{"nrhp_refnum":"97000492","name":"Cool Spring Battlefield","other_names":["See Also:Wickliffe Church"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Jct of Shenandoah R. and VA 643","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berryville","county":"Clarke County","state":"VA","lat":39.136643409000044,"lon":-77.87460195995195,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Civil War battlefield district in northeastern Clarke County, Virginia, near Berryville. It spans about three miles of the Shenandoah River and covers the ground of the July 1864 battle of Cool Spring, including plantations, farmsteads and related sites.","why_significant":"The district is significant under Criterion A for its association with the July 16-20, 1864 battle of Cool Spring, part of the Snickers Gap fighting that followed Early's raid on Washington. Its terrain, river, and surviving archaeological and architectural remains allow the battle and its support activities to be documented and interpreted.","narrative":"Cool Spring Battlefield occupies roughly three miles of the Shenandoah River valley in northeastern Clarke County, Virginia. The district takes in the ground fought over on July 16-20, 1864, including river bottomland, terraces, limestone ridges, ravines and the gap at Snickers Gap. The fighting took place on two plantations: Cool Spring, on the west bank, and Retreat, on the east. The landscape shaped the engagement. Ravines hid massed Confederate troops from Union view and artillery, while a limestone bluff gave retreating skirmishers a defensible line. The district also holds archaeological sites and mid-19th-century buildings from the plantations, farms, roads, mining and milling that supported the local wheat economy. The battle was part of the campaign that followed Jubal Early's advance to the edge of Washington. The district is recognized for its military history, and its preserved terrain and remains make it possible to reconstruct and interpret the battle.","period_of_significance":"1864","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial: Georgian; Early Republic: Federal; Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current uses include roads, dwellings, agricultural fields, a church-related residence, a sports facility and a fire station.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.075385-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/54/6802/41680254/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/97000492.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000492/ed2495c6be-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000492/ed2495c6be-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CoolSpringBattle_0284.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CoolSpringBattle_0284.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680254","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Spring_Battlefield","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712203"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/clarke-county/cool-spring-battlefield-97000492/"}