Middleburg

Check out our collection of photos from this 1863 cavalry battle.

(12 photos in gallery)

Target Property at Middleburg

Rob Shenk

The Civil War Trust is currently working to save this portion of the Middleburg battlefield where J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry made a stubborn defense against superior numbers.

Satellite Image: Target Property at Middleburg

Google Earth

This satellite image of the Mount Defiance property shows the historic tavern and blacksmith shop that figure in period accounts of the Battle of Middleburg.

Historic Blacksmith Shop

Rob Shenk

This historic blacksmith's shop on the Trust's current target property on Mount Defiance, was present during the battle and can be seen on period maps of the area.

Dismounted at Middleburg

Library of Congress

Though the troops involved in the fighting at Mount Defiance were all in the mounted arm, the majority of action was done by dismounted cavalry, like the men of the 1st Maine Cavalry in this Alfred Waud sketch.

Ashby Gap and the Blue Ridge

Rob Shenk

Fought along the Ashby Gap Turnpike, the Battle of Middleburg was one of a handful defensive battles fought by Jeb Stuart's cavalry in their effort to conceal the northward movement of the Army of Northern Virginia.

1st Rhode Island Ambush

Rob Shenk

Col. Alfred Duffie's 1st Rhode Island Cavalry thundered down this road into Middleburg, surprising the Confederates defending the town.

Red Fox Inn

Rob Shenk

Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart was lunching here amid a throng of admirers when news of approaching reached him. The Confederate cavalier and his staff promptly mounted and quit the town, only narrowly escaping capture.

The Prussian Confederate

Childs Burden

Maj. Heros von Borcke left his native Prussia to render his services to the Confederate army. After arriving in Richmond, the towering Prussian (who was roughly 6' 4") was attached to the Army of Northern Virginia's cavalry, where he became a trusted member of J. E. B. Stuart's staff.

The Wounding of Heros von Borcke

Rob Shenk

Stuart's Prussian staff officer, Maj. Heros von Borcke, was wounded here while rallying North Carolina troops on June 19, 1863. The he survived the battle and the war, Von Borcke's wound ultimately ended his career in the Confederate Army.

Historic Ashby Gap Turnpike

Rob Shenk

Modern-day Route 50 roughly follows the path of the historic Ashby Gap Turnpike, a vital avenue through the Blue Ridge and the Federals' axis of advance on June 19, 1863.

The War Weary Horse

Rob Shenk

This equestrian statue outside the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg pays tribute to the one and a half million horses and mules who lost their lives in military service during the Civil War, including those that perished during the battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville.

Sharon Cemetery

Rob Shenk

This small cemetery is the final resting place of Confederate soldiers who died in the town of Middleburg. Some of the remains here belong to troopers from Jeb Stuart's cavalry and may have been casualties in the Battle of Middleburg.