VA -- Lexington:
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- Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
- LEX_050918_010.JPG: Lexington
"Shells went through the houses"
Hunter's Raid
(Preface):On May 26, 1864, Union Gen. David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy transportation facilities at Lynchburg. His raid was part of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's strategy to attack Confederates simultaneously throughout Virginia. After defeating Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones at Piedmont on June 5, Hunter marched to Lexington, burned Virginia Military Institute, and headed to Lynchburg. There, on June 17-18 Gen. Jubal A. Early repulsed Hunter and pursued him to West Virginia. Early then turned north in July to threaten Washington.
Union General David Hunter's 18,000 soldiers crossed the North (Maury) River and entered Lexington from the north and west on June 11, 1864. Confederate Gen. John C. McCausland's skirmishers contested the crossing near the river and artillerists fired from the Virginia Military Institute parade ground. Union gunners shelled Lexington from the high ground north of town, causing significant property damage. For the next three days, Hunter's men plundered private homes, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), and the Institute. Hunter also ordered the destruction of a mill and several warehouses at Jordan's Point, the dock and terminus of the canal system. Just before his arrival, six barges loaded with private property and armaments from the state arsenal at the Institute departed for Lynchburg, but Union cavalrymen destroyed the flotilla 10 miles downstream.
McCausland's 1,400 Confederates (including Virginia Military Institute cadets) retreated toward Lynchburg. On June 12, Hunter ordered the Institute and the home of former Virginia governor John Letcher burned, but spared Washington College after administrators pleaded that the school was named for George Washington. By the afternoon of June 14, the last of Hunter's army had departed Lexington for Lynchburg.
"Some shells went through the houses, frightening the inhabitants terribly."
-- Mrs. Cornellia McDonald, refugee
- LEX_050918_040.JPG: Bricks along the main city street
- LEX_050918_079.JPG: Hopkins Green: This public park is part of the original lot #34 of the Town of Lexington laid out in the spring of 1778. Purchased in 1788 by James Hopkins, this corner remained in the Hopkins family for almost 200 years -- until 1984 -- when it was deeded to the Historic Lexington Foundation by Matthew White Paxton and Robert Owen Paxton. This gift-purchase and subsequent contributions by hundreds of supporters of HLF have made this park possible.
- LEX_050918_154.JPG: Captured German gun: This gun sent to Lexington, VA, the home station of battery F.1111 FD. ART. 29 DIV. A.E.F. sponsored by Confederate veterans led by veteran William A. Anderson, and recruited by Capt. Greenlee D. Letcher, who commanded it in America and France. Service soubriquet "Rockbridge Battery": after the famous Confederate "Rockbridge Artillery."
Mustered into the World War as a mark of the loyalty of the Confederate veterans to the flag they had once fought.
- LEX_050918_170.JPG: County courthouse
- LEX_050918_206.JPG: This building had been the county jail 1831-1841
- LEX_050918_236.JPG: The wall sign is leftover from the movie "Sommersby"
- LEX_050918_252.JPG: The Jacob Ruff House, ca 1829:
The Ruff Family had a hat factory next door in the early 1800s, but used this house as a showroom and living space. In 1850, John Ruff deeded the property to his son, Jacob Ruff, with permission to build a future house between the two properties. That may explain the curious cantilevered chimney on the north side of the building. if the house had been built, it could have shared this chimney. The house is a fine example of the Valley Federal style with elegant detailing including the fan light over the front door and a molded brick cornice. When the streets were lowered in 1851, the entrance was re-oriented to the side. Mr. and Mrs. Otis G. Meade III purchased the property from Historic Lexington Foundation in 1974 and carefully restored and adapted it for use as a real estate office. (Photo ca 1925)
- LEX_050918_261.JPG: Dold Building, ca 1820:
The oldest part of this building dates from ca 1820 and was built as a residence for John Irvine by the local firm of Jordan and Darst. The original side passage. one room plan was enlarged in 1826 by Samuel Darst and the line marking the addition is still clearly visible in the fine Flemish bond brick facade. A noteworthy feature, typical of Federal style buildings in the area, is the molded brick cornice. In 1830, Samuel M. Dold bought the building and it remained in his family for the next 114 years. In 1851, when the city undertook the project to lower the streets, this building received an underpinning of a whole story. The original front door was made to open on a balcony and a side door was bricked over. H.O. Dold, who ran a general store popular with generations of students and townsfolk, was responsible for adding the window-bay storefront in 1896. In 1973, the building was part of Historic Lexington Foundation's pilot project to restore the downtown.
- LEX_050918_289.JPG: Jacob Ruff House, circa 1829: Lexington decided to even its streets out to make it easier for vehicles to make it up and down the town. Houses were required to adjust the height of their entrance for the new street but Ruff refused so the entrance is unadjusted.
- Wikipedia Description: Lexington, Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 6,867 at the 2000 census. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.
It is home to the Washington and Lee University (W&L) and Virginia Military Institute (VMI). It is the county seat of Rockbridge County. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington (along with nearby Buena Vista) with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes.
Union General David Hunter led a raid on Virginia Military Institute during the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried here. So too was Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury until he was removed to Richmond, Virginia the following spring. It is also the site of the only house Jackson ever owned, now open to the public as a museum.
Sam Houston, 19th century statesman, politician and soldier, and, as of 2008, the only person in U.S. history to have been the governor of two different states — Tennessee and Texas — was born near here. At the Sam Houston Wayside is a 38,000 pound piece of Texas pink granite commemorating Houston's birthplace.
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