Leverage the buying power of 39-1 and help us save 126 Acres of the Cross Keys Battlefield!

Once again, you and I stand in the breach. We are the only hope for the preservation of a key battlefield property – this time at Cross Keys where Jackson placed Ewell to fight Fremont during the last days of the Valley Campaign. Right now, a 126-acre parcel— nestled in the very center of the Cross Keys Battlefield—is unprotected and in the path of the rapid development surging out of Harrisonburg.

If we can raise just $21,000, we will be able to unlock more than $836,000 of state and federal funding needed to secure a permanent preservation easement and forever protect this property from being bulldozed for rooftops or being covered with solar panels. 

$21,000 is all it will take to cover the cost of the survey, appraisal and legal work to get this project put together and preserve this property forever. That $21,000 is like a jar of water at an old hand pump. Move the handle of the pump a hundred times and no water will flow. But open that jar and pour a few cups of water down the neck of the pump and then work the handle . . . the water will gush from the spout. All it took was a little bit of water to prime the pump, and all that’s needed to protect this land in the heart of the Cross Keys Battlefield is just a little bit of investment from you and me. 

As one of the most awe-inspiring hallowed landscapes in the country, we’ve focused a lot of energy and effort on protecting Cross Keys over the last 30 years. Its scenic beauty and historic significance inspire the visitor with breath taking views and the high drama and national impact of the battle that unfolded there. 

Together, over the last several years, we’ve preserved 366 acres in three separate land deals protecting some of the most critically important parts of the battlefield. In addition, we received the gift of the 50-acre Widow Pence property that had previously been preserved by the Hess family and what was formerly the Civil War Preservation Trust. 

If you look at the map that I’ve included with this letter, you’ll see those lands marked in blue and you’ll immediately notice that most of what we have been able to protect forms a ring around the center of the battlefield. Preserving these additional 126 acres will help us begin to protect that area in the heart of the battlefield that we have not yet been able to preserve. 

This will be a preservation victory for sure – but don’t forget, saving this property will also be a victory for battlefield interpretation! As you probably know, we’ve recently added trails and interpretive signage at Cross Keys that when combined with our new visitor maps and audio tour are transforming the visitor experience. We’ve also had highway signage installed to guide visitors to the battlefield that has resulted in a marked increase in visitation. Our easement on this property will include new access for visitors to a part of the battlefield that has never before been open to the public. 

This isn’t just any 126 acres. This is the historic Evers Farm, where the course of the battle changed and the spot where General Fremont lost his confidence, allowing for a Confederate victory and enabling Ewell’s force to slip away and join Jackson at Port Republic. Of course, there are multiple places on this battlefield that figured prominently into the outcome of the battle but none that held more promise or potential for the Federals than the high ground on the Evers Farm.

Across this property Fremont arranged two brigades of his army and placed portions of no less than four batteries of cannon. Yet the advance launched from here was uncoordinated, leaving the 8th New York Infantry to stumble into the Confederate line of General Isaac Trimble unsupported. The New Yorkers were surprised and decimated when men from Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama rose from behind a fence and unleashed a withering volley at point blank range. Those not killed or debilitated by their wounds ran toward the rear with the southern soldiers firing at least several more volleys into their backs as they fled. 

The remnants of the 8th New York reached the relative safety of a rise of ground situated on the southern edge of the 126 acres we now have the opportunity to preserve. It was there that they halted, reformed their lines and took stock of the disaster they had just experienced. The 27th Pennsylvania Infantry and Buell’s Virginia Battery (Union) had been in position along this same piece of high ground and were soon joined by an element of the Pennsylvania Bucktails. 

Seeing the battery and handful of Infantry on the rise and exposed in front of the rest of the Union Amy’s left flank, Trimble was determined to press his advantage and attack. He left the Georgians and Mississippians with instructions to advance when they heard his attack begin and took the 15th Alabama around to assault the Federals from the flank. Elements of the 15th Alabama would attack the position twice, finally driving off the Federals when the 21st Georgia and 17th Mississippi joined the assault. Walker’s Brigade of Virginians swung into action on the right of the 15th Alabama and any thought by Fremont of pushing his army forward against the main Confederate defense at Mill Creek Ridge quickly faded.

This ground, the ground that you and I now have the chance to preserve forever, was witness to some of the most intense fighting of the battle. Now that fight is ours, and we have everything in place to win the day. If we can raise just $21,000 we can purchase an easement worth almost a million dollars! 

This is an unbelievable opportunity! And one that could not come soon enough. 

Harrisonburg’s explosive growth is encroaching on every remaining piece of open land. Without an easement, the Evers Farm could easily be carved into housing lots, sold for solar energy production or even developed into retail centers. Once modern development envelopes these fields, the chance to experience Cross Keys as a Civil War landscape will vanish forever. 

Join the fight at Cross Keys by making your contribution today. Unlocking more than $836,000 by raising $21,000 means that every dollar will be matched with federal and state funds by more than 39 to 1!!!! That means every dollar that you contribute will have the buying power of more than $39!!! Please take part in this campaign and help claim victory on the field at Cross Keys!