Peaks of Otter - Bedford, Virginia - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Marker Text:
By the mid-19th century, several turnpikes had been constructed through gaps in the Blue Ridge, including the Buchanan and Bedford Turnpike here (present-day Route 43). These roads brought peddlers, visitors, and – on several occasions – soldiers to places that we look upon as vacation sites today. Such was the case on June 15, 1864, When the peace and tranquility of the Peaks of Otter was broken by the steady cadence of Union Gen. David Hunter’s troops crossing the mountains from Buchanan with the city of Lynchburg their objective.

Pvt. Frank Smith Reader, 5th West Virginia Cavalry, noted that the 17-mile march across the mountains was impeded by felled trees, large boulders, and diverted streams washing across the road. “A rougher road,” he wrote, “could not be imagined.” Scouts scaled the peak called Sharp Top, from which, they claimed, they could see the Confederate capital of Richmond with the aid of a good spyglass.

Reader, sounding every bit the modern-day Blue Ridge Parkway visitor, wrote that the views were the most magnificent he had ever beheld. “As far as the eyes can reach,” he mused, “a fine undulating country is seen. The Peaks of Otter is the finest sight for mountain scenery.” Hunter’s artillery commander, Capt. Henry A. du Pont, later wrote that “one of the most superb views on the whole American continent lay before us.”

Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility Address: 85919 Blue Ridge Parkway Bedford, Virginia United States of America 24523 Phone Number: 540-586-4496 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: Not listed

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