Civil War: Hunter ’s Raid With the help of Virginia Civil War Trails markers, you can travel the route of Hunter’s Raid and visit many sites associated with that 1864 raid. Starting in Staunton, visit Staunton National Cemetery where nearly 1,000 Union soldiers are buried, and then Thornrose Cemetery where nearly 2,000 Confederate soldiers rest. Drive down I-81 to Lexington for the next leg of your search. Although the Virginia Military Institute Museum on the Civil War is temporarily closed, you can go downtown to Jackson’s restored home and then visit his gravesite at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington and Lee
Photo by Bob Szabo
20
University is where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is buried. The chapel also houses a memorial sculpture of the recumbent Lee, and a family crypt. From here you can meander down US11 as it passes over Natural Bridge, one of the natural wonders of the world. Stop to visit the bridge, and marvel at it just as the Union and Confederate soldiers did. Your next stop is Buchanan, the place where Confederate General McCausland personally set fire to the covered bridge in the face of Hunter’s advancing army. After setting the fire, McCausland swam across the James River to safety as Union soldiers fired at him.
