Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery is home to the graves of Stonewall and Jackson family members. Credit: Chris Weisler
Washington and Lee University has a beautiful campus. Credit: Chris Weisler
Virginia Military Institute cadets on parade. Credit: Julie Rivera
The barracks at Virginia Military Institute. Credit: Nathan Beck
name was changed to Washington College to honor the nation's first president. At the end of the Civil War the presidency of the college was offered to Gen. Robert E. Lee who presided over it for the five years preceding his death. Shortly thereafter the trustees renamed the school Washington and Lee University. Today, it enjoys a reputation as one of the finest coeducational centers of learning in the country. Its enrollment is in excess of 1,600 undergraduates and 350 law students. The university is a colonial-era college and the ninth- oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Washington and Lee's 325-acre campus sits at the edge of Lexington and abuts the campus of the Virginia Military Institute. In 1816 the General Assembly of Virginia established three arsenals for the housing of arms. One of these was built in Lexington. By the mid-1830s a prominent local attorney and graduate of Washington College, John T. L. Preston, advocated the establishment of a state military school at the arsenal. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) enrolled its first cadets in November of 1839 and prospered in the years prior to the Civil War. Among its faculty was Maj. Thomas J. Jackson, soon to become known as "Stonewall Jackson" and be noted as one of the South's most famous and revered heroes.
VMI has been referred to as the “The West Point of the South.” Cadets and alumni played instrumental roles in the American Civil War. On 14 occasions, the Confederacy called cadets into active military engagements. On May 14, 1864, the Governor of Virginia called upon the cadets from VMI to participate in the American Civil War. After marching overnight 80 miles from Lexington to New Market, on May 15, 247 members of the VMI Corps of Cadets fought at the Battle of New Market. This event marks the only time in U.S. history wherein the student body of an operating college fought as an organized unit in pitched combat in battle. Visitors to Lexington should start at the beautiful Visitor Center of Lexington on Washington Street where you can pick up a detailed map of the city. It’s not a very large city, but it’s packed with must-see attractions, restaurants, historical sites, and several streets lined with artists’ shops. Julie and I not only enjoyed going inside the many bookstores and artist shops, but managed to also take in a taste of the town through several restaurants. In addition to serving mouth-watering Southern dishes and yummy barbecue, you’ll find sushi, Mediterranean and Greek, Thai, Italian, and a variety of Asian restaurants.
NATURALLY VIRGINIA
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2020
17
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