A Lost Generation.

History at Sunset.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park,

"The Tragic Deaths of Stephen Dodson Ramseur and Charles Russell Lowell, Jr."

On Friday I went to Ranger Shannon's presentation at Belle Grove. She used the deaths of Major General Steven Ramseur, CSA, and Col. Charles Russell Lowell, Jr., USA, as examples of the tragic deaths of young men as a result of the Battle of Cedar Creek in 1864.

It was the losses of the American Civil War that led to the establishment of Decoration Day, which is now called Memorial Day.

The talk began on the lawn of beautiful Belle Grove, Middletown, Virginia. We made a couple more stops via car caravan. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor program.

Belle Grove Road, seen from the Valley Pike at dusk.

There is a monument to Ramseur at the corner of Belle Grove Road and U.S. 11 (Valley Pike). Here we see a monument to Lowell which stands by the Wayside Inn.

Commanding Reserve Brigade, 

Cavalry Corps,

Army of the Shenandoah.

Fell in action near this place, 

October 19, 1864.

Useful Citizen * Gallant Soldier 

He died too early for his country.


Links: Visit Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.
Through My Lens.

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.

The Stickley Farm on Cedar Creek

The final program of the 150th Anniversary of the battle that I attended at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park dealt with the aftermath of the battle.  We started at Belle Grove and then went to the Stickley Farm and St. Thomas Chapel in Middletown.

Like the church and Belle Grove, this farm was turned into a hospital site, as there were thousands of wounded soldiers needing emergency care.

The farm is privately owned but the park service had permission to bring the tour there. I've been there on tour before (see Lone Confederate Grave and the Stickley mills).

The Confederate grave in the yard is a bit mysterious. Long ago a marker was placed there inscribed "John Helms of Atlanta, GA [who] was killed Oct. 19, 1864 in the battle of Cedar Creek", but Ranger Driscoll said he has been unable to find a John Helms in Confederate records of the battle. (A clear picture of the marker is in the Handley Library collection.)

Since Cedar Creek Battlefield is not far from our home, I've done many posts about it over the years. In contrast to it's dramatic history, it's now a lovely and serene place, unless you happen to arrive during a reenactment. 

Sharing with: The Barn Collective

Civil War Field Trip Noyalas-Style

The most exciting parts of Saturday's field trip were visiting places I've never seen before because they were not open to the public. Professor Noyalas had obtained permission for our group to tour there: Thoburn's redoubt position (now pasture-land along Bowman's Mill Road). The 8th Vermont Monument (on a hill behind a private home) The Stickley Farm (Residence and farm along US 11 southbound at Cedar Creek)

We also went to Belle Grove, Meadow Brook, the end point of Sheridan's ride, Ramseur's position at Miller's Mill, Cemetery Hill, and we followed the trail at the 128th New York monument.

Above: Jonathan Noyalas lectures at Thoburn's Final Position

I enjoyed the field trip. Noyalas is very knowledgeable about Cedar Creek Battlefield and just had a book published called The Battle of Cedar Creek: Victory from the Jaws of Defeat.

Other Posts about this Cedar Creek Tour:

• Monument 8th Vermont and Fellow Students
• View from Thoburn's Camp and Earthworks
• Trouble at the Trenches
• Belle Grove and 128th New York Monument
• Meadow Brook
• Cemetery Overlooking Middletown
• Sheridan's Ride
• Lone Confederate Grave
• Stickley House and Old Mills

Related Links:

• Self-Guided Tour, Cedar Creek by J. Whitehorne
• Press Release: SVBF Protects Additional Land on the Cedar Creek Battlefield, 2007
• Cedar Creek (on Johns Military History

The Road to the Stickley Farm

The Stickley farm house dates to around 1775. For years the Valley Pike (US 11) ran past it, but you could take a picture of it from a pull-off that had historical markers.

At one time there were picnic tables at the wayside here, as I recall. Eventually they were removed but Civil War Trails signs and a state historical marker for Fort Bowman remained. Not long ago they were all moved. The road that served the wayside remains and can be reached from the Valley Pike just west of Cedar Creek.

Wayside location Pinned at HMDB using Google Maps. (2018 Configuration.)

After the new bridge across Cedar Creek was opened to two-way traffic (June 2018), the old bridge that carried the westbound lanes was removed. A newly-widened road carried traffic in both directions and the old west-bound lanes were actually dug up and hauled off. I drove over those lanes many times and now they are covered with grass. How strange it felt to look at the road that is no longer there!

Heading toward Strasburg and Interstate 81.

Facing Cedar Creek (not visible through the tall grass).

Fences.

The wayside road is now a lane that just leads to the Stickley farm. The farm is privately owned but sometimes it is open to Civil War tour groups.

After the Battle of Cedar Creek (1864), the farm house served as a field hospital.

The now missing Civil War Trails signs were "Cedar Creek — Strategic Crossing — 1864 Valley Campaign" and "Cedar Creek — Strategic Crossing— 1862 Valley Campaign." My understanding is that they will be installed at another location. I would not be surprised if it were at the old campground across the creek, recently acquired as part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.

See my 2014 Post on the Stickley Farm.

Local Park, Cedar Creek Battlefield

Here it is September already! August passed quickly, and without the scorching hot days that I associate with that month.

It's also Friday and time to join some blog hops. This time I'm not doing random topics but will concentrate on nearby Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. I've posted about it many times before, but they keep offering new programs so I go back. I'm a history buff and the staff there are great presenters.

My Town Shoot Out has challenged us to post about Parks today, and I had some great parks to choose from. I've listed Front Royal's great parks in the past so I thought I'd go in the opposite direction this time. 

A week ago I attended a "History at Sunset" program at Cedar Creek. Ranger James Horn told the story of the battle through letters written by soldiers who were there.

This black and white portrait shows the ranger in a quiet moment as he listens to a question from someone in the audience. Most of the time he's quite animated.

The program began at the Monument to the 8th Vermont and progressed to the Morning Attack Trail.

Here Union soldiers were awakened by an unexpected pre-dawn attack. Casualties were high. 

This part of the park has only been open for a few years. In fact, the park itself was not authorized until 2002. When I first came to this Civil War battlefield on a tour, very little of the area was open to the public. It's been gratifying to see this beautiful place become available to visit.

The park is unusual because it is not all owned by one entity, but is a combined effort of several organizations.

If you are not familiar with the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek, it basically ended the Confederate Army's use of the Shenandoah Valley. Their surprise attack in the morning was only a temporary victory. General Phil Sheridan led Federal troops in a counter-attack and forced the Confederates to retreat in disarray.

Thanks to all the bloggers who are hosting linkups today! Floral Friday, Fences, Skywatch,  Signs, Orange You Glad It's Friday, Weekend Green, Black and White Weekend, and My Town Shoot Out.

U.S. 11 over Cedar Creek is being rebuilt. 

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."

Happy Birthday to the NPS

Today marks the 109th anniversary of the founding of our National Park Service. Here are some pictures of National Park Rangers that I’ve taken over the years. The first batch is from Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. It’s fairly local to me and I’ve attended many tours and lectures there over the years. 

Actually, I toured parts of it with college history classes before the park was established. It’s fairly new to a national park, first designated in 2002. Before that, Belle Grove existed as a historical site and part of the surrounding Cedar Creek Battlefield was preserved by a battlefield foundation. 

Related: Photos I took at Cedar Creek in 1993.

2006 Post: 100th Birthday of National Park Service.

Also, Shenandoah National Park is local to me. It was built before I was born, and I’ve been going there all my life. I grew up in Northern Virginia, so even then, it was only a few hours away. 

Collage of SNP Rangers for Mosaic Monday

Currently our National Parks are underfunded. They are a treasure and a wonderful resource and deserve the support of the American people and the government.

A Bank Barn at the Bowman-Hite Farm

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park

This barn dates to around 1881. It has two levels that are both open to the outside. Here you can see that earth was mounded up (“banked”) to meet the doorway level on the upper floor. On the lower side, there is an overhang and shelter for livestock. This is a common style in the Shenandoah Valley.

Interior shot (Black and White)

Ranger Brian explained that hay could be carted into the upper level and stored, and a trapdoor in the floor made it easy to move the feed to the lower level for the animals.

We went back outside and walked around to the lower level. A snake skin was found, to the delight of children on the tour

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Website