SVBF event marks 160th anniversary of the Battle of Cross Keys

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation invites you to take part in a series of programs to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Cross Keys, fought on June 8, 1862.

On June 10 and 11, the foundation will present a series of program that will provide an in-depth look at the battle where Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell defeated Union Gen. John C. Fremont on the beautiful rolling landscape of Cross Keys.

Visitors will be able to see live artillery demonstrations on famed Artillery Ridge and tours and programs that will take you through the whole battlefield following the same steps taken by the soldiers in the 15th Alabama Infantry.

Schedule

Friday, June 10

• 4 p.m. – Turner Ashby Monument. A program on the June 6, 1862, skirmish at Chestnut Ridge (aka the Battle of Harrisonburg) and the days leading up to the Battle of Cross Keys, including a look at the death of Confederate Gen. Turner Ashby.

Saturday, June 11

• 9 a.m. – Union Church (Cross Keys- Mill Creek Ruritan Hall). Opening remarks by Keven Walker, followed by an SVBF Ranger program setting the stage for the Battle of Cross Keys.
• 10:30 a.m. – Artillery Ridge. An in-depth talk from Artillery Ridge (aka Mill Creek Ridge), the main Confederate defensive line during the battle.
• 11:30 a.m. – Artillery Ridge. An Artillery demonstration and talk by the Breadbasket Artillery living history group.
• 1 p.m. – East Artillery Ridge. A program looking at the Confederate advance from Artillery Ridge to the Widow Pence Farm.
• 2:15 p.m. – Widow Pence Farm. A program at the site of the “Slaughter of the 8th New York,” the most pivotal action of the battle, where the unsuspecting Federals walked into a waiting Confederate ambush. The program will spotlight the fighting between the 8th New York and the 16th Mississippi.
• 2:30 p.m. – Artillery Ridge. An Artillery demonstration by the Breadbasket Artillery living history group.
• 3:30 p.m. – Goods Mill Battlefield Site. A program at the site of Confederate Gen. Isaac Trimble’s aggressive advance on the right side of the Confederate line.

The programs are free, but pre-registration is required. (In order to help with logistics and planning.) Registrations will receive additional information prior to the events. To register, click here. For more information, email [email protected]