After his victory at the Battle of Winchester on May 25th, 1862, Major General Stonewall
Jackson advances to the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry with his Department of the Valley, before
then having to hurry south to avoid being cut off by two Union armies - narrowly escaping
the converging Federal forces as he passes through Strasburg on June 1st.
He then continues to march his army hard southward up the Shenandoah Valley. Major General John
C. Frémont, commanding the Union’s Mountain Department with 15,000 men, follows in pursuit
along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, west of Massanutten Mountain, while Brigadier
General James Shields’ Division of Major General Irvin McDowell’s I Corps, now relabelled
the Department of the Rappahannock, marches up the South Fork through the Luray Valley,
east of the mountain. In an attempt to keep these forces from uniting, Jackson orders
the burning of numerous bridges along both rivers. When he reaches the end of Massanutten,
where the mountain would no longer separate the Union columns, he decides to make a stand
before they could unite against him, using the strategy of “defeat in detail” against
the divided Federal forces. On June 6th, 1862, Colonel Turner Ashby, in
command of the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment, is killed in a skirmish with Union troops
of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry and the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves at Chestnut Ridge, a
clash that would become known as the Battle of Good’s Farm, just outside of Harrisonburg.
The loss of the famed Ashby, “The Black Knight of the Confederacy,” is deeply felt
within the Confederate ranks. Captain Campbell Brown remembered that, “Later in the evening
I saw a party of cavalry pass by with Ashby’s body, crying, most of them, like children.”
On the night of June 6th - 7th, Jackson’s army bivouacs north of the town of Port Republic
in Rockingham County. The village sits at the confluence of the South River and the
North River, which join to form the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Major General
Richard S. Ewell’s Division encamps along the banks of Mill Creek near Good’s Mill.
The famed “foot cavalry” of Jackson’s Division under Brigadier General Charles S.
Winder of the Stonewall Brigade set up their bivouacs on the northern bank of the North
River, posted near the bridge. A single regiment, the 15th Alabama under Colonel James Cantey,
is left to block the roads at Union Church. Jackson sets up his army’s headquarters
at Madison Hall in Port Republic, while the army supply trains are parked nearby.
Two Union columns begin to converge on Jackson’s position around Port Republic. Major General
Frémont’s 15,000-strong Mountain Department moves south on the Valley Turnpike and reaches
the vicinity of Harrisonburg on June 6th, shortly after the cavalry skirmish at Good’s
Farm. Brigadier General Shields’ Division, containing about 10,000 men, advances south
from Front Royal in the Luray Valley, but the Federal division is badly strung out on
its march because of the muddy Luray Road. At Port Republic, Major General Jackson possesses
the last intact bridge on the North River, and the fords on the South River by which
Generals Frémont and Shields can unite. Using excellently-drawn topographic maps designed
by his staff officer and cartographer Jedediah Hotchkiss, General Jackson determines to check
Frémont’s advance at Mill Creek, while meeting Shields on the east bank of the North
Fork. A Confederate signal station on Massanutten Mountain monitors the Union’s progress.
Late in the day on June 7th, Frémont’s advance guard encounters Jackson’s pickets
near Cross Keys Tavern. A few shots are fired, and the Union cavalry falls back on their
main body, which is fast approaching. Darkness prevents further developments in the skirmish
at Cross Keys Tavern on the 7th. Brigadier General Shields sends ahead Colonel Samuel
S. Carroll and his 4th Brigade of infantry, together with the 1st West Virginia Cavalry
and Battery H, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, to secure the North River Bridge at Port Republic.
The pious Major General Jackson has looked forward to Sunday, June 8th, as a quiet opportunity
for divine worship. Confederate cavalry, however, in a good bit of disarray in the wake of Ashby’s
death, fail to give timely warning that Federal cavalry is riding hard for Port Republic.
