Banks returned from Washington on March 24th, and the following day Colonel Nathan Kimball headed toward Strasburg in pursuit of Jackson. At 1:30 PM near Middletown they ran into Ashby’s skirmishers who fell back. When the Federals reached Cedar Creek, they found the Rockbridge Artillery, the 2nd and 5th VA, the 27th VA and Jackson’s wagon train on its southern side. Federal artillery fired a few shots across the creek killing 4 members of the 27th VA and wounding several others. Kimball prepared to cross the creek when Banks intervened calling a halt to the column to await reinforcements and occupy Strasburg. Jackson’s force fell back to Narrow Passage Creek that evening and Stonewall headquartered north of Edinburg at the Stover House. While there he ordered Jedediah Hotchkiss to meet with him on March 26th. Jackson told Hotchkiss “I want you to make me a map of the Valley, from Harper’s Ferry to Lexington, showing all the points of offence and defense in those places. Mr. Pendleton will give you orders for whatever outfit you want. Good morning, Sir.” That meeting is interpreted on the Civil War Trails sign below.

Shown in the two pictures below is the Inn.

Two days later Hotchkiss reported back to Jackson that his army’s position at Narrow Passage Creek (four miles north of Edinburg) was unfavorable for defense. Shown below is Narrow Passage Creek from the Route 11 bridge. The creek would have been much wider and deeper during the war.

As a result, Jackson moved his army further south to Camp Buchanan at Red Banks with Jackson headquartering at Israel Allen’s home near Mount Jackson (picture below from Google street view).

After a delay Banks moved slowly south to Stony Creek. On April 1, the day George McClellan left for the peninsula, with the 2nd MA Infantry as skirmishers Colonel George Gordon’s Brigade of Alpheus Williams’ Division crossed Tom’s Brook north of Woodstock and headed south. Ashby’s Cavalry and Chew’s Artillery contested the Union advance at multiple points along the way at Tom’s Brook, Narrow Passage Creek and finally Stony Creek. At Stony Creek a section of Captain Roger Chew’s battery, positioned on Cemetery Hill southwest of the creek, shelled the advancing Federals. The Confederates burned the bridge after crossing and extended their lines south from the North Fork of the Shenandoah River westward. Stony Creek, due to the recent rains, was unfordable and the Federal advance stalled here after travelling 19 miles in 9 hours. Ashby’s force kept the Federals at bay for more than two weeks at Stony Creek. Also, on April 1st Jackson sent his aide Sandie Pendleton to General Garnett’s headquarters at Red Banks to arrest him for neglect of duty during the Battle of Kernstown. Jackson continued to fall back south to Rude’s Hill (two miles south of Mt. Jackson and four miles north of New Market) and headquartered at Reverend Anders Rude’s house.

A monument to Ashby’s Cavalry in Edinburg is shown below.

By April 2nd Jackson and his staff were headquartered at the Rude home with his army at Rude’s Hill on the Valley Pike. Banks stalled along the north bank of Stony Creek for a variety of reasons including to resupply and better establish his supply lines, improve his cavalry, and a shortage of shoes for his men. Banks devised a plan to move around the Confederate left flank toward New Market via the Middle Road that was parallel to and west of the Valley Pike. Colonels Carroll and Dunning would lead a contingent of about 1,000 men down the road, while General Shields launched a frontal assault on Ashby across the creek on the 17th. The Union army finally broke through the Stony Creek Line and Jackson moved further south toward Harrisonburg on the 18th with the Federals now at New Market where they remained for 5 days. Banks would not reach Harrisonburg until the 25th of April.

On the 19th Jackson moved east to Conrad’s Store (modern day Elkton). His army by this time had grown to about 6,000 men. They camped from Elkton along Elk Run east to Swift Run Gap. The Jennings home, shown on the Civil War Trails sign below, was one of only six houses in the town during the war. They remained here until April 30th. When Jackson’s army departed for their journey to McDowell, General Richard Ewell’s division crossed through Swift Run Gap east of town and occupied Jackson’s camps. The house would serve as a hospital after the Battle of Port Republic, the final battle in Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign.

