Cross Keys | June 8, 1862

Moving up the Shenandoah Valley in pursuit of Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s army, Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont’s army encountered Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s division at Cross Keys on June 8. Brig. Gen. Julius Stahel’s brigade, attacking on the Union left, was stunned by a surprise volley from Brig. Gen. Isaac Trimble’s command and driven back. Ewell’s line on the high ground above Mill Creek was supported with artillery batteries. After feeling out other parts of the Confederate line with uncoordinated attacks, Frémont withdrew. The next day, Trimble’s brigade held Frémont at bay, while the rest of Ewell’s force crossed the river to assist in the defeat of Union forces at nearby Port Republic.