purchase battlefield land, mark key sites with monuments, and honor the service and valor of Civil War soldiers on both sides.

Photo: Devry Becker Jones (CC0)

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Devry Becker Jones (CC0)

Toms Brook, Virginia · USA