On October 2, 1864, elements of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Division under Col. William H. Powell reached the area near Luray and quickly laid waste to Willow Grove Mill. Amanda Moore, wife of the mill’s owner, later recalled that the mill, saw mill, barn, stabling, granary, corn crib, and everything were burned, with the barns full of wheat and a great deal also in the mill. In addition to Willow Grove, several other flour mills, barns, sawmills, stables, tanneries, and lumberyards in Page County were burned within the next 36 hours. These events were part of Gen. Philip Sheridan’s infamous burnings in the Shenandoah Valley. By the time Powell departed five days later, the county had sustained well over $1 million in damages. By October 24, citizens of Page County petitioned the Confederate government for relief from conscription, saying there was sufficient reason to fear starvation would be the fate of some citizens if the call for all men were enforced. Before the establishment of the town of Luray in 1812, Willow Grove Mill had been the focal point of the thriving village of Mundellsville. Powered by an 18-foot overshot water wheel, it was a prime example of the quality mills that later earned the Valley the title Bread Basket of the Confederacy.