Chester Gap - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

The gaps through the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia were strategically important to both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Rt. 522, a major north-south route connecting Front Royal and Luray passed through Chester Gap. Both armies had used the pass, but skirmishes for control of Chester Gap broke out from the end of October to mid-November 1862 until the Confederate troops moved south to Fredericksburg.

The following year more than half of the Confederate army passed through Chester Gap enroute to Pennsylvania. After the Battle of Gettysburg, Union Gen. George Meade pursued the retreating Confederate troops and planned to pin them at the Blue Ridge Mountains, but he needed to block the gaps. He failed to gain control of Manassas Gap or Chester Gap. and the Confederate army passed through. The NY Times reported it was a "very fatal oversight" that the Union cavalry did not move faster to beat the Rebel army.

Two CWDT markers are located along Chester Gap Rd. near the intersection with Rt. 522.

• CHESTER GAP ☆ ☆ ☆ Gateway to the Shenandoah Valley
• MINDING THE GAPS ☆ ☆ ☆ "A very fatal oversight"

Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility Address: Chester Gap Rd. Chester Gap, VA USA 22623 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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