Battle of Front Royal Driving Tour

The Battle of Front Royal occurred on May 23, 1862, as Gen. Stonewall Jackson and 16,000 Confederate troops liberated Front Royal from Union forces. The Confederate First Maryland engaged the Union First Maryland in a decisive battle that completely surprised the Union general Nathaniel Banks, whose forces were camped just 10 miles to the west in Strasburg. The battle so startled President Lincoln and the Union military that they withdrew a large contingent of troops headed for McClellan's planned attack on Richmond, instead sending them to defend the Shenandoah Valley.