was his handling and utilization of cavalry, which made the difference in the battle. Merritt's cavalry division alone captured 775 men, seven battle flags, and two pieces of artillery. Of the fifteen Medal of Honor winners in the battle, ten were members of the cavalry. Early wrote that his Confederate army "deserved the victory, and would have had it, but for the enemy's immense superiority in cavalry, which alone gave it to him". Following his victory at Winchester, Sheridan received congratulations from Lincoln, Grant, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Some historians consider the battle to be the most important in the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan would have more success against Early, and Early's Army of the Valley was eliminated from the war on March 2, 1865, in the Battle of Waynesboro. Early escaped in that battle, but Custer's Division captured 1,700 men, 11 pieces of artillery, 17 battle flags, and Early's headquarters equipment. Sheridan's success in the months following the Third Battle of Winchester propelled him to status only eclipsed by Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, and he would eventually become Commanding General of the United States Army. He was honored on U.S. Currency in the 1890s: ten-dollar treasury notes in 1890 and 1891, and five-dollar silver certificates in 1896. Preservation The Third Winchester Battlefield is part of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. Major organizations involved with its preservation are the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the American Battlefield Trust, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The battlefield is large, and includes the city plus land to the north and east. Much of the battlefield has been developed, and Interstate 81 and Virginia State Route 7 run through it. Portions of the battlefield east of Winchester are still farmland, and over have been preserved. A new Visitor Center is located east of Interstate 81 on Redbud Road. The Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau on Pleasant Valley Road also has information, including trail maps for the battlefield. Notes Footnotes Citations References External links American Battlefield Trust: Map of Battle of Third Winchester, 3:00-4:00pm American Battlefield Trust: Map of Battle of Third Winchester, 5:00pm to Dark Library of Congress Third Winchester (Opequon) Map Frederick County in the American Civil War Valley campaigns of 1864 Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia Winchester, Virginia