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Blue Ridge & Shenandoah Tour
Day 8 Harrisonburg to Front Royal

At breakfast I attempted to describe our route for the day to the others.   The route included many back roads.  It was too complicated to follow with simple notes.  On our way through Harrisonburg, we stopped at a Kinkos.  We made several 11 X 17 inch color copies of my maps.  We enjoyed excellent weather as we rode North through the Valley on quiet back roads. 

We all rode together until we got to Route 211 near the town of Timberville.  Steve, Lorraine, Mike and George kept going to Front Royal.  Dave and I headed toward New Market Battlefield Park. 

As one cycles throughout the Shenandoah Valley it's strategic and logistical importance to the Confederate cause becomes very apparent.  The rich farmland of the valley fed Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.   The Blue Ridge  and Massanutten Range to the East screened Confederate troop movements from the Federal armies. 

 Tom and Steve consulting maps on the roadside
Route finding near New Market.
(Dave Baumgartner photo)

The Federals made several attempts to control the valley during the war.  No one used this complex topography better than Stonewall Jackson' during the Shenandoah Valley campaign in the Spring of 1862.  Jackson's troops fought several battles driving three Federal armies from the Shenandoah Valley. 

Newmarket Battlefield
New Market Battlefield Park
By the Spring of 1864, Jackson had died of wounds suffered at the battle of Chancellorsville.  General Ulysses Grant commanded the all the Federal Armies.  Control of the Shenandoah Valley was a key component of Grant's plans to defeat Lee's and his Army of Northern Virginia.  Grant ordered Major General Franz Sigel and his 10,000 man army into the Valley. 

Confederate General John Breckenridge gathered every available resources including 257 cadets from the Virginia Military Institute to join his 4500 man army.   The two armies met at New Market on May 15, 1864.  The Battle of New Market is the only battle in American history where a cadet corp fought in a major battle as a unit.

Cannon display in VMI Civil War Hall of Valor Museum
VMI Hall of Valor Civil War Museum

There are three museums near the New Market Battlefield.   We didn't have time to see all of them.  We toured the VMI Hall of Valor Civil War Museum.  This museum had excellent displays that chronicled the entire war.   Some of the most interesting items on display were uniforms, letters and personal effects of the cadets. We also saw two short films.  One film was about Stonewall Jackson.  The other was about the VMI cadets at New Market.

The Field of Lost Shoes
The field of lost shoes.
From the museum, we took a walking tour that followed the charge of the VMI cadets.  The Federal troops held a line reinforced with artillery at the top of a hill overlooking a farm.  The cadets moved through the farm under intense fire.   They climbed over a fence and crossed a muddy wheat field known as "the field of lost shoes".  The Federal line broke abandoning a cannon to the the cadets.   Ten cadets died in the battle.  The walking tour ends at an overlook above the Shenandoah River

The battle of New Market was the last major Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley.  The Confederate defenders of the Valley could not hold off the Federals their vast resources any longer.  After the battle of Cedar Creek in October, 1864, the Federals controlled the Valley for the rest of the war. 

After spending two and a half hours at New Market, Dave and I continued on our ride.  We had agreed to meet the others in Front Royal by 7 PM.  We still had a lot of miles to cover.  We continued North through more back roads.  Starting near Mt. Jackson, we followed the North Fork of the Shenandoah River for a while.

Edinburg Gap
Edinburg Gap
The Massanutten Range splits the Northern half of the Shenandoah Valley.  The Massanutten range in turn is split by the very narrow Fort Valley.  Near the town of Edinburg, we turned East and climbed through Edinburg gap.  We descended to Fort Valley on a narrow bumpy road.  One really gets a sense of isolation riding through the Fort Valley.  We passed several farms and small churches.  

Fort Valley
Fort Valley 		The Northern end of the Fort Valley is extremely narrow.  The road hugs the banks of Passage Creek.  This was one of the prettiest roads I have ever ridden.  The road winds through forest with steep hills rising on both sides.   Below and to the right runs passage creek.

We arrived at the Blue Ridge Motel in Front Royal right at 7 PM. 

We got cleaned up an piled into the bed of Dave's truck for a short drive to a restaurant recommended by the motel manager.  Dave turned the key and ... nothing.  His battery was dead.  We borrowed some jumper cables from the motel manager and got the truck started.   After dinner we drove back to the motel and retired for the evening.

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