get into the rear of the Strasburg position, either capturing it or forcing its abandonment. The Confederates began their march on May 21, crossing Massanutten Mountain and entering the Page Valley to approach Front Royal. At the time of the Confederate approach, Banks had about 6,500 men in Strasburg, about 1,000 in Front Royal, and 1,000 in Winchester. Jackson did not know the exact Union strengths, but was aware that the force at Front Royal was weaker than that at Strasburg. Front Royal and Strasburg were separated by about on the more direct railroad route, although longer paths existed on roads. Battle Initial Confederate attack Jackson prepared his attack on the morning of May 23. Colonel Turner Ashby's cavalry was sent between Front Royal and Strasburg to cut telegraph lines and the railroad to prevent Union forces from moving between the two towns. Unaware that he greatly outnumbered the Union force in Front Royal, Jackson decided against attacking from the direct route, the Luray Road. Instead, Ewell's men were to take the Gooney Manor Road in a flanking attack. The Stonewall Brigade and some artillery were to remain at Asbury's Chapel, which was from Front Royal. Any Union forces withdrawing from Front Royal would have to cross both the South Fork and the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. Ecelbarger suggests that the decision to concentrate on a single road would also prevent Union escapees from Front Royal from providing Banks with an accurate estimate of the size of Jackson's command. The Confederates learned from captured pickets that the Union force in Front Royal was the 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment, so Jackson ordered the Confederate 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment to the front of the Confederate column. The Confederate Maryland regiment had recently had an incident with mutiny, but Colonel Bradley T. Johnson made a patriotic speech that energized the unit. At about 2:00pm, the Confederate attack began, with the Marylanders in front and Major Roberdeau Wheat's notoriously unruly battalion of Louisiana Tigers behind, with the rest of Brigadier General Richard Taylor's Louisiana brigade in reserve. The Maryland regiment and Wheat's men totaled about 450 men. Belle Boyd rode from the town to give Jackson information about the Union force, although historian James I. Robertson Jr. notes that Boyd's significance at Front Royal has been greatly exaggerated and historian Peter Cozzens states that Boyd "told [Jackson] little or nothing about the