McCausland Attacks
Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail
Near the site, on the morning of June 21, 1864, Union Major General David Hunter’s ambulances, artillery, and supply and munitions wagons crossed the ford at Mason’s Creek. The wagon train stalled, and was left unprotected because U.S. Brig. General Alexander Duffie had moved his cavalry ahead to Catawba Mountain.
Just before 9:00 A.M., Confederate Major General Robert Ransom turned over his front-line cavalry to Confederate Brig. General John McCausland, and some sixty of those troops rode down through Hanging Rock Gap to attack the exposed wagons and artillery. The Confederate cavalry palyed havoc with the Union cannons, munitions wagons, and their drivers.
When he heard the explosions and noises of battle, Hunter ordered Brig. General William Averell’s cavalry forward, along with infantry support, to fight off McCausland’s assault. The arrival of Averell’s soldiers forced the Confederates to pull back from the gap.
Marker can be reached from the intersection of Thompson Memorial Drive (Virginia Route 311) and Kessler Mill Drive.
Courtesy hmdb.org
