Jedediah Hotchkiss The Civil War, a turning point in history. Not only did this important event change the lives of Americans, but also it effected people right here in the valley. Few know that a battle was fought here in the local town of Waynesboro. This battle may not have been the turning point of the war, but it was very important to those who lived here and fought here. First and for most I have to start with the source. I have to tell about the man who documented the entire battle. A young man by the name of Jedediah Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss was born in New York in 1828 and moved here much later after accepting a tutoring position for a wea