During the war, Winchester VA suffered greatly under five major periods of Union occupation:
The Occupation of Major General Nathaniel Banks (March 12 to May 25, 1862, and June 4 to September 2, 1862)
The Occupation of Major General Robert Milroy (December 24, 1862, to June 15, 1863)
The Burning and Occupation of Major General Philip Sheridan (September 19, 1864, to February 27, 1865)
The Occupation of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock February 27, 1865, to June 27, 1865
The Occupation of the First Military District of Major General John Schofield (End of War to January 26, 1870)
During the Federal occupation of Winchester, many residents were exiled from town, personal property was stolen, citizens rendering medical assistance to wounded soldiers were shot and murdered, homes were illegally stolen, occupied and destroyed, a medical school was burned down, and the citizens of the Commonwealth were not allowed to vote on re-admittance to the Union under the reign of Major General Schofield.