A View of Mount Carmel Cemetery

This cemetery stands on a hill overlooking Middletown, VA.

It was the site of Civil War clash in October 1864, during the Battle of Cedar Creek. At that time, this was the Middletown Cemetery. It became Mount Carmel Cemetery in 1896. An interpretive sign provides a summary of the action here:

The Middletown Cemetery, on a knoll west of the village, was the only point where Union officers believed they could establish a strong position and attempt to slow the Confederate advance. They hoped to halt the momentum that had propelled the Southern troops since the beginning of their surprise attack. From this high ground General George Getty's division, approximately 2,500 strong, repulsed two Confederate assaults. Frustrated, General Jubal Early massed nearly 30 cannon near the Heater House and along Valley Pike (ahead of you and to the left). 

The 30-minute cannonade, along with a third Confederate attack that threatened to turn the Union right, finally forced Getty to order a withdrawal.

Link: National Park Service page with illustrations.

The Miller House on Cougill Road

 Middletown, VA

I put the name of the road in the title of the post because Miller House is a common place name, plus I have forgotten the name of the road several times when I was trying to find this historic site. It is mentioned in written accounts of the Battle of Cedar Creek (1864). This property is on the corner of Mineral Road and faces a railroad track.

The property was recently acquired by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which will preserve it and possibly open it for tours. 

I’ve written about this place before (see the 2009 post about it). The ruins that are close to the road are sometimes referred to as a mill, but they are actually the ruins of a smaller house that was styled similar to the one that still stands. I photographed the smaller house in 1997, and it was still standing, but just barely. I suspect it predated the larger house, but I don’t know when they were built. 

I saw a photo of a lovely painting by artist John Chumley of the smaller house. I’ve seen an exhibit of Chumley’s work (see this post). He died in 1984.

I’ll spare you my rant about how the park service and others keep calling the ruins a mill when it was actually a brick house. Instead, allow me to complain about the update I just downloaded today on my iPad, OS 26.2. Things look different and I’m getting too stubborn to deal with changes all the time! The Photos app doesn’t have the parallax correction in the same way and I’m going to have to view a video to find out how to straighten lines. This probably doesn’t matter to most people, but I tend to take some photos a bit lopsided with my cell phone, partly because I’m trying to walk the dog and take a picture at the same time. So then I straighten them out on the iPad. I may have become picky when I was taking photo classes years ago, and we used medium format and leveled the camera with a bubble like a carpenter uses. It seems extreme now, but I learned a lot from that experience.

On the plus side, the Photos app now has a place to click to open the picture in “Extensions,” and one of them is SKRWT, which I downloaded some time ago. I can modify receding lines in that and then go right back to Photos. I like the ease of Apple’s Photos app, especially since I no longer subscribe to Photoshop. I don’t like paying for subscriptions. They add up, and my income doesn’t go up because I’m retired. Or maybe that’s an excuse and I’m just cheap!

Seeking Freedom

A Presentation at Belle Grove

Last weekend I went to a talk in Middletown. NPS Ranger Anthony told stories of enslaved people at Belle Grove Plantation who escaped from slavery or earned their freedom. There were a couple of men who apparently had help from someone who forged papers for them so that they were able to make their way out of the state.

Brief versions of their stories are available online, at least for now. 

Belle Grove in Middletown (not to be confused with another plantation of the same name that is in King George County) is a beautiful farm that is part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. A Civil War battle was fought here in 1864.

Reenactor and Son

Middletown, VA

I didn’t go to the reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek last weekend because I’ve seen it a couple of times. But I did drive through Middletown the day before. I saw this man in Civil War garb walking with his small son, and I thought it was cute. 

It was also anachronistic. That shows up better in the next shot, especially in full color.

A View from Thoburn’s Redoubt

Cedar Creek Battlefield, VA

Our extra hot weather finally ended yesterday, so today was a good day to go on a short tour. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove tours, and I wanted to go to this one because there was some fresh information that was not known when I went before.

The boy in the orange shirt asked the ranger some good questions and had already learned facts about the battle from looking at exhibits earlier. He said he was a history nerd.

I have posted pictures of this site in previous years. Signage has been improved and eventually parking will be improved. This historical park is still being developed.

The battle of Cedar Creek began here in the pre-dawn hours of October 19, 1864, when General Thoburn’s division was attacked.

Posts about Thoburn’s Redoubt.

A Farm that’s Long Gone

Claven Lane, Middletown,  VA

This photo came up in my Facebook memories from this date in 2016. The buildings had deteriorated and would be removed by the Park Service. 

The old farm is now part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. A Civil War battle raged across this land in 1864. 

 See my 2017 post about this site.

Treasures of the Cedar Creek Foundation

Middletown, VA

Recently, I stopped by the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation for the first time since before the pandemic. I found their exhibits had expanded greatly. .

The foundation is a partner in the preservation and interpretation of the battlefield in cooperation with the National Park Service, Belle Grove, and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields. The museum is across the Valley Pike (US 11) from Belle Grove, which also has exhibits. The National Park Service also has a visitor center in Middletown, which can be confusing to tourists.

At this museum you can see artifacts from the American Civil War and mid-19th century Shenandoah Valley. You can learn about the Battle of Cedar Creek, which took place on this land in 1864.

Sabers and Surprise

“Colonel William H. Payne and his Confederate Cavalry at the Battle of Cedar Creek.”

I hadn't been to a "History at Sunset" program since before the pandemic so I was pleased to see one was offered that I had not done before. This one followed the Confederate Cavalry and I was excited to go because I attended the program following the Custer's Union Cavalry there some years ago.

The tour did not disappoint. As usual, Ranger Rick was knowledgeable and interesting. Cedar Creek Battlefield is a National Historical Park in the pretty countryside around Middletown.

The Stickley House and Saturday's Tour

The Stickley House stood along the Valley Pike during the Civil War and witnessed the Battle of Cedar Creek. It was one of the sites I visited on a history tour on Saturday. 

Tuesday Treasures

This house and the farm surrounding it are privately owned. The owner is an educator and often gives permission to history classes to visit the farm that surrounds it, although not the house itself. I have also visited the grounds on a National Park Service tour.

Saturday's tour was part of a seminar on "The Lower Shenandoah Valley's Border Region during the Civil War." It focused on the civilian experience rather than the military actions. After a lecture at Shenandoah University, we visited sites in Stephens City and Middletown as well as this farm on Cedar Creek, 

Here is a brief look at the morning lecture at the University. Professor Noyalas discussed the years leading up to the war and the arguments for and against secession. John Brown's raid in 1859 alarmed many people including the citizens of the Shenandoah Valley. 

Census records show a decline in the population of enslaved persons in the Valley between 1850 and 1860, partly due to fear resulting from Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry. There were 27,402 slaves in 1850 and ten years later there were 24,779. Although some were freed, many were sold to traders who took them to the deep south 

Flowers, Driving, Walking.

It's springtime and Virginia looks glorious! I was able to get outdoors this week so I have a surplus of photos. I'll try to give you an overview, starting with a pink dogwood in our yard. 

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair 

Last Saturday we had to take some old boards to the landfill so we loaded up Frank's SUV. He drove so I took a few cell phone pictures along I-81. 

Skywatch Friday

Black and White Weekend

On Sunday, I went up to Skyline Drive in the late afternoon, after doing things around the house while Frank cut the grass.

I spotted some white wildflowers at an Browntown Valley Overlook. I got close to take a picture and saw they were bloodroot.

Floral Friday

Now that the weather is nice, I'm making an effort to take a walk as often as possible. On Monday I walked at Cedar Creek Battlefield, starting at the lower entrance to the Morning Attack Trails.

Signs, Signs

"Following the successful Confederate surprise attack, Union forces from the 8th and 19th corps formed battle lines across the woods and fields in front of you, in the hopes of slowing the overwhelming Southern assault moving in this direction. This included the 8th Vermont (whose surviving veterans later dedicated a monument to their sacrifice) and troops under Colonel (and future President) Rutherford B. Hayes. This fighting delayed the Confederate advance long enough for the rest of the Union army, on the other side of the Valley Pike, time to readjust their lines."

Redbud trees were in bloom along the trail, as they are along many roads in Virginia.

On Wednesday I had an appointment in Harrisonburg. Trees and sky were reflected in the windows of the building where I had a scan to screen for osteoporosis. (I don't have it yet. My mother had it so there's always the possibility.)

Weekend Reflection

At that point I was on Port Republic Road so I drove to that town for a look around. I've been there a number of times and it is worth a visit. 

This sign was on the bulletin board and it was one I hadn't seen before. "Report Feral Swine." 

There were flowers blooming and the town was charming. I also went to the nearby town of Grottoes but those scenes will have to wait. 

That night the weather turned cold and windy but on Thursday afternoon, I went to Maurertown and took a walk at the Shenandoah County Park. I stopped to take some pictures of the barn that once served the county poor farm. 

See my 2016 post about the County Farm and Alms House.

Yesterday was even colder so I took my walk along the river where it is sheltered. This is in Strasburg Town Park. 

Today it was Frank's turn to have a medical appointment. It was in downtown Winchester so I walked around a block or two while I was waiting. Flowers were blooming there too. 
 

Memorial to the 128th NY Volunteers

Middletown, VA

 

Tuesday Treasures: This monument stands between Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Road.

"In memory of the men of this regiment who lost their lives at the Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. Erected by their comrades and friends, dedicated in 1907."

According to a park service page on Monuments of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove, the "carved knapsack, crossed rifles, canteen and sword is the symbol of the Union 19th Army Corps."

Redbud, Bluebells, and a Bit of History.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park.

Sharing with Fences and Willy Nilly Friday,

1. In Virginia we are currently advised to stay home except for essential work, shopping, and exercise. I like to combine my shopping trips and exercise. Few places are open right now but I watch the notices online for closures. 

2. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove have closed their museums but so far the trails off Claven Lane are still open. I've never seen that area busy except for special events, so I went there to walk. No one else was there so social distancing was easy.

3. The grass is bright green now and the redbud trees are in bloom. When I entered the woods by the Eighth Vermont Monument I found large patches of bluebells!

Friday Bliss and Flowers.

4. I've posted pictures of the 8th Vermont Monument before. It commemorates the Vermont soldiers who fought at the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek and suffered heavy casualties in this area.

It was on private property in 2009 when I visited it on a tour. Since then it has become part of the National Historic Park and is open to the public.

Occasionally a living history event is held here.

5. Let us step out of the woods and onto the field. Now we're on one of the "Morning Attack Trails." These are basically mowed trails in the fields that were farmed until the Park Service acquired them a few years ago. There are interpretive signs to guide you.

You can see Interstate 81 but you can also see the north end of the Massanutten Range.

Skywatch Friday.

6. Signal Knob is a high point that was used as a signal station during the war.

On October 17, General Jubal Early sent John Gordon, Jed Hotchkiss, and others to Signal Knob in order to survey the Union positions along Cedar. Upon reaching the top, they met an “inspiring panorama” including a perfect view of the Union army below. Early knew that his smaller force had to know exactly where the Union weak points were, if they were to have any hope of success.