The building below was Conrad’s Store 38.4081407, -78.6335599.

Jackson established his headquarters at the Miller-Argabright house shown below. During the war it was the residence of the widow of John Argabright. Jackson would meet here with Generals Edward “Allegheny” Johnson and Richard S. Ewell, as well his cartographer Jedediah Hotchkiss to plot strategy.

Jackson also met with his cavalry commander Colonel Turner Ashby over what Jackson felt was a lack of discipline among Ashby and his men following a botched attempt to burn bridges in Page County. On April 19th, in order to secure his position at Conrad’s Store, Jackson sent his mapmaker, Jedediah Hotchkiss, to collect as many cavalrymen as he could to help him burn three bridges (the Red House, Columbia and White House bridges) over the South Fork of the Shenandoah River north of Conrad Store in Page (Luray) County, locations shown on the map below.

Seven miles north of Conrad Store at the Shenandoah Iron Works Hotchkiss found about 150 men from the 7th VA Cavalry which he divided into three squadrons headed by Lieutenant John Lionberger, Captain George Sheetz, and Captain Macon Jordan. Lionberger’s detachment was assigned to burn the White House Bridge located 4 miles southwest of Luray but were driven back by a Union detachment before they could light a fire. Nineteen-year-old Private John Wheat was killed. He was the first Confederate soldier killed in Page County. Shown below is the modern-day Bridge and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River (38.6463599,-78.5345334) followed by the White House.

According to old maps the bridge was on the upriver side of the bridge shown below.

Four miles to the south Captain Sheetz’s men set fire to the Columbia Bridge but were driven off by 44 men from the 1st Vermont Cavalry. The Vermonters extinguished the flames before the bridge was damaged. Hotchkiss and Captain Jordan’s detachment were about a mile south of the Columbia Bridge at the time in Honeyville. Captain Jordan and his men, who were all drunk including the Captain, fled the scene. The modern-day bridge and river are shown below at 38.5885056,-78.5650432.

Hotchkiss was able to burn the Red Bridge. Jackson was furious when Hotchkiss informed him about the mission and drunken state of the cavalrymen. The modern-day Bridge and river are shown below (38.5357178, -78.6115172.

Already feeling that Colonel Ashby exercised little control over his men Jackson relieved him of command. When Ashby promptly submitted his resignation, Jackson realizing that he could not lose his chief cavalry officer on the verge of a major campaign restored him to command. A Civil War Trails sign interpreting the bridge burning failures is shown below.

The Civil War Trails sign below sits next to the Burning of Red Bridge sign. It describes an incident that will be covered in a future post.

The South Fork of the Shenandoah River at the Civil War Trails signs above.

The battle was actually fought further downstream at 38.5312485, -78.5789944 shown below.

While in Conrad’s Store Jackson planned his next move. He was concerned about Major General John C. Frémont‘s 20,000-man force of the newly created Mountain Department in the Allegheny Mountains which had left Wheeling and was moving south. Confederate Brigadier General Edward Johnson and his 4,000-man (2,500 present for duty) Army of the Northwest was stationed on Allegheny Mountain. On April 2nd, with the approval of Robert E. Lee, Johnson moved his six regiments and two batteries east along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike to Shenandoah Mountain east of McDowell, which he felt was more defensible and closer to Staunton. Union General Robert Milroy, commander of the 6,000-man Cheat Mountain district of the Mountain Department was stationed the furthest south. He was on Cheat Mountain west of McDowell. Frémont ordered him to move east and take Camp Allegheny and Monterey to the east. Milroy found both places abandoned and camped at McDowell, see map below.

