Battle of Cross Keys
The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Together, the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic the following day were the decisive victories in Jackson's Valley Campaign, forcing the Union armies to retreat and leaving Jackson free to reinforce Gen. Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond, Virginia.
Aftermath[edit]
Union casualties totaled 557 killed and wounded and 100 captured, while the Confederates lost fewer than 300 men.[14] At dusk, Trimble pushed his battle line forward to within a quarter mile of the Union position, anticipating a night assault. Confederate accounts describe the Union soldiers going into camp, lighting fires, and making coffee. Schenck sent out a company to probe the Confederate positions after dark, but after a brief skirmish the company withdrew and no other engagements took place. During the night, Ewell ordered Trimble to withdraw without making the attack.[15]
Battlefield preservation[edit]
The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved 282 acres (114 ha) of the battlefield.[16] A key purchase was the 51-acre (21 ha) Widow Pence Farm in the heart of the battlefield. The trust joined with a local retired surgeon, Irvin Hess, and his wife to purchase the property at auction. The couple has since fully restored the circa 1840 farmhouse. The land is protected through a conservation easement.[17]
In March 2022, the "Talbot Boys" statue was relocated to the battlefield from Talbot County, Maryland. The Confederate monument had stood in front of the Talbot County Courthouse since 1916, and was the last remaining Confederate monument on public grounds in Maryland when it was removed after years-long protests.[18]
Rough sketch of the Battlefield of Cross Keys, June 8, 1862, compiled by Jed. Hotchkiss
