Took a Visit to Cross Keys Battlefield

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Here's the Union Army perspective on Cross Keys :

CROSS KEYS, VA.
JUNE 8TH, 1862

Cross Keys, Va., June 8, 1862. U. S. Forces under Maj.-
Gen. John C. Fremont. While McClellan was conducting his
campaign against Richmond, Lee sent Stonewall Jackson to
operate in the Shenandoah Valley, with a view to make the
Federal government believe that Washington was to be attacked,
thus holding as many Union troops as possible away from the
Confederate capital. After the defeat of Banks at Winchester
on May 25, and the pursuit of that of officer to the Potomac
river by Jackson, Fremont Banks and Shields' division of
McDowell's corps, were all directed to the capture or
destruction of Jackson's army. Fremont's command numbered
about 18,000 men, and was made up of Blenker's division,
consisting of the brigades of Stahel Steinwehr and Bohlen; the
separate brigades of Cluseret, Milroy, Bayard and Schenck, and
two regiments (3rd W. Va. and 6th Ohio) of cavalry. Cross
Keys was the junction of several roads, and was about half way
between Harrisonburg and Port Republic. As Jackson retreated
up the valley, closely pursued by Fremont, he left Ewell's
division, numbering about 8,000 men, at Cross Keys, while with
the main body he pushed on to Port Republic to provide a way
of crossing the Shenandoah river.

Fremont reached Harrisonburg on the 7th and sent Milroy
on a reconnaissance toward Port Republic. By this means he
learned that Ewell was at Cross Keys and resolved to attack
him before he could join Jackson. Accordingly, at 6 a.m. on
Sunday, the 8th, he moved out with Cluseret's brigade in
advance. Ewell had taken a strong position behind Mill creek
his batteries being placed to command the Port Republic road,
his right resting on that road about a mile from Cross Keys
and his line running nearly parallel to the road to within
half a mile of Cross Keys, where his left was slightly
refused. At 8:30 Cluseret encountered the enemy's skirmishers
and the fight commenced. Fremont formed his line of battle
with Schenck on the right, Stahel on the left and Milroy in
the center. As first formed the line was nearly at right
angles to that of Ewell, but by swinging round on his right,
Fremont brought his line parallel to the enemy's with Mill
creek between them. While this movement was being executed
Ewell detached Trimble's brigade from his right and moved it
to his left to confront Stahel. This brought the heaviest
part of the contest on the Union left. The 39th N. Y. (the
Garibaldi Guard) made a spirited bayonet charge about 9
o'clock and drove back the Confederate right, when Stahel,
supported by Bohlen, entered the woods with the remainder of
his infantry and soon became hotly engaged. Concerning this
part of the action, Fremont says: "After an obstinate contest
of three hours, during which the bayonet was used to extricate
one of our batteries from more than three regiments of the
enemy, and after some desperate struggles, in which canister
shot was used to repel him from an attempt to take Johnson's
and Schirmer's batteries, the brigade withdrew from the wood
in good order, taking up another position under the support of
Bohlen's and Steinwehr's brigades."

In the meantime, Schenck had been doing some lively
skirmishing, but had not become heavily engaged. Milroy made
several gallant attacks on the enemy in his front, drove him
back from point to point, penetrated the center of his line,
and had almost reached his guns, when Stahel withdrew from the
woods and the order to retire was given. Milroy protested,
claiming that in a little while longer he could drive the
enemy entirely from the field, but he finally obeyed the
order. The fight lasted until 4 p.m., and that night
Fremont's men bivouacked on the ground where their line was
first formed in the morning. The Union loss at Cross Keys was
114 killed, 443 wounded and 127 missing. Ewell reported his
casualties as 41 killed, 232 wounded and l5 missing, but
Fremont says in his account of the battle: "More than 200 dead
were discovered in one field alone and buried by our men."
The battle of Cross Keys and the engagement at Port Republic
the next day drove Jackson from the Shenandoah Valley. (This
action at Cross Keys is sometimes called Union Church.)

