Perennial InnTrail Rides
- Shenandoah National Park
- Graves Mountain
- Wildcat Mountain (Mosby’s Raiders Ride)
- Kelly’s Ford
- Cedar Mountain
- Manassas Battlefield
- Black Horse Cavalry
Talk with the Inn Keepers to help decide which trail rides are right for you.
Shenandoah National Park Ride
This ride is minutes from Luray Caverns, in the foot hills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley. Personable trail guides will take you on an adventurous ride through miles of quiet breathtaking trails shared by various wildlife that roam the property. See the wonders from shaded, safe trails as you stroll past the rolling waters of the Hawksbill Creek. Ride through beautiful country fields surrounded by a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains where the Skyline Drive is located. Gallop to the top for lunch and on the way home pass by waterfalls and scenic vistas, catch a glimpse of bear cub or bald eagle.
Graves Mountain Ride
These beautiful trails, mostly in Madison county, Virginia, are a little-known resource for riders who are looking for a place where there are both easy and challenging trails, and where there are loops that range from a couple of miles to 20, 30 or more miles. Most of the trails do double duty as hiking trails or fire roads and are maintained by the Park Service or private landowners such as the Graves family!
It is said the armies of the South marched across the mountains on some of these trails during the civil war. Others are really more like roads -- one was famously used by President Hoover and his guests as they traveled to and from the presidential Camp Rapidan to fish for trout or relax on the porches. Today, one can ride to what is now named Camp Hoover and visit the mothballed log cabins.
Deep in the hollows and woods of the Park are the ghosts of past inhabitants, (though never fear, they will not scare your horse). Tumbled down stone walls, odd piles of stones, graveyards, ruined chimney stacks, and even terraces where stones and rocks were cleared so corn could be planted on the steep hillsides; these are the remains of the homesteads and small communities that once dotted the area. The residents of these hardscrabble farms were disinvited from the area when the Park was created and rehoused courtesy of the U.S. government. Some were no doubt happy to leave, but some were coerced and others were just plain kicked out. Hollows such as Berry, Weakly, Shotwell and Gibson are named for the families who lived there.
There are only two times of the year when it may be best to stay away. First, even though it is often 8 or 10 degrees cooler up here than it is elsewhere, midsummer is hard on the horses and few people ride on a humid August day. Snow and ice are not much fun and, on days when the ground is thawing, the footing can be slick and treacherous. So riders tend to stay off the trails in January, and the first two weeks of February unless, of course, a sunny day comes along when the ground is dry.
Hunting seasons need not scare anyone away since hunting is prohibited in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and, with a little planning, it is relatively easy to ride on back roads into the Park without fear of being mistaken for a deer.
Besides, what better time than fall, when the leaves are off the trees, to ride up to Skyline Drive? The views along the way are magnificent and nothing beats a cup of hot chocolate or coffee when you get to the top. And lunch at the Lodge when you get to the end of the trail!
There are trails for every level of expertise from just-barely-able-to-hang-on beginners to people who are conditioning their horses for the Old Dominion 100 mile ride. There are wide, easy to ride trails that meander around Graves Mountain apple orchards for two, three, five or more miles. There are a couple of nice 15 to 20 mile loops that take you up 2000 feet and back down a couple of times - something your horse may feel is excessive. There are wide trails, narrow trails and everything in between. There are trails that are rough and trails that are smooth, trails that everyone knows, and there are a few that a darn near secret. The options are all there, and part of the fun is scouting the trails and figuring out which ones are worth revisiting.
Wildcat Mountain - Mosby’s Raiders Ride
Smack in the middle of ‘The Grey Ghost’s”, John Mosby’s, stomping grounds, the top of Wild Cat Mountain provides lookouts with a view of three states. You will cross lush pastures, gallop up mountain trails through the woods, watch out for the bears! Listen to the fabulous exploits of one of the Civil War’s most famous rebel bands and a real local hero or infamous character depending upon the color of your coat (blue or grey!).
The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders or Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Noted for their lightning strikes on Union targets and their ability to consistently elude pursuit, the Rangers disrupted Federal communications and supply lines.
The 43rd Battalion was formed on June 10, 1863, at Rector's Cross Roads, near Rectortown, Virginia, when John S. Mosby formed Company A of the battalion. Mosby was acting under the authority of General Robert E. Lee, who had granted him permission to raise a company in January 1863 under the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862, in which the Confederate Congress authorized the formation of such units. By the summer of 1864, Mosby's battalion had grown to six cavalry companies and one artillery company, comprising about 400 men. After February 1864, the Confederate Congress revoked the authority of all partisan units, except for two, one of which was the 43rd Battalion. The battalion never formally surrendered, but was disbanded on April 21, 1865, after General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, but not before attempting to negotiate surrender with Major General Winfield S. Hancock in Winchester, Virginia.
It has been claimed by some that the activities of partisan ranger bands in northern and western Virginia, especially those of John S. Mosby, may have prevented a Union victory in the summer or fall of 1864. A Virginian with a penchant for violence, Mosby had been practicing law at the outbreak of the war. His assignments included: private, lst Virginia Cavalry (1861); first lieutenant, 1st Virginia Cavalry (February 1862); Captain, PACS (March 15, 1863); Major, PACS (March 26, 1863); major, 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion June 10, 1863); Lieutenant Colonel, 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion January 21, 1864); and Colonel, Mosby's (Va.) Cavalry Regiment (December 7, 1864).
Originally an enlisted man and officer in the 1st Virginia Cavalry, he came into conflict with that unit's colonel, "Grumble Jones," and joined JEB Stuart's staff as a scout. During the Peninsula Campaign he paved the way for Stuart's famous ride around McClellan. After a brief period of captivity in July 1862 he rejoined Stuart and was rewarded with the authority to raise a band of partisans for service in the Loudoun Valley in northern Virginia. Originally a battalion, his command was raised to a regiment in the last months of the war.
In the meantime he managed to wreak havoc among the Union supply lines, forcing field commanders to detach large numbers of troops to guard their communications. His forays took him within the lines guarding Washington, with Mosby himself often doing the advance scouting in disguise.
Early in 1863, with 29 men, he rode into Fairfax Court House and roused Union General Edwin H. Stoughton from bed with a slap on the rear end. Following the capture of Generals Crook and Kelley by McNeil's partisans, Mosby complimented them, stating that he would have to ride into Washington and bring out Abraham Lincoln to top their success. On another occasion he came near capturing the train on which Grant was traveling.
The disruption of supply lines and the constant disappearance of couriers frustrated army, and lesser-group, commanders to such a degree that some took to the summary execution of guerrillas, i.e. partisan rangers. George Custer executed six of Mosby's men in 1864, and the partisan chief retaliated with seven of Custer's. A note attached to one of the bodies stated that Mosby would treat all further captives as prisoners of war unless Custer committed some new act of cruelty. The killings stopped.
With the surrender of Lee, Mosby simply disbanded his command on April 20, 1865, rather than formally surrender. While the partisans were certainly a nuisance to federal commanders, it is an open question as to how effective they were in prolonging the conflict. Many Southerners were very critical of the partisans, only some Southerners excepting Mosby's command.
Not pardoned until 1866, Mosby practiced law and befriended Grant. For supporting Grant, a Republican, in the 1868 and 1872 elections, he earned the emnity of many Southerners. He received an appointment as U.S. consul in Hong Kong and other government posts. (Jones, Virgil Carrington, Ranger Mosby)
Kelly’s Ford Ride
Kelly’s Ford was one of the early larger scale cavalry fights in Virginia that set the stage for Brandy Station and cavalry actions of the Gettysburg campaign. Twenty-one hundred troopers of Averell’s cavalry division crossed the Rappahannock River to attack the Confederate cavalry. Fitzhugh Lee counterattacked with a brigade of about 800 men. The “Gallant” Pelham was killed. After achieving a localized success, Union forces withdrew in mid-afternoon.
The property is now home to an equestrian facility and Inn. We will ride the battlefields and hear the tails of bravery on both sides. The site contains a cross country schooling area providing interesting obstacles for those that are qualified. River crossing will be required. Lunch at Pelham’s Pub will finish off the ride.
Following the December 1862 Federal debacle at Fredericksburg, and the infamous Mud March of January 1863, both armies settled into winter camps on opposite sides of the Rappahannock River. Several cavalry raids and skirmishes broke the dull routine of camp life during the long winter. The largest and most important of these occurred on March 17, 1863, near the Rappahannock crossing at Kelly's Ford. This was "the first purely cavalry fight east of the Mississippi River" of any appreciable size - 3,000 Yankees confronted 800 Rebels. The battle was the first opportunity for the Union cavalry to amass a significant force, because the horsemen had been concentrated into a corps only a few weeks earlier.
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- Newby's or Dean's Shop: Once the place of a blacksmith shop, where Fitzhugh Lee's last charge of the battle began.
- Carter's Run: The final charges of the battle occurred at Carter's Run, first a Confederate charge followed by a Federal counterattack.
- Level Green - the Brannin House: The original portion of this privately-owned English-style farmhouse was built c. 1780. Owned by Fielding Brannin during the war, a bloody footstep on every step of a stairway serves as testimony to its use as a hospital.
- Stone Wall and Mortal Wounding of Pelham Monument: Most of the fighting occurred in this vicinity. Union troopers were positioned behind the stone wall along a path, and Confederates attacked across what was once an open field. About 300 yards down a path is a marker near the spot of Pelham's fatal wounding.
- Kelly's Ford: The river crossing was about 300 yards downstream from today's modern bridge. The west bank of the Rappahannock River was occupied by Confederate defenders when the battle began.
Cedar Mountain Ride
Here, Stonewall Jackson confronted elements of Union Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia here on Aug. 9, 1862, and got quite a scare. The Confederates gained a narrow victory and continued north toward Manassas.
Just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cedar Mountain is a twin peak rising roughly 300 feet above the fertile farmland below. Some locals call the mountain Slaughter Mountain from the name of a family that owned the land on the north end of the mountain (where the battle occurred). The North Fork of Cedar Run is big enough to be an obstacle to advancing troops, but the South Fork and other tributaries are much too small to be of any value to a commander.
On August 9, 1862, Confederates found part of Pope's Army, a corps under Nathaniel Banks north of Cedar Mountain. Jackson ordered Jubal Early to attack while Richard Ewell moved to the right in an attempt to flank the bluecoats. Confederates, under the command of Sidney Winder and A. P. Hill were also moving north along the Orange-Culpepper Road west of Cedar Mountain. Pope had ordered Banks to block Jackson to give the Army of Virginia more time to concentrate its forces. Banks, who had been Jackson's opponent in the earlier Shenandoah Valley Campaign sought to end Jackson's advance quickly with an aggressive move.
The Battle of Cedar Mountain introduced John Pope to the way war was waged under Lee and Jackson, and served to set-up Pope for his defeat three weeks later at Second Bull Run. Before the Battle of Cedar Mountain Pope seemed decisive and bold on the field and in communications. After Nathaniel Banks' defeat Pope seemed worried about maintaining lines of supply and more importantly, a line of retreat.
The property is currently owned by the Inskeep family. They have a large farming enterprise mixing cattle with hay, soybeans, and corn production. The family is very supportive of the Bull Run Hunt and it is with their permission we will ride this hallowed ground and hear the shouts and shots of the opposing armies. Many of the trenches are still visible on the mountain and sometimes the fog and mist replicates the smoke and dust of that terrifying day.
Manassas Battlefield Ride
Explore Two Great Battles of the American Civil War. In the summer of 1861, enthusiastic volunteers in colorful uniforms gathered to fight the first major land battle of the war. Confident that their foes would turn and run, neither side anticipated the smoke, din and death of battle. Nearly one year later, both sides met again on the same battlefield with the Confederates winning a solid victory bringing them to the height of their power.
Battle of First Manassas
On a warm July day in 1861, two armies of a divided nation clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking Bull Run. Ten hours of heavy fighting swept away any notion the war's outcome would be decided quickly.
Cheers rang out in the streets of Washington on July 16, 1861 as Gen. Irvin McDowell’s army, 35,000 strong, marched out to begin the long-awaited campaign to capture Richmond and end the war. It was an army of green recruits, few of whom had the faintest idea of the magnitude of the task facing them. But their swaggering gait showed that none doubted the outcome. As excitement spread, many citizens and congressman with wine and picnic baskets followed the army into the field to watch what all expected would be a colorful show.
These troops were 90-day volunteers summoned by President Abraham Lincoln after the startling news of Fort Sumter burst over the nation in April 1861. Called from shops and farms, they had little knowledge of what war would mean. The first day’s march covered only five miles, as many straggled to pick blackberries or fill canteens.
Battle of Second Manassas
In August 1862, Union and Confederate armies converged for a second time on the plains of Manassas. The contending armies, now made up of seasoned veterans, knew well the realities of war. The Battle of Second Manassas, covering three days, produced far greater carnage and brought the Confederacy to the height of its power.
After the Union defeat at Manassas in July 1861, Gen. George B. McClellan took command of the Federal forces in and around Washington and organized them into a formidable fighting machine- the Army of the Potomac. In March 1862, leaving a strong force to cover the capital, McClellan shifted his army by water to Forty Monroe on the tip of the York-James peninsular, only 100 miles southeast of Richmond. Early in April he advanced toward the Confederate capital.
Anticipating such a move, the Southerners abandoned the Manassas area and marched to meet the Federals. By the end of May, McClellan’s troops were within sight of Richmond. Here Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate army assailed the Federals in the bloody but inconclusive Battle of Seven Pines. Johnston was wounded, and President Davis placed Gen. Robert E. Lee in command. Seizing the offensive, Lee sent his force (now called the Army of Northern Virginia) across the Chickahominy River and, in a series of savage battles, pushed McClellan back from the edge of Richmond to a position on the James River.
Black Horse Calvalry
The men of the Black Horse Cavalry will entertain you and challenge you to feel what is what like on those battlefields in the 1860’s.
The 4th Virginia, Company H is a group of living historians established for the purpose of challenging our horses and each other in accurately reenacting and honoring cavalrymen of the past.
Specifically, we want to learn about the American Civil War and present a proper historical interpretation of our unit, honoring the original Black Horse of Fauquier County and the brave men who fought in it.
This is a cavalry unit. We equip and train ourselves as authentic, disciplined Confederate cavalry. Above all, we consider ourselves a band of brothers and hope that the friendships we build here will last a lifetime. The unit was founded in 1972 and currently has 30 members with 4 new recruits.