Trail Head

On October 13, 1864, Confederate probing actions triggered a short but sharp engagement with Federal troops headquartered at Cedar Creek, two miles north of this position, and six days later Jubal Early re-engaged enemy forces with a three-columned surprise attack from Hupp's Hill. Near the crest of Hupp's Hill, a series of knobs and ridges about one mile long with a spring, sinkholes, and caves typical of karst topography, the hill figured in both the French and Indian War and the American Civil War. Like many frontier families living far from a military fort, the Hupps fortified their home against possible attack from the French and their Indian allies. During the 1862 and 1864 Valley Campaigns, Federal and Confederate soldiers used the heights as a campsite, fortified strong points, observation post, staging area, and battlefield, while the caverns served as a field hospital, holding cell for prisoners, saltpeter mine, recreation outlet, and sanctuary. Hupp's Hill's historical events happened because of its geology, as colonial and Civil War stories unfolded on limestone strata studded with sinkholes, caves, and springs that shaped several armies' tactical applications of their strategic goals. The site also includes Civil War earthworks, entrances into two wild caves, the footprint of Crystal Caverns, several sinkholes, and views of significant nearby historical sites. Hupp's Hill was a strategic point for both sides as they jockeyed for position during several battles, and at the Battle of Hupp's Hill Colonel George Wells of the 34th Massachusetts Regiment, a former Speaker of the Massachusetts House, was killed, drawing national media attention to the small battle in the Shenandoah Valley.

Strasburg, Virginia · United States