06/08/2026
Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table Meeting on June 8, 2026
Please join us this evening on Monday, June 8th at Brock's Riverside Grill, our speaker will be Aaron Siever with the presentation of his topic, “Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic" This will be based upon his in-depth and detailed research on this topic. Please review the Outline of what will be presented.
Presentation Summation:
By the spring of 1862, things were not going well for the Confederacy. Forts Henry and Donelson had been captured in the West. George McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac was on the peninsula in Virginia, a mere 75 miles away from Richmond. Federal forces had established a bridgehead in North Carolina, and the principal rebel army in Virginia had abandoned Manassas Junction, leaving behind more food than the army would ever see again. Things looked grim. The Confederacy needed a diversion and some success.
General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was the answer. In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Jackson's campaign to mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy was exactly what the Confederacy needed. Jackson would embark on an epic campaign, tying up valuable Federal resources and men. His campaign would also wreak havoc on the Federal government itself. In 48 days, Jackson's men, given the sobriquet of "Jackson's Foot Cavalry," would march nearly 650 miles, fight countless skirmishes, and defeat three Federal armies in 5 major battles. The last two of which were fought on June 8 and June 9 at Cross Keys and Port Republic, respectively. The dual victories were not without fault, and an incident on June 8, the same day as the Battle of Cross Keys, could have changed the course of events. However, the Confederate army was indeed successful, and the Shenandoah Valley was secure for the time being. The success of this campaign, and particularly the exploits in the last two battles, emboldened the Confederates and stunned the Union forces. The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862 was exactly the shot in the arm that the Confederacy needed. The Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic were the final steps in one of the most famous campaigns of the war.
The presentation will cover a brief overview of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, the action occurring on June 6th in Harrisonburg, the setup and Battle of Cross Keys, the narrow escape of “Stonewall” Jackson in the Town of Port Republic, the same day as the Cross Keys Battle, and finally the setup and Battle of Port Republic.
Biography:
Aaron Siever grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Since he was a child he has been interested in the American Civil War.
After graduating from high school in 2003, Aaron went into a law enforcement career that spanned 15 years. During his time in law enforcement, Aaron worked lots of criminal cases but also gave presentations to the community about potential crimes such as frauds and scams. As a general instructor, Aaron was able to teach others not only about law enforcement but community service as well.
In 2004, Aaron started documenting the various Civil War sites he had visited and called this Aaron's Civil War Travels. As he traveled around, Aaron started making short videos of his travels in 2016.
Aaron created his YouTube channel that same year (Aaron's Civil War Travels) and by 2024 Aaron has done over 100 videos at Civil War related sites from Virginia to California.
In 2020, Aaron graduated from Liberty University with bachelor's degrees in History and Criminal Justice. Aaron also received a certificate in the American Civil War and Reconstruction from Columbia University online (Columbia X).
In 2021, Aaron joined the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation where he was responsible for maintaining the Valley's Civil War battlefields, overseeing projects and conducting tours and talks as a Park Ranger.
In 2024, Aaron left the foundation and started Aaron's Civil War Travels LLC.
While Aaron is in the process of writing and does not have any books published as of yet, he will gladly engage with you both before and after the dinner to discuss this interesting topic.
Times will be as before - social time at 6 PM, dinner at 6:45 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
We are now able to accommodate non-dinner attendees/spectators.
Please make dinner reservations through John Sapanara via email [email protected] or by phone 540-479-1299. He will contact you with confirmation.
Please reserve a place by the Thursday before the Monday dinner meeting date.
If you wish to be placed on the "permanent reservation" list, please advise John. Members on this list do not need to make reservations every month - their attendance is assumed unless they cancel beforehand.
Member dinner price is $35. This price also applies to non-member attendees who join at the meeting, or to guests invited by members. Non-member dinner price is $40.
