Meanwhile, Ewell had received an order on May 17 dated May 13 from General Joseph E. Banks then withdrew his remaining force to Strasburg. By then, part of Banks's force had again been transferred out of the Valley, and on May 12, the division of Brigadier General James Shields was ordered east. Jackson then moved his men back north to face Banks. The Confederates were victorious, and Frémont withdrew his force. Milroy attacked Jackson's men on May 8 in the Battle of McDowell. Part of Frémont's command led by Brigadier General Robert H. Leaving Ewell and his men to face Banks, Jackson took his troops southwest towards McDowell, Virginia, in early May to confront a Union force commanded by Major General John C. Īfter Kernstown, Jackson withdrew south in the valley, where he joined forces with Major General Richard Ewell. The Confederate attack was repulsed, but it still was considered concerning enough to return the rest of Banks's command to the Valley and to hold another corps at Manassas, Virginia, depriving McClellan's campaign of about 60,000 men. On March 23, Jackson attacked the Union forces in the Valley in the First Battle of Kernstown. By March 21, Union high command decided that much of Banks's force was not necessary for the security of the Shenandoah Valley, and much of it was sent to Washington, D.C., leaving only about 9,000 of Banks's 35,000 men left in the Valley. Jackson had orders to try to distract Union troops in the Valley so that they would not be available for McClellan. To the west, in the Shenandoah Valley, Union Major General Nathaniel Banks pushed the Confederate troops of Major General Thomas J. McClellan began the Peninsula campaign on the Virginia Peninsula. In March 1862, during the American Civil War, Union forces led by Major General George B. Lee's Confederate force in time for the Seven Days battles. Jackson's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley had tied down 60,000 Union troops from joining the Peninsula campaign, and his men were able to join Robert E. Two days later, Jackson then drove Banks out of Winchester, and won two further victories in June. Many of the Union soldiers were captured, but Banks was able to withdraw his main force to Winchester. Kenly made one last stand at Cedarville, but an attack by 250 Confederate cavalrymen shattered the Union position. The Union troops then withdrew across both forks to Guard Hill, where they made a stand until Confederate troops were able to get across the North Fork.

Kenly's men made a stand on Richardson's Hill and used artillery fire to hold off the Confederates, before their line of escape over the South Fork and North Fork of the Shenandoah River was threatened. Jackson attacked the position at Front Royal on May 23, surprising the Union defenders, who were led by Colonel John Reese Kenly. Frémont's force in the Battle of McDowell, Jackson turned against the forces of Major General Nathaniel Banks.īanks had most of his force at Strasburg, Virginia, with smaller detachments at Winchester and Front Royal. 'Stonewall' Jackson were trying to keep Union forces engaged in the Shenandoah Valley to prevent them from joining the Peninsula campaign. Confederate forces commanded by Major General Thomas J. In the fall, these mighty ridges lead thousands of birds of prey south to their wintering grounds and will surely lead the visitor to additional memorable experiences.The Battle of Front Royal, also known as Guard Hill or Cedarville, was fought on May 23, 1862, during the American Civil War, as part of Jackson's Valley campaign. Climbing the slopes in spring will lead to an ever-changing assemblage of warblers and culminate in incredible vistas from West Virginia to the Atlantic Ocean. At the valley’s edge where the woods intrude on the fields, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys and white-tailed deer forage and raise their young.

Best experienced by canoe, kayak, or raft, the Shenandoah River offers a refreshing retreat from the summer sun and as the days grow colder, the river becomes a haven for waterfowl. Follow the numerous trails that lead from the Shenandoah Valley to the lower slopes of these impressive mountains. The Shenandoah winds through the Town of Front Royal from points further south, carving a valley between the Blue Ridge and the 40-mile long Massanutten Mountain. To the north, mighty sycamores and numerous small streams that flow into the mighty Shenandoah River divide fields farmed for centuries. Its location at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River between the Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains leads the visitor to some of the finest habitats Virginia has to offer. Front Royal (declared by the Governor to be the Canoe Capital of Virginia) has been a gateway to exploring western Virginia for over three hundred years.

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