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Middleburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Middleburg

Screening Lee’s Army

— Prelude to Gettysburg, Mosby's Confederacy —

 
 
Middleburg Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 28, 2020
1. Middleburg Marker
Inscription. During the Gettysburg Campaign in June 1863, Middleburg was the scene of major cavalry operations. On June 17, 1863, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s small force, charged with screening Gen. Robert E. Lee’s infantry moving north and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was surprised by Federal cavalry moving toward Middleburg from the south. Stuart’s troops barely escaped as Col. Alfred Duffie’s 1st Rhode Island Cavalry (275 men) poured into the town.

Under orders to hold Middleburg, Duffie barricaded the streets and sent to Aldie for reinforcements. Despite evidence that overwhelming Confederate forces were mustering for an attack, Duffie refused to abandon the town.

At dusk Gen. Beverly Robertson’s brigade of cavalry (900 men) struck, driving the outnumbered Federals from the town. The evening clash cost the 1st R.I. Cavalry six killed, nine wounded and 210 captured. Robertson’s brigade suffered 25 casualties.

On June 19, six regiments of Union cavalry under Gen. David M. Gregg drove Confederate pickets out of Middleburg, only to encounter five regiments of Confederate cavalry commanded by Robertson and Col. John Chambliss on the hill west of town. After bitter hand-to-hand fighting through the woods and behind stone walls (described by one soldier as “more of an Indian warfare than anything seen of late”)
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Stuart ordered his men to fall back. During the withdrawal, his well-known Prussian aide, Maj. Heroes von Borck, was seriously wounded. Each side suffered about 120 casualties.

Sidebar Located in the region known as “Mosby’s Confederacy,” the constant activity and success of the partisan rangers led to federal raids in and around Middleburg throughout the war.

-The Middleburg Baptist Church on Federal Street and the Ashbury Methodist Church on Jay Street were used as Hospitals.

-Casualties from these battles lie in Sharon Cemetery next to the Middleburg Baptist Church, alongside the nation’s first monument to unknown soldiers.

-Middleburg’s Freedman’s Bureau, founded by the government to assist newly freed blacks, was located in the Danning House, on the corner of Jay and Marshall Streets, known today as the Hansborough House.
 
Erected 1998 by Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1863.
 
Location. 38° 58.183′ N, 77° 44.149′ W. Marker is in Middleburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker is at the intersection of North Madison Street and West Marshall
Middleburg Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 28, 2020
2. Middleburg Marker
Street, on the right when traveling north on North Madison Street. The marker is one block north of Washington Street/John S. Mosby Highway (US 50), in a traffic triangle formed by the intersection of Madison and Marshall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Middleburg VA 20117, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lt. Col. Leven Powell (a few steps from this marker); The Red Fox Inn (within shouting distance of this marker); Sergeant Henry Milton Seaton (within shouting distance of this marker); Middleburg Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Bridled Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Battle of Middleburg (approx. ¼ mile away); To The Unknown Dead. (approx. 0.3 miles away); Phase Two of the Battle: Fighting Along the Turnpike (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middleburg.
 
More about this marker. The marker features pictures of Col. Alfred Duffie and Major Heroes von Borck. A map of Middleburg plots locations mentioned in the sidebar.

The marker displays two brass tags on the lower frame. One reads “Funded by Middleburg Beautification and Preservation, Inc. 1997, Dedicated September 1998”. The other reads “Middleburg - A part of the John Singleton Mosby Heritage Area,, Established in 1995”.
 
Regarding Middleburg.
Asbury Methodist Church image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 29, 2007
3. Asbury Methodist Church
The old church building was used as a hospital during the war.
"Heros von Borcke" is listed on Wikipedia with that spelling.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.
 
Additional keywords. Gettysburg Campaign, Mosby’s Confederacy
 
Middleburg Baptist Church image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 22, 2007
4. Middleburg Baptist Church
South of the marker on Federal Street, this church was also used as a hospital.
Sharon Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 29, 2007
5. Sharon Cemetery
A monument to unknown casualties of the fighting around Middleburg is surrounded by a circle of headstones of Confederate soldiers.
Hansborough House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 29, 2007
6. Hansborough House
Standing on the corner of Jay and Marshall Streets, the Hansborough House dates to the early 1800s. The front frame section was added in the 1840s, while the log portion at the back is part of the original construction. The house was built by Leven Powell, founder of Middelburg. After the Civil War, the government established a Freedman's Bureau office here, and the location has been called "Bureau Corner" in reference.
An additional view of the Hansborough House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 21, 2016
7. An additional view of the Hansborough House
Lorman Chancellor House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 21, 2016
8. Lorman Chancellor House
Home of Middleburg’s Civil War Mayor Lorman Chancellor, a close friend of John Mosby. On March 8, 1863, Mosby ate dinner here prior to his acclaimed Fairfax Courthouse Raid. The house is located at 301 East Washington Street.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,175 times since then and 11 times this year. Last updated on March 1, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.   3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 30, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.   7, 8. submitted on April 24, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024