“Great Masses of Flame and Smoke”: Civil War Lexington

A car caravan tour of Civil War sites in Lexington, home of the Virginia Military Institute. Lexington’s Civil War stories include Stonewall Jackson’s pre-war life in town; the dispatch of the VMI Cadets to events such as John Brown’s execution and the Battle of New Market; the burial of Jackson after his death; Hunter’s Raid, where Union Gen. David Hunter’s troops shelled the city, looted homes and businesses, and burned the Virginia Military Institute; and Robert E. Lee’s post-war leadership of Washington College (today Washington and Lee University) and, after his death, burial at Lee Chapel. Tour led by SVBF CEO Keven Walker.