Battle of Cedar Mountain

Undeterred by heavy artillery fire, Stonewall Jackson formed his men in a mile-long battle line from the trees on the left to the shelf of Cedar Mountain on the right and placed his cