The Running Fight, 155 Years Ago

On Saturday I went to a history program in nearby Middletown. My friend Ranger Shannon was presenting "The Running Fight," a tour on the battle that took place along the Valley Pike on May 24, 1862 following the Battle of Front Royal. (I've done a couple versions of the Battle of Front Royal Tour in previous years but have never covered this lesser known battle of Jackson's Valley Campaign.) 

The tour started at the Wayside Inn in Middletown and then went south to the Belle Grove area.

Related Map: Front Royal to Winchester

I thought this fence beside the road was scenic. (If you want to see more fences, check out the linkup at Looking for Identity.)

We turned around at Cedar Creek and headed back north. This marker barely mentions this struggle because it deals with an earlier battle, but it does say:

"... on May 24, as the Federals retreated to Winchester, Collis' Zouaves (Union) were cut off and nearly captured by Jackson when they were left at the bridge as a rear guard."

We turned around at Cedar Creek and finished north of Middletown at the outskirts of Stephens City, which was called Newtown in 1862.

A marker there also deals with another battle but an illustration on it looks like what I imagine this "running fight" would have looked, as Federals struggled to get their wagons to safety.

Sharing with Signs, Signs

One of the men on the tour mentioned that he is raising funds for a marker that relates to the Battle of Front Royal. It will deal with Turner Ashby's attack on Buckton Station, where he cut the telegraph lines, destroying communications between Front Royal and Bank's Fort in Strasburg. (See related post.)

The train no longer stops in Buckton but the station probably stood at the far right of this scene, where a later building now stands abandoned.