Battle of Aldie Virginia June 1863

JPChurch

First Sergeant
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Location
Manassas VA
I plan to pass through Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville this weekend. I know there was a cavalry engagement there which was part of the initial stages of the Gettysburg campaign. Daniels 9th Michigan Battery experienced its baptism of fire there during the artillery duel, then later the battery would arrive and be in place along McGilvery's line of guns on July 3rd.

Does anyone know exactly where the monuments/markers are in the little town of Aldie that commemorate this engagement?? It's off of Route 50 (the Little River Turnpike back then) west of Gilberts Corner. Thanks for any help......
 
Here's the map shown in John Salmon's Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide:

Virginia Battlefield Guide_Aldie.JPG


(The point of view is relevant to pictures shown in the text. In this case, it's a photo of the stone wall.)
 
The trip through Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville was really nice, the weather cooperated as well. That stretch of John S. Mosby highway (Route 50) provides some of the finest examples of VA horse country. I can see why Jack Kent Cooke (former owner of the Redskins) lived out that way in Middleburg, the billionaire that he was. Liz Taylor and Sen. John Warner also lived there when they were married. Liz always loved her horseback riding and the fox chasing along with her blue diamonds. Being married to one of the most prominent senators in Congress at the time probably gave herself a big ego boost. He was one of her many marital conquests and subsequent failures.

So I took the Snickersville Tnpk (State Rt. 734) off 50W outside Aldie up to the monument of the First MA Cav. Really a neat drive. I parked and took some pics, while doing so a vintage English sports car club drove by me, there must have been a dozen or so MG's, Triumphs, and Austin Healys that passed by me, that was so cool. I tried to snap a few but they wizzed by so quickly. I kept looking for an XKE Jag but never saw one. Then I took a gravel road from there called "Cobb House Rd" back to Rt. 50.

Middleburg is real hoity toity, hoi paloi, real expensive high dollar/stuck up. But it's still a charming town to pass through. It's much more polished and fancied up compared to Aldie and Upperville. You could take Aldie and Upperville and cover over the asphalt roads with dirt and both these little by-ways would look just like they did in the mid 1860's. They are much quainter and comfy. I took some pics of the Aldie mill on my way home. Sure was nice to venture up that way.

Thanks again to all for the suggestions!!!

PC220001.JPG


PC220002.JPG


PC220003.JPG


PC220004.JPG


PC220005.JPG


PC220006.JPG


PC220007.JPG


PC220008.JPG


PC220009.JPG


PC230010.JPG


PC230011.JPG


PC230012.JPG


PC230013.JPG


PC230014.JPG


PC230015.JPG


PC230016.JPG


PC230017.JPG


PC230018.JPG


PC230019.JPG
 
Last edited:
Back
Top