On April 19th General Johnson arrived in Conrad’s Store for a meeting with Jackson. Shortly after Johnson left, his second in command Colonel George Porterfield abandoned Camp Johnson without orders and headed east through Buffalo Gap to Valley Mills and then West View on the 20th, the Civil War Trails sign below is in West View. Porterfield had received erroneous intelligence that a large Union force was attempting to get in his rear. In a driving rainstorm he ordered an immediate evacuation of the earthworks and camps. Neither Jackson or Johnson authorized the move. Johnson did not become aware of it until he was returning to his headquarters there after meeting with Jackson. Colonel Porterfield retired from military service a couple of weeks later.

On hearing that Fort Johnson on Shenandoah Mountain had been evacuated Milroy moved east and occupied it. The last major defense to the west of Staunton on the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike was now in Federal hands. Milroy then moved further east to within 7 miles of Staunton. Jackson now faced with threats to the north and west would put his plan into action. Stonewall would join forces with Johnson’s Army of the Northwest, move west and dispose of Milroy’s force, preventing Frémont from joining with Banks. Lee would transfer Major General Richard Ewell’s Division from Richmond to Conrad’s Store via Swift Run Gap where they would occupy the camps that Jackson had just vacated. Jackson would then return to the valley join forces with Ewell and deal with Banks. Jackson’s Army marched east on an old country road toward Port Republic. He then planned to head from there through Brown’s Gap to Mechum’s Station on the Virginia Central Railroad to travel by rail to Staunton. Jackson headquartered at Lewiston, the home of Charles Lewis, outside Port Republic along the way. Heavy rains slowed the trip over washed out roads and he did not arrive at Mechum’s Station until May 3rd. Banks reported to the War Department that Jackson was leaving the valley for Richmond. Even Jackson’s own men, who were not informed where they were going, thought they were headed to Richmond. They were surprised that the trains waiting for them were pointing west not east.

Jackson’s Army arrived in Staunton on May 4th and camped two miles east of town. Jackson was met in Staunton by VMI Superintendent Smith and 200 cadets. After ordering his men to cook rations on the 6th they headed west the next day. Meanwhile, on May 1st the War Department ordered Banks to move back to Strasburg. Banks headed north on the turnpike from his headquarters at the Hardesty-Higgins house (shown below) in Harrisonburg to New Market, which he reached on the 5th, before moving on to Strasburg.

The War Department also weakened Banks force by ordering the transfer of General James Shields’ Division to join General Irvin McDowell near Fredericksburg. By now Milroy was aware of Jackson’s plan and moved three infantry regiments, two cavalry companies and two batteries east across Shenandoah Mountain to within 15 miles of Staunton. He left the same sized force behind at McDowell. When Frémont ordered him to pullback, he left part of the 32nd OH at the Rodgers’ Toll House (the Mountain House) and Captain Jacob Shuman’s cavalry east of Shenandoah Mountain and moved the 3rd WV, 32nd and 75th OH and some cavalry to Shaw’s Ridge on the west side of the mountain.

The Confederates moved out on the 7th with Johnson’s 3,678-man army in the lead. Jackson would follow with about 10,000 men. Of these 14,000 men about 8,100 would be involved in the coming battle. As Johnson proceeded west they came under fire from Shuman’s cavalry at the intersection of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and the Harrisonburg-Warm Springs Road. The Federals at the Mountain House withdrew to Shaw’s Ridge. Johnson’s force passed through their old camps and fort which the Union abandoned. Fort Johnson and Camp Shenandoah will be covered in the next post. Johnson’s men descended Shenandoah Mountain and came under fire from Captain Henry Hyman’s 9th Ohio Battery when they approached Shaw’s Ridge. Milroy pulled his force back to McDowell and sent a message to General Robert Schenck to join him there as soon as possible. As darkness fell on the 7th Generals Jackson and Johnson headquartered at the William Rodgers’ Toll House (Mountain House). The next day they would meet the Federals at McDowell.

Next- Fort Johnson

Sources

Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign- War Comes to the Homefront by Jonathan A. Noyalas

The Battle of McDowell by Richard L. Armstrong Blue and Gray Magazine Volume XX, Issue 5, 2003

Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign- Shenandoah 1862 by Gary Cozzens