Sugarloaf Mountain rose over a sharp cavalry fight connected to the Army of Northern Virginia's march northwest out of Frederick. The long-running action began in the late afternoon of September 9, 1862, in Barnesville and halted here. By the next morning, the 8th Illinois and 3rd Indiana Cavalry were engaged with the 7th and 9th Virginia Cavalry at Sugarloaf's southern base, while each side brought up artillery and reinforcements. Dismounted troopers of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry fired on the Federals from the mountain slope, and cannon fire rumbled and echoed off Sugarloaf throughout the day as the fight continued. By evening neither side had moved, but early on September 11, the Confederates slipped away after brief exchanges of gunfire and abandoned a mountain-top signal station. The fighting at Sugarloaf Mountain served as a successful rear guard action for the Army of Northern Virginia.
