New Windsor: Village by Moonlight

Address: 
Intersection of Main Street (Maryland Route 31) and Green Valley Road (Maryland Route 75)

New Windsor: Village by Moonlight

History: When the Confederates invaded the North in 1863, Federal cavalry hunted Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. On June 29, the exhausted men and horses passed through New Windsor on their way to Westminster and found a beautiful scene. One New York cavalryman wrote, "The moon shined beautifully, and as we looked over the place so still, it reminded me of some moonlight picture. I think it is the prettiest place I ever saw." That same night, Union VI Corps bivouacked near New Windsor after a grueling 26-mile march from New Market. Lt. George Bicknell also wrote about the beautiful countryside with a modern school house - New Windsor College.

More to Explore: Stay in a local bed and breakfast and check out the village by moonlight for yourself. It just may be the prettiest place you ever saw. In New Windsor, you will find Strawbridge Shrine, a replica of a 1760 Methodist meeting house, believed to be the first in the nation and home of the first American convert. Nearby is the county seat of Westminster, with plenty of amenities and visitor services.

Photo Credits:

  1. "Postwar photograph. The village looked much the same in 1863." Courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County.
  2. "Photograph of Lt. George W. Bicknell." Courtesy of the U.S. Army Military History Institute.
  3. "New Windsor College. Established as a Catholic college in 1850, Calvert College's Old Main was a New Windsor landmark. The college closed in 1866 and reopened as New Windsor College in 1894." Courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County.