Shortly after dawn on June 8th, 1862, Colonel Carroll, at the head of the 1st West Virginia
Cavalry, scatters the Confederate pickets, fords the South River, and at about 8:30 AM,
his troops splash across the South River before dashing into Port Republic, which is held
by just three companies; the bulk of Jackson’s army is camped across the North River. Stonewall,
who had spent the night in town with his staff, has just a few moments notice of the impending
raid. While the Federals thunder through the streets
rounding up prisoners, Major General Jackson and his staff race down the main street from
headquarters and across the North River Bridge, narrowly eluding being taken as prisoners
by the Yankees - although two members of his staff are captured by troopers of the 1st
West Virginia Cavalry. The Federal cavalry raiders make for the army’s
supply wagons south of town, but run into an ambush orchestrated by a doughty company
commander in the 2nd Virginia, Captain Samuel J. C. Moore. Jackson rallies his infantry
across the river, and when Confederate troops swarm over the bridge, the Union horsemen
flee the village in a good bit of confusion. For a chagrined Jackson, it has been an inauspicious
morning. While Jackson solidifies his grip on Port
Republic, the situation west of town presents potential disaster. At daybreak, Frémont
has his army on the move from Harrisonburg and embarked on a collision course with Ewell’s
Division at Cross Keys. Known by the grandiose sobriquet “Pathfinder” for his legendary
explorations of the Rocky Mountains in the West, Frémont has seven brigades at his disposal,
roughly 10,500 men, itching for a chance to bring the elusive Rebels to bay. Only Major
General Ewell, with three brigades and some 5,000 men, blocks the Federal advance on Jackson’s
rear. Notwithstanding his decided numerical advantage,
Frémont faces tough opposition. Endowed with pop eyes and a dramatically receding hairline,
Ewell has earned the unflattering sobriquet “Old Bald Head” from his waggish troops.
But despite an eccentric appearance, Richard Stoddart Ewell is a thoroughgoing soldier.
A West Point graduate and respected Mexican War veteran, Ewell is regarded as a tough
fighter who knew his business. Perhaps more importantly, he has chosen his ground well,
deploying his troops on a formidable ridgeline a mile south of Cross Keys. The position is
ready made for an energetic defender. “A valley and rivulet in my front,” reported
a delighted Ewell, “woods on both flanks, and a field of some hundreds of acres where
the road crossed the center of my line.” Frémont, however, gives little serious thought
to maneuver and orders his men into line of battle across the open ground in Ewell’s
front. Brigadier General Louis Blenker’s Division occupies the Union left flank, while
the attached brigades of Robert H. Milroy and Robert C. Schenck occupy the right. General
Louis Blenker is a German revolutionary who had immigrated to America after the Revolutions
of 1848. A prominent German-American immigrant from New York, Blenker had led a brigade in
the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, where he had held the rearguard of the Federal retreat.
A stern disciplinarian, he is not popular with the rank-and-file, but his strict discipline
instills a sense of confidence and fighting spirit in his men, who are mostly German-American
volunteers. At about 10:00 AM, the artillery opens up.
For jittery troops on both sides, it is a deafening overture. From their stronghold
atop the ridge, Confederate gunners play havoc with Frémont’s crouching infantry and engage
in spirited counterbattery fire with their Federal opponents. For nearly an hour, the
big guns slug it out, shaking the valley with an incessant rumble. It was, thought Federal
Colonel Albert Tracy, a “positive roar.”
Brigadier General Julius Stahel’s 1st Brigade of Blenker’s Division begins the Union attack
on the far left of the Federal battle line. On the opposite side of the battlefield facing
Stahel’s 1st Brigade are the 1,300 Confederates of Trimble’s Brigade, arrayed in line of
battle in front of a cloverfield, possessing a clear field of fire against the advancing
bluecoats. Leading the attack of Stahel’s brigade against
Trimble’s regiments are the 500 men of the 8th New York, which is comprised mostly of
German immigrants. As the 8th New York advances through the cloverfield to their front in
search of the Rebel line ahead, their movement is watched closely by three regiments of Confederate
soldiers lying prone behind a rail fence on a ridge crowned with timber to their south.
As the Germans of the 8th New York cross the narrow ravine directly beneath the ridge,
the Federal regiment disappears momentarily from view. Not only are the enlisted men of
the Yankee regiment inexperienced and green, but so are their field officers. The officers
have failed to throw forward a line of skirmishers, and mistaken the handful of Rebel skirmishers
that fall back in front of them as a few isolated, retreating foe.
When the Yankees crest the ridge in perfect alignment, approximately 1,300 Rebels, nearly
the entirety of Trimble’s Brigade, are concealed 50 yards away. The Confederates rise quickly
to their feet to fire, and they unleash a devastating single volley. The tremendous
crash of musketry fells scores of bluecoats in seconds. Even the Rebels are shocked by
the lopsided bloodshed. “The dead and wounded Yankees were lying on the field as thick as
black birds,” wrote Sidney Richardson of the 21st Georgia.
In moments, the shattered remnants of the 8th New York stream in confusion back across
the ravine, having lost half their number. The Rebels give chase, but there is no reason,
since the unfortunate Yankee regiment is in full retreat.
Brigadier General Trimble, far from resting on his laurels in the aftermath of the repulse
of the 8th New York, is eager to hammer the disorganized Federals. He soon has his eye
on Yankee artillery across the valley, the Unionist Virginia battery of Captain Frank
Buel, designated as Battery C, West Virginia Light Artillery.
Trimble orders a portion of the 15th Alabama to execute a wide swing around the Federal
left and then fall on the enemy flank. Led by Lieutenant Colonel John Treutlen, the Alabamians
gamely charge the position with fixed bayonets, but run into unexpected resistance. In addition
to Captain Buel’s guns, the hill is held by elements of the 27th Pennsylvania and a
crack battalion of riflemen from the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves - the Bucktails - led
by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Kane. The Pennsylvania troops and Buel’s artillerymen
stubbornly contest the ground with the 15th Alabama. After a bloody exchange of gunfire,
Treutlen is forced to pull his men back to regroup.
The Pennsylvanians, however, are soon assailed by Trimble’s other two regiments. The 16th
Mississippi drives into the center of the hill and suffers heavily from enfilading musketry
emanating from the 27th Pennsylvania; the Mississippians’ commander, Colonel Carnot
Posey, is badly wounded and carried to the rear. The stalemate is broken by the 21st
Georgia under Colonel John T. Mercer. His regiment crashes into the Pennsylvanians and
unhinges the Federal position. Union troops flee for the rear in some disorder, but have
given a good accounting of themselves. Their bravery, thought brigade commander Brigadier
General Robert Milroy, “was evidenced by the number of dead rebels” strewn on the
hillside. Trimble’s blood is clearly up, and he is
eager to maintain his momentum by keeping up pressure on the enemy. His next target
is another Federal battle line stretched across two hillocks near the homestead of farmer
George Evers. The position is a stout one, occupied by the Federal 3rd Brigade of Brigadier
General Henry Bohlen, who commands four regiments of New York and Pennsylvania volunteers. Bohlen’s
3rd Brigade stands in support of two batteries of artillery - the 2nd Battery, New York Light
Artillery led by Captain Louis Schirmer, and Battery I, 1st New York Light Artillery under
Captain Michael Wiedrich. The Confederates would face a tough fight
at the Evers Farm. Trimble, personally leading half of the 15th Alabama, swings around to
the right; the rest of his brigade is regrouping from their previous attacks. He has help in
the form of two other regiments from Elzey’s Brigade - Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Duffy’s
25th Virginia and the 13th Virginia under the command of Colonel James Walker.
Coming in on Trimble’s right, the Virginians are subjected to a punishing fire. Musketry
sweeps their ranks, and Wiedrich’s Battery switches to canister rounds for their guns.
Stalled but by no means willing to give up the fight, Colonel Walker takes up positions
behind a rail fence, and the 13th Virginia trades fire with the Federals on the hill.
With the Yankees thus occupied, Trimble readies his Alabamians for a final push that he is
certain would smash Bohlen. He is only partly correct. The Federal position
is disintegrating largely due to an unfortunate disagreement in the officer corps. Although
Wiedrich’s Battery has driven back the enemy with heavy casualties, the artillerymen are
abruptly ordered from the field by Captain Schirmer. Bohlen and Wiedrich protest the
move, but are overruled in a bizarre arrangement, which leaves Captain Schirmer, the senior
artillery officer on the scene, with the final word. As Wiedrich pulls out his cannons, Federal
infantry follow suit, and Trimble’s final drive to secure the hill is somewhat uncontested.
Frémont is quickly losing interest in the fight altogether. After Trimble has battered
in his left for roughly a mile, the general opts to pull in that flank and press forward
the rest of his line. His prosecution of the attack is half-hearted at best. Brigadier
General Milroy, commanding in the center, is game enough for a fight, but has little
support as he approaches the formidable enemy position on the ridge. Confederate artillery
subject his men to a fearful barrage as they come forward, and Milroy attempts to gain
a modicum of cover in a shallow ravine. It affords only a momentary respite. As soon
as Milroy’s troops approach a second ravine, recalled the general, “We discovered it
was full of [Rebels] lying behind a fence in the tall grass almost wholly concealed
from view.” The results of the surprise are predictable.
Milroy’s lead troops are shot down, and the demoralized Federals, firing blindly at
an enemy they cannot see, become hopelessly stalled. Milroy angles toward his right front,
but fares no better in further attempts. He again runs into woods full of Rebels. “A
deadly fire came out of it,” wrote a dismayed Milroy, “and my boys were dropped by it
rapidly.” The expected support to his right from Schenck’s
Brigade is a virtual no-show that leaves Milroy’s troops to bear the brunt of Confederate attention.
Schenck leads a ponderous brigade of five Ohio regiments backed up by two batteries,
but the politician-turned-general has only the vaguest notion of how to use them. Colonel
Albert Tracy of Frémont’s staff disgustedly reports that while Milroy’s Brigade is being
chewed up, Schenck makes a lukewarm approach on the Confederate right, which he merely
“brushed with emphasis.” With that, the Federal offensive at Cross
Keys, such as it was, fizzles out in anticlimax. Alarmed that his troops have faced a real
fight from an enemy half their strength, Major General Frémont is content to pull back and
assume the defensive. Major General Ewell characteristically moves forward and occupies
the surrendered ground. In thinly veiled contempt for his opponent’s tactical bumbling, “Old
Bald Head” caustically observes that “he felt all day as though he were again fighting
the feeble, semi-civilized armies of Mexico.” The Battle of Cross Keys ends that afternoon
with the retreat of Major General Frémont’s Mountain Department from the field. Union
forces in the Battle of Cross Keys have suffered a total of 684 casualties, with 114 men killed,
443 wounded, and 127 missing or captured. Total Confederate casualties for Ewell’s
Division are 287 men lost, with 42 killed, 230 wounded, and 15 missing or captured. The
retreat of Frémont’s Mountain Department from Cross Keys signals a major victory for
the Confederates, as it effectively eliminates his army as a threat on the board for Jackson’s
forces. Back in Port Republic, the encouraging news
of the victory at the Battle of Cross Keys proves crucial, as Stonewall Jackson plans
his next move. Following the embarrassing dustup with Federal cavalry that morning,
Jackson is eager to pounce on the exposed lead elements of Shields’ column northeast
of town. With a passive Frémont clearly on his heels at Cross Keys, Major General Jackson
is now free to take advantage of the situation. Jackson decides to throw his full weight at
Shields rather than Frémont, because Shields is nearly begging to be attacked, Jackson
explains afterward. His force is smaller, badly straggling, and his line of retreat
lay over poor roads. Most importantly, Shields’ isolated vanguard, under the command of Brigadier
General Erastus B. Tyler, is invitingly positioned just two miles from Port Republic. This would
be where Jackson would make his move. The attack he plans to carry out on Monday, June
9th, would result in the climactic final battle of Jackson’s Valley Campaign.