Fox Meadow winery is located on top of Blue Mountain overlooking the Manassas Gap which is located less than 60 minutes west of Washington DC. We are just off of Interstate 66 in Linden, Virginia. This town is literally divided by the Warren and Fauquier county lines. The small town of Linden is the half way point through the Manassas Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Manassas Gap is “The Gateway to the Shenandoah Valley”. This gap connects the rolling hills of the Piedmont country which descends toward the Potomac River and Washington DC to the Shenandoah Valley which was one of “The breadbaskets of the Confederacy”. The Manassas Gap was a strategically important gap in the mountains during the Civil War just as it was for early settlers in the area. The Manassas Gap Railroad which runs through the gap was completed in 1854 and ran from Mount Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas Junction near Centreville.

The Manassas Gap in US Civil War

Throughout the Civil War both Union and Confederate armies used the gap to either travel north or south. On several occasions the Union army attempted to “occupy the area” with forces led by Banks, Shields, Patterson, Hunter and finally Sheridan. Alternatively, Confederate General’s Jackson, Early and Ewell all campaigned in the Valley.

The town of Linden was considered to be part of “Mosby’s Confederacy” and served as a rallying and rest points for the Confederate Rangers.  During the war numerous scrimmages took place in the Gap as one army or the other attempted to move either into the Virginia Piedmont area or the Shenandoah Valley. Detailed below are three of the most prominent battles that took place near Fox Meadow.

For those history buffs, located just a few miles west of Fox Meadow Winery is the town of Front Royal.

Front Royal and its place in the Civil War

Moving up the Luray Valley on May 23^rd 1862, Stonewall Jackson stunned the Union army by attacking with such vigor as to drive the Union soldiers from the town of Front Royal. The objective of the Confederate army was to drive all resistance from Front Royal and maneuver behind the retreating army of General Banks. It is during this engagement that the 1^st Maryland Volunteers (USA) were engaged against the 1^st Maryland CSA regiment. It was truly a “brother against brother” battle where many of the combatants knew each other. Visitors should visit the Front Royal Visitor’s Center to obtain maps and additional information on the Civil War battles in the area. Other points of interest located in Front Royal are the Bell Boyd Cottage and the Warren Rifles Museum.

The Second Battle of Front Royal / Manassas Gap May 30, 1862

After the stunning victory by Stonewall Jackson in the Battle of Front Royal on May 23^rd 1862 and his subsequent campaign up to Shenandoah Valley against General Banks, he was asked by Robert E. Lee to move up the Valley and threaten to attack Washington DC. Doing so, he eventually drove General Banks out of the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland. President Lincoln was so concerned about the turn of events that he ordered three separate Union Corps to converge on Jackson and drive him out of that area. One Corp was commanded by General McDowell located near Fredericksburg Virginia and about to move to meet General McClellan’s Army which was nearing Richmond.  McDowell dispatched General Shield’s division to proceed via the Manassas Gap followed by a 2^nd division led by General Edward Ord with an objective to trap Jackson’s Confederate Army as it retreated down the valley. Driving through the Manassas Gap on May 30^th, Shields swept aside Colonel Zephaniah Connors’s 12^th Georgia and contingents of the 8^th Louisiana Regiments to recapture Front Royal which held large quantities of supplies. This aggressive action forced Jackson to begin moving his army south to prevent being caught in the trap of converging columns of Union soldiers.

Battle of Manassas Gap July 23, 1863

This battle was a postscript to the Gettysburg campaign. This battle occurred a half mile from Linden on July 23, 1863. After retreating across the Potomac River, Lee’s Confederate Army withdrew into the Shenandoah Valley. The Union Army under General George Meade crossed the Potomac east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains provided a physical barrier separating the two armies. In Meade’s pursuit of Lee’s army he ordered Major General William French’s 3^rd Corp to cut off the Confederate army’s retreat by using the Manassas Gap as a way to stop Lee at Front Royal. Early on the morning of July 23^rd French began forcing the Confederate Brigade under Brigadier General James Walker slowly west through the gap. Late in the day a strong push threatened a collapse of the southern forces until reinforced by the artillery of Robert Rode’s division. As darkness fell the attack slowly came to an end. During the night the Confederate army withdrew into the Luray Valley and safety. On July 24^th the Union army occupied Front Royal and the battle ended.