Source: The Union Army, vol. 5


The 200 mention found in a field is not true.
 
The 200 mention found in a field is not true.

Not to mention Fremont's objective was "the capture or destruction of Jackson's army", not to "dr(i)ve Jackson from the Shenandoah Valley" where he could go to Richmond and unite his forces with Lee's!
 
Somehow I prefer the account of Cross Keys presented in this rare tome, published in 1963, that I read for the first time earlier this year by James Cooper Nisbet, who was then captain of a company in the 21st Georgia. That unit was mainly responsible for the slaughter of the 8th Ohio of Blenker's Brigade, which Nisbet describes with relish:

4YOTFL.jpg
 
Somehow I prefer the account of Cross Keys presented in this rare tome, published in 1963, that I read for the first time earlier this year by James Cooper Nisbet, who was then captain of a company in the 21st Georgia. That unit was mainly responsible for the slaughter of the 8th Ohio of Blenker's Brigade, which Nisbet describes with relish:

View attachment 17939

Just bought a book on General Isaac Trimble!

great stuff by the way, the 21st Georgia was in Trimble's Brigade along with the elite 15th Alabama!
 
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While on a trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia I stopped at the Cross Keys Battlefield, most of the battlefield is owned farmland they you can not go onto without trespassing. There are signs next to the road that tell about the battle, one sign is near a clubhouse that used to be an old church, and a graveyard lays next to it, some confederate soldiers are buried in the church, I saw some graves of men from the 1st Maryland Infantry C.S.A and the sign also talks about the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment's role in the battle delaying Federal troops and also talks about hoe the 8th New York Infantry was destroyed by Trimble's Brigade.

I didn't take any pictures unfortunately, just a quick stop, still sad how this battlefield is mostly forgotten.
 
That battle holds a special place for me every time I am in the Shenandoah. One of my GG grandfathers, Jacob Collins, was in Company F of the 5th VA Federal Army Milroys Brigade. On June 8th at Cross Keys he was severely wounded in the left arm resulting in his eventual transfer to the Veteran Reserve Corps. I make sure that his Government Tombstone is regularly cleaned. He passed away in June of 1888 without ever recovering the use of his arm.
 
I will be passing through the area on a business trip tomorrow to Maryland. I plan on stopping by Port Republic Battlefield on my way back to the interstate at Harrisonburg. I want to stop by Cross Keys Battlefield as well. I know that the majority of the land is in private hands. Does anyone know which road has the most historical markers? or ones of best interest? I am interested in Trimble's Defensive position. Road 708 or Port Republic Road? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I will be passing through the area on a business trip tomorrow to Maryland. I plan on stopping by Port Republic Battlefield on my way back to the interstate at Harrisonburg. I want to stop by Cross Keys Battlefield as well. I know that the majority of the land is in private hands. Does anyone know which road has the most historical markers? or ones of best interest? I am interested in Trimble's Defensive position. Road 708 or Port Republic Road? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Maybe these will be of help, from the Interstate at Harrisonburg to "the Port":

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/jacksons-valley-campaign-the-battle-of-harrisonburg.114382/

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/jacksons-valley-campaign-the-battle-of-cross-keys.114398/

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/jacksons-valley-campaign-the-battle-of-port-republic.114445/

Or, for "the whole enchilada":

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/sto...paign-a-synopsis-and-index-to-threads.124248/
 
I was able to stop by the Port Republic Battlefield Monument at "The Coaling." I took some pictures there I may post when i get home from my business trip. I drove up the Post Republic Road towards Harrisonburg. Didint see many markers for Cross Keys on this route. However I was able to stop by Brigadier General Turner Ashby's Memorial monument. The park it is located in is nice.
On my way home, I would like to stop in Winchester at the battlefield park there and at Kernstown. The website for Kernstown Battlefield states the park is closed during the week. Is that the museum and Pritchard House or is that the WHOLE park? Can you still visit the grounds? Any one in the know? Thanks in Advance.
 
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