The Battle of Cedar Mountain
August 9, 1862
In the summer of 1862 General John Pope formed the Federal Army of Virginia. While the elements of this new 63,000-man army were converging upon Culpeper, Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson saw that part of the Union army - 12,000 men led by Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks - had become isolated here beside Cedar Mountain. Jackson took the opportunity to attack. On the blistering hot afternoon of August 9 the armies clashed in a mismanaged battle, but in the end, Jackson's 24,000 soldiers prevailed. As the battle subsided in the twilight, Confederates learned that Pope's army had been reinforced by the arrival of troops under Gen. Irvin McDowell. Though Jackson had won the battle, he had little choice but to retreat. Soon Robert E. Lee's entire Confederate Army of Northern Virginia gathered at Clark's Mountain, visible in the distance to your right, to launch the campaign that ended in the Second Battle of Manassas, August 28-30, where Jackson once again defeated Pope.
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This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
Marker is at the intersection of General Winder Road (County Route 657) and James Madison Highway (U.S. 15), on the right when traveling west on General Winder Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
