Local News
Independence Day 1863: The Confederacy Goes 0 for 2 in the bottom of the 4th – Episode 3 – Lee’s Retreat from Gettysburg
On July 22nd, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia marched through Warren County on its retreat from the Battle of Gettysburg, PA. The previous two weeks had been hell on earth for the Army of Northern Virginia. The gray procession that was greeted in Front Royal with much jubilation and promise a month earlier had taken on a solemn demeanor. The Army of Northern Virginia was still formidable, but their spirits were dampened. Miles of ambulance wagons passed southward through town that was once laden with ammunition during the trip north.
According to a local family diary of Lucy Buck, General Lee stopped over for a while in Front Royal on his way back from Pennsylvania. The woeful retreat was subsiding now as the army was comfortably south of the Potomac River.
She wrote, “General Robert E. Lee and his staff took a breather at Bel Air Mansion for some much-needed refreshment. The officers arrived and stretched their cramped limbs, and drank fresh buttermilk. I shall never forget the grand old chief as he stood on the porch surrounded by his officers, a tall, commanding figure clad in dusty travel-stained gray but with a courtly dignified bearing. The family regaled the general with songs at his request while General Lee stood by the piano. Afterward, the General inscribed his name on a piece of paper and gave it to the two young ladies.” (Photo taken recently of Bel Air by the Civil War Trails historical marker in Front Royal). Upon bidding farewell to Front Royal, the Confederate army moved on to familiar environs behind the Rappahannock River and resumed a defensive posture.
Let’s visit the most historic July 4th Anniversary in U.S. history: A couple of weeks earlier, on July 4th, 1863, while the United States celebrated their good fortunes on Independence Day, the Confederacy was reeling from two devastating losses. Lee was defeated in Gettysburg, and Vicksburg surrendered on the Mississippi. Both occurred on Independence Day, 1863. That’s two huge defeats in one day. This signaled doom for the Confederacy. Let’s drift back to July 4th.
On July 4th, while Lee was preparing his retreat from Pennsylvania, General Grant was adding another win to his string of W’s in the western theatre of the war. Grant had bottled up Confederate General Pemberton’s garrison out west in Vicksburg in a 47-day siege that had left the town exhausted and humiliated. The daily Union bombardments of the city reduced its citizen to eating mules, dogs, and rats. The Confederates were out of food and surrounded. On the hot afternoon of July 3, 1863, Confederate General Pemberton’s gray-clad horsemen rode out to parlay with his adversary — General Grant. The two officers discussed surrender terms under the shade of a tree. The final amended terms were forwarded to Pemberton that night. The following day at 10 a.m. on July 4th, long columns of Confederates stacked arms, furled their flags, and surrendered Vicksburg.
The victorious Union army marched in and took possession of the city. The United States had essentially cut the South in two as Union boats controlled all of the Mississippi River.
The fall of Vicksburg, coupled with the defeat of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, marked the turning point of the Civil War.
It would not be long before Lincoln made the move to bring Grant east to fight Lee. After all, Grant was undefeated and confident. Lincoln needed that combination to tackle Lee.
While Grant received accolades from Washington, General Lee’s troops were embarking upon one of the most grueling retreats in the annals of war. It was not as disastrous as Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, but it was deadly and fraught with peril nonetheless.
During the night of July 4th, the battered Confederate army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest toward Hagerstown and Williamsport in pouring rain. Cavalry screened their movements. The following day, the Federals realized Lee had slipped away and organized themselves to set out after him. As you may recall from earlier episodes, General Imboden’s cavalry had a 24-hour head start having set out the night before via a westward route. As fate would have it, the Confederate retreat was plagued by a driving rainstorm and under constant attack from Union cavalry and partisan bands along the way. In the words of General Imboden, the wailing of the wounded was agonizing, but we could not stop for anything. Lee had instructed General Imboden to press on with his 25-mile wagon train no matter what. He had to get that wagon train to safety in Virginia.
Broken wagons were simply abandoned. The column pushed on through the rainstorm towards the Williamsport pontoon bridge crossings. Many were asleep in the saddle, and many wounded soldiers died along the way.
Initially, General Meade thought the Confederates were simply regrouping behind the South Mountain passes until his cavalry detachments brought news of Lee’s full-scale retreat. Union cavalry harassed and attacked the retreating Confederates in a half dozen locations as both sides marched south. General Buford’s cavalry outran the Confederates and began destroying their pontoon bridges in Williamsport, MD. This was General Lee’s escape route. By destroying the bridges, the Union Army could halt Lee’s withdrawal at the river while General Meade and the rest of the Army of the Potomac closed the distance. Essentially, the army could trap Lee with his back to the Potomac and press the matter to a historic conclusion now.
By July 7th, General Imboden’s cavalry arrived in Williamsport and chased away General Buford’s cavalry. Unfortunately for the Rebels, the damage was done. When Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen river crossing sites – the bridges were down, and the current was too fast to repair them. Lee was trapped. This was it.
The war department in Washington was elated, and dozens of curriers were sent flying to find General Meade and impress upon him – the need for speed. If the Federals could mount a sustained attack against Lee’s army – with Lee’s back to the Potomac River, he would have no place to go with dwindling supplies. The war could be over this week!
But this is where the persona of ‘Lee’ and his cowering effect on the Union Army prevailed. General Meade interpreted his orders differently. He was successfully blocking Lee from points east while driving him from Northern soil. Meade’s forces were beaten up, too, and organizing them in a driving rain was difficult. The army was way short on food. Many of those Federal wagon supply trains that General Hancock had previously ordered off the roads to clear the way for infantry had not arrived in town yet. Many of the Federal Corps was badly mauled from the 3-day fight, and many were assembled ‘In Frankenstein’ style and intermingled with units from other commands. Battalions had been moved around the battle lines in emergencies to plug gaps in the line and were detached from their parent brigades. This made coordination quite difficult throughout the 7 Corps.
Unable to cross the Potomac, Lee understood the gravity of the situation. On July 11, Lee set up defensive entrenchments with interlocking fields of fire protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited on passable river conditions and for General Meade’s arrival. On July 11th through the 13th, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade probed Lee’s lines while waiting for the preponderance of his forces to arrive. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of new bridges. The Confederates worked around the clock creating pontoon bridges across the river while the rest of the army exchanged volleys with the Federals to their front. Meanwhile, General Meade’s headquarters was inundated with messages from Washington ordering an attack. The War Department wrote, “You must not let Lee escape into Virginia. Press the fight.”
On the night of the 13th, Confederate General Heath’s men kept up a steady fire from their defensive positions and made enough noise to conceal rebel river crossings to their rear. Lee’s army secretly began crossing the river after dark that night.
Intense fighting occurred the following morning when Meade’s cavalry attacked Confederate rearguard divisions of General Heath as they were preparing to cross. General Heath’s North Carolinians had successfully staved off the Federals long enough for Lee to escape, but it was a deadly affair. When Heath’s Confederates ran out of ammunition, the Federals took more than 500 Confederate prisoners. In the deadly fight, Confederate Brigadier General Johnston Pettigrew was mortally wounded. Meanwhile, Lee’s main body had escaped over the bridges to the relative safety of Virginia. A portion of General Meade’s army crossed the Potomac further east and raced to cut Lee off one last time at Manassas Gap. The Rebels won the engagement, and Lee’s forces filed on through Front Royal the following day and waved farewell to the town as they regrouped further south.
With the Confederates gone again, the ladies in Bel-Air watched as the blue coats moved back in. The citizens of Front Royal were forced to walk beneath the ole familiar stars and stripes again. The Confederate flag was lowered, and the U.S. flag was hoisted high. The following year the town would be under the black flag as total war ushered in the ‘Burnings’ and the many evils of the summer and fall of 1864. But for now, all was rather quiet in the aftermath of Gettysburg.
Despite General Meade’s victory at Gettysburg, the Lincoln administration considered it a hollow victory in light of Lee’s escape. The slaughter would go on for almost two more years. Lincoln famously said, “We had him [Lee] in our grasps. All we had to do was reach out our arms, and he was ours.” The President realized he needed new stewardship of the Army of the Potomac. The eastern generals were too accustomed to defeat and were always wondering what Lee was going to do to them instead of what they were going to do to him. Even when they did win a battle, they didn’t possess the killer instinct to follow up. With that, Lincoln sent word to have General Ulysses Grant come east and take over the show.
Local News
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 4/28/2024
Front Royal Police Department’s arrest report for the past 7 days:
Local News
VDOT: Warren County Traffic Alert for May 6 – 10, 2024
The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.
*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.
INTERSTATE 66
*NEW* Mile marker 0 to 15, eastbound and westbound – Overnight alternating lane closures for pavement marking installations, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday and Tuesday nights.
*NEW* Mile marker 0 to 2, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.
*NEW* Mile marker 8 to 7, westbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mile marker 9 to 7, westbound – Overnight right lane closures at Shenandoah River bridge for utility work, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday night.
INTERSTATE 81
*UPDATE* Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Overnight alternating lane closures for overhead sign repairs, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday night.
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound –Overnight lane closures and traffic-lane shifts as needed, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through December 2024. Shoulder closures 24/7. Work zone speed limit: 55 miles an hour. Work is related to southbound acceleration ramp extension and bridge widening, with estimated completion in late 2024.
PRIMARY ROADS
*NEW* Route 55 (John Marshall Highway) – Flagger traffic control between Front Royal town limits and Route 647 (Dismal Hollow Road) for guardrail upgrades, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday (May 2) and Tuesday (May 7).
*NEW* Route 340 (Stonewall Jackson Highway) – Flagger traffic control between Route 674 (Limeton Church Road) and Route 607 (Rocky Lane) for pipe replacement, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 – May 14.
SECONDARY ROADS
Route 658 (Rockland Road) – Closed to through traffic between Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) and Route 705 (Fishnet Boulevard) for the construction of a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway. Estimated completion December 2025.
Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.
Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511 or at www.511Virginia.org.
Local News
VSP Investigating I-81 Dump Truck/Sheriff’s Vehicle Accident
The Virginia State Police are investigating a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County. The crash occurred Friday, May 3, at 5:46 a.m. at the Route 646 overpass at the 292-mile maker of I-81.
A 2005 Kenworth dump truck was traveling north on I-81 when the driver accidentally engaged the dump bed, which raised it and caused it to collide with the bridge overpass. The collision caused the dump bed to detach from the truck, slide backward, and land on a northbound 2022 Ford Explorer, which was driven by a Frederick County Sheriff’s deputy.
The dump truck driver, Gaylon R. Miller, 71, of Toms Brook, Va., was not injured in the crash. He was wearing his seatbelt.
The sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment.
Miller was charged with reckless driving.
(From a Release by the Virginia State Police)
Local News
WCSB Approves New LFK Principal; Accepts Scholarships for Baseball, Softball Seniors
The Warren County School Board unanimously approved the appointment of a new principal who will take over at Leslie Fox Keyser (LFK) Elementary School starting this summer and accepted baseball and softball scholarships being offered by the Front Royal Cardinals for four seniors attending Warren County Public Schools (WCPS).
Board chair Kristen Pence, vice chair Antoinette Funk, and board members Andrea Lo, Thomas McFadden, Jr., and Melanie Salins, during their regular meeting on Wednesday, May 1, voted 5-0 to have Jennifer Cameron appointed as the LFK principal effective July 1.
“Ms. Cameron is an experienced educator and leader in Warren County,” said WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger in recommending her appointment to the School Board.
Previously, Cameron has taught as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher and has experience as a literacy coach who supported grade-level teachers in her school building, Ballenger said, adding that as an administrator, Cameron has served as the dean of students and as an assistant principal.
“During her years of service, Ms. Cameron was selected as the Rotary Teacher of the Year in 2008 and was the [WCPS] Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2015-2016,” he added.
As a leader, Ballenger also said that Cameron has been integral in transforming E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School and has served as the chair for the division’s Attendance Committee for the past two years.
“Ms. Cameron is a great fit for LFK, and I know that her skill set will continue to move LFK forward,” said the superintendent.
Following the board’s vote, Cameron told board members she was honored to accept the LFK principal position and said she’s excited to rejoin the Lil’ Cat family.
“Thank you for entrusting me with this opportunity to nurture young minds and to foster the continued excellence of LFK,” she said. “I look forward to working with you to continue the path to excellence at Warren County Public Schools. I’m truly humbled at this huge responsibility that you have entrusted to me, and I look forward to the coming school year and this new adventure that awaits me.”
In other action items, the School Board unanimously accepted four scholarships with gratitude from the Front Royal Cardinals and approved the donation of auditorium seating from E. Wilson Morrison (EWM) Elementary School.
Donna Settle, president of Front Royal Cardinals Baseball, a nonprofit organization that is part of the Valley Baseball League, said that as part of the group’s fundraising activities, the board will sponsor Little League for both girls and boys and will give back to the WCPS baseball and softball programs.
“This year, our board has voted to bring scholarships back to Warren County,” Settle told the board. “I know we’re a little late in the season, but we have enough money set aside for the scholarships for the 2024 student-athletes.”
There are four new $500 scholarship opportunities beginning with the Class of 2024 that are available for a Skyline baseball and softball senior who plans to continue their education and for a Warren County baseball and softball senior who plans to continue their education.
The School Board also voted 5-0 to permit two auditorium seats to be donated to Robert MacDougall, founding principal of Transform Development, a commercial landlord and developer based in the Shenandoah Valley.
Seating in the EWM auditorium, which is being renovated to provide an indoor facility for students and staff, has been removed and is set to go to auction. MacDougall offered a facility to store the auditorium seating until they could be auctioned.
With the School Board’s blessing, WCPS will now donate two seats to MacDougall, who will display them in the theater once its renovation is completed.
Regarding a request to have the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) appropriate the fiscal year 2022 School Operating Fund Surplus, the School Board voted unanimously to table the item to a work session and FY2025 budget resolution.
Ballenger explained that the total fiscal year 2021-2022 school operating surplus is $973,098, and said it was being requested that the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) appropriate $300,000 of the surplus to the School Transportation Fund that is held by the County and the remaining $673,098 to the School Capital Improvement Fund that is also held by the County.
The $300,000 designated for the Transportation Fund was originally included in the FY2025 Proposed School Operating Budget to purchase replacement buses and vehicle(s) but has since been removed contingent upon the funding appropriated to the Transportation Fund, he said.
Of the $673,098 requested for the County’s School Capital Improvement Fund, $40,000 was originally included in the FY2025 Proposed School Operating Budget to cover the repair/replacement of the chiller at Hilda J Barbour Elementary School and to upgrade the HVAC management systems at several schools. The remaining balance ($633,098) being requested for the Capital Improvement Fund would be requested at a future date for other capital priorities, such as the replacement of the tennis courts at the high schools.
As the budget process continues unfolding for both WCPS and the BOS, the School Board members agreed to work more on the item before taking action.
During the School Board’s community participation portion of its meeting, Leslie Mathews (above), a parent with two children attending Skyline Middle School, said that some of the School Board members are using the concerns expressed through emails by parents as “a crutch” for their own political motives. She called it a disgrace.
“I and we parents are only given three minutes a month [during School Board meetings] to get up here and express our concerns to you, or we’re told we can email you,” said Mathews. “But I no longer trust that method of emailing.”
Mathews, who last fall unsuccessfully challenged School Board incumbent Pence for the South River School Board seat, said “it’s such a disgrace for you as a public servant to go and encourage others to FOIA the concerns of parents who are not like-minded as yourself.
“So, therefore, our concerns are going public,” said Mathews, who didn’t name names. “If we want more positive in Warren County Public Schools, then we need to start at our leadership.”
Chamber News
Front Royal Welcomes CBM Team of Supreme Lending with Enthusiasm and Optimism
Front Royal, Virginia, celebrated a significant business merger that marks a promising future for local economic development. The CBM Team, a longstanding local business entity, has officially joined forces with Supreme Lending, expanding its reach and capacity to serve the community more effectively.
Nike Foster, Executive Director of the Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Lori Cockrell welcomed the CBM Team to our community. The event underscored a vibrant community spirit and the potential for economic growth. Byron Biggs, Chairman of the Chamber, highlighted the merger as a symbol of positive evolution in the local business landscape. It is now poised to extend its influence beyond Virginia.
Mayor Cockrell shared personal anecdotes, reflecting on the profound local ties and the exceptional character of the individuals involved, particularly noting the entrepreneurial spirit of Cory Michael, a former student of hers and now a regional manager for Team CBM. Her words painted a picture of a community that values deep personal connections and collective growth.
The merger promises substantial benefits to Front Royal, bringing enhanced services and opportunities for home ownership that were previously out of reach for many residents. This union is a merger of two companies and a fusion of cultures and aspirations, aiming to enrich the local community while maintaining the cherished CBM brand identity.
Attendees left the event with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the future, confident in the continued prosperity and communal strength of Front Royal.
Local News
Congratulations to Warren County High School Seniors – Class of 2024
Royal Examiner presents the Warren County High School Class of 2024. Congratulations to these wonderful seniors on their hard work and deserved accomplishments! We wish you the best in your next big endeavors. Photos courtesy of Victor O’Neill Studios and Tolliver Studios, LLC.
If your Warren County senior is not listed, please send in their Name and Senior Picture to news@royalexaminer.com.