After riding through a gauntlet of Union troops in Salisbury Township, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders desperately needed time to reorganize and rest. The fight had taken a toll on their physical reserves and cost lives. The Confederates paused at Rock Springs to count their losses. The Middleport militia, who manned the end of the Union line that formed the gauntlet, pressed the rear of the Confederate column. Morgan's rear guard, commanded by Major Thomas Webber, managed to beat them back but sustained high losses. Arriving at Rock Springs about noon on July 18, 1863, the weary Confederates filled their canteens and tended to their wounded.