Fort Edward Johnson
N 38° 18.678 W 079° 23.054
17S E 641262 N 4241590
Fort Johnson stood at the top of Shenandoah Mountain and was the site of the Confederate Breast Works.
Waymark Code: WMZDA
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/22/2006
Views: 35
Traveling on U.S. 250 east, travelers will find a small parking area, interpretive signage, Confederate trenchworks, and overlook on top of Shenandoah Mountain maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. This is Fort Johnson, named for Confederate Gen. Edward Johnson, whose troops camped here before the Battle of McDowell.
The text of the historic marker reads:
FORT EDWARD JOHNSON
"Confederate troops, the remant of the Army of the Northwest commanded by Brig. Gen. Edward Allegheny Johnson, constructed this fortification about 1 Apr. 1862 to protect the Shenandoah Valley, the Breadbasket of the Confederacy. Federal troops briefly occupied the fort after he withdrew to West View near Staunton later that month. With Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson’s Army of the Shenandoah, Johnson’s command confronted Union forces under Brig. Gen. Robert H. Milroy and Brig. Gen. John C. Fremont at the Battle of McDowell on 8 May. Johnson’s ankle was shattered during this first victory in Jackson’s famous Valley campaign."
Marker Number: W-149
Marker Title: Fort Edward Johnson
Marker Location: Route 250 at the top of Shenandoah Mountain
County or Independent City: Highland County
Web Site: [Web Link]
Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources - 1999
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