The afternoon’s action is interpreted at the Mill Creek Ridge stop (Artillery Ridge) located at 4232 Bowtie Drive.

The most aggressive Federal Generals were in Frémont’s center, Brigadier Generals Robert Milroy and Robert Schenck who had fought Jackson at McDowell. They did not report to a division commander but to Frémont himself. Milroy’s brigade attacked Ewell’s center. He advanced 4 regiments, about 2,000 men, into a ravine near the Armentrout house where he was relatively protected from Ewell’s artillery. Heavy fighting broke out as Milroy tried to move his line to the right and flank the Confederates. At this point one of Frémont’s aides rode up and ordered him to withdraw. His brigade took 174 casualties. As Milroy was withdrawing, he became infuriated when he noticed for the first time Schenck’s brigade to his right completely idle. They too would be ordered to withdraw. When Frémont ordered Schenck’s brigade to fall back they had taken only 16 casualties (4 killed, 8 wounded, 4 missing) from a force of 2,138 men during the entire battle. Frémont once again showed his ineffective and passive leadership when he did not support Milroy with Schenck’s 2,138 men in an effort to turn Ewell’s left.

The Mill Creek Ridge/Artillery Ridge Site interprets the left side of the Confederate line and Milroy’s attack on Ewell’s Center- 38.3439968, -78.8365066. The Civil War Trails Signs have been removed and replaced by 5 signs from the Shenandoah National Battlefields Historic District.

Walking down the Old Wagon Road to Mill Creek

Frémont ineffectively used his force in that only 5 of his 24 regiments saw significant action. Colonel J. Kolte’s 1,500-man brigade took only 9 casualties. Fremont’s force took 6% casualties while on the offensive about the same casualty rate for Ewell’s men (5%- 273 killed and wounded and 25 missing) who fought on the defensive on better terrain. All of this indicates how tentative the Union assault was with the exception of the advance of the 8th NY who took a large percentage of total Union casualties. Between 4:00 and 5:00 PM Frémont withdrew to reestablish his line. Shortly thereafter he received a dispatch from General Shields that described his plan for Carroll’s morning raid with words such as “I think” and “I hope” which Frémont interpreted as if they had been successful. He, therefore, concluded that Jackson was trapped between his army and Shields’ force and decided to wait until morning to renew his assault. This also highlights the tentative nature of Frémont’s generalship. If Jackson was indeed trapped with his back to the North River and several hours of daylight remained why not attack him then?

While Frémont slept Jackson was busy formulating his plan for the next day. He had three options: to leave Port Republic for either Waynesboro or Staunton, resupply, and then exit the valley to join Lee in Richmond on the Virginia Central Railroad; strike Frémont with his whole army; or march to Lewiston three miles to the east and attack the leading brigade of Shields’ division commanded by Brigadier General Erasmus Tyler. Tyler commanded a much smaller force than Frémont, only about three thousand men and the Luray Road to Tyler’s rear was in a poor shape due to all the recent rains. Jackson planned to have his infantry units pass over the North River bridge into Port Republic and then cross the South River over a temporary wagon bridge. Trimble’s Brigade, the last of Ewell’s men to cross the North River bridge, would then burn it. Jackson’s entire force would then be east of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and with the bridges over the North and South River destroyed Frémont would have no way to cross to Jackson’s side. Jackson’s entire army could now focus its attention on Tyler’s Brigade. By the time Frémont discovered this at 7:30 AM the next morning the battle on the east side of the river was already underway and Frémont could do little to support Tyler.

Next- The Battle of Cross Keys- Sites and Signs Not on the Battlefield Tour

Sources

From Harper’s Ferry to Cross Keys- the Pursuit of Stonewall Jackson Up the Shenandoah Valley by Gary Eclebarger Blue and Gray Magazine Volume XXIX, Issue 1, 2012

Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign Shenandoah 1862 by Peter Cozzens