A Local Legend

Turner Ashby Is A Big Deal In The Shenandoah Valley, But Little Known To The Rest Of The World

By Martin Cizmar


"Just inside the front doors of Turner Ashby High School hangs a portrait of the school’s namesake. Confederate Brigadier General Turner Ashby is pictured with a long black beard, plumed hat and a pure white mount. He’s alone, fending off eight blue-coated Union soldiers with a swing of his sword. His men are in the distance, galloping toward the action, but he seems to have things under control. It looks like a scene from a fairytale. And, in a way, it is. Ashby’s tale is part of the lore of the Shenandoah Valley. He isn’t known much outside the Valley, but, around here, he’s the stuff of legends." Read on.