Today I visited Cross Keys Battlefield, southeast of Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Battle of Cross Keys took place during the Civil War on June 8th, 1862. Confederate troops led by Major General Richard Ewell defeated a Union force led by Major General John Frémont, who in 1856 had been the first Republican presidential candidate.
Unlike many battlefields that I have seen, this one did not have any monuments or cannons. It had some informational displays, such as this one near the parking long, scattered around the field.
According to this display, Union troops from my native state had a very bad day.
I walked to the row of trees seen in the top picture above. This is where Confederate troops from Alabama defeated the Union troops from New York. The mountain in the distance is Massanutten Mountain, seen from its south end.
Much of the row of trees, with era-appropriate fencing, looked like this.
For more about the Battle of Cross Keys and the battlefield today, go to American Battlefield Trust, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields, Battlefield Tours of Virginia and Visit Shenandoah Valley.
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