Brown’s Gap, three-quarters of a mile north, was one of the strategic mountain passes used in the spring of 1862 by Stonewall Jackson near the beginning and end of his whirlwind offensive. His secret military strategy took full advantage of the complex topography to divide, confuse, or defeat piece-meal, over 45,000 Union soldiers engaged in a futile attempt to ensnare him. In 40 days, his 17,000 troops won five battles, maneuvering over 400 miles through the Shenandoah Valley and adjacent mountains.