Battle of Cross Keys

Battle of Cross Keys (HMALV)

Location: Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 21.197', W 78° 49.019'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 841 views
Inscription

Immigrant Soldiers

— 1862 Valley Campaign —

Many immigrants fought for the North and the South during the Civil War. Their numbers were especially high in Gen. Louis Blenker's division of Gen. John C. Fremont's union army at Cross Keys on June 8, 1862.

Two Germans (Gen. Henry Bohlen and Col. John Koltes) and one Hungarian (Gen. Julius Stahel) commanded Blenker's three brigades on this part of the field. Blenker and his lieutenants had been officers in European revolutions during the 1840s.

German, Swiss, Irish, English, Italians, Russians, Algerians, Sepoys, Turks, Frenchmen, Poles, Croats, Hungarians, and Chinese fought with Blenker's "melting pot" division. One of Fremont's staff officers, a Romanian, Capt. R. Nicolai Dunka, was killed delivering a message to the front here.

Most immigrants fought for their adopted country and lived here after the war. Others sought military experience so they could return to their native countries to fight in or command revolutionary armies.
Details
HM NumberHMALV
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Year Placed2003
Placed ByShenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation & Virginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 11:14am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 690750 N 4247269
Decimal Degrees38.35328333, -78.81698333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 21.197', W 78° 49.019'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 21' 11.82" N, 78° 49' 1.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 7449-7471 State Rte 708, Harrisonburg VA 22801, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?
© 2025  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us