Wadesville, Virginia

Wadesville is an unincorporated community in Clarke County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Wadesville is located along Opequon Creek at Locke's Ford.

Wadesville, Virginia
Unincorporated community
Wadesville Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia Show map of Northern Virginia Wadesville Wadesville (Virginia) Show map of Virginia Wadesville Wadesville (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°14′33″N 78°2′20″W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Clarke
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)

Old Freight Warehouse at Wadesville Crossing

Locke's Ford was the site of numerous skirmishes during the War Between the States. The two largest were just before the 2nd and 3rd Battles of Winchester.

2^nd Winchester-

As part of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Gettysburg Campaign, his Second Corps under General Richard S. Ewell was sent to clear the Shenandoah Valley of Union troops.

On the morning of Saturday, June 13^th, 1862, General Ewell took two of his divisions towards Winchester to attack the Union troops under General Robert Milroy. Ewell’s remaining division advanced on Berryville under the command of General Robert E. Rodes.  Berryville was held by the Union troops of Colonel Andrew T. McReynold’s brigade. McReynold’s Brigade was under the overall command of General Milroy in Winchester.

Upon the approach of Rode’s Division, Colonel McReynolds evacuated the town.  The most direct route back to the forts of Winchester was west on the Berryville Pike. He chose to head north on the Charles Town Road turning northwest to Summit Point and then head west to the Valley Pike.  He would then head south on Valley Pike to Winchester.

The Summit Point Road roughly paralleled the Winchester & Potomac Railroad tracks and passed through Locke’s Ford on modern day Swimley Road on its way through Brucetown to Clear Brook some three miles from the ford at the Valley Pike. The head of McReynolds’ column reached Valley Pike about the same time his rear guard under Lieutenant Colonel William McKellip.  The rear guard consisted of Companies E and H of the 6^th Maryland Infantry and a battalion of the 1^st New York Cavalry.

Looking east from Wadesville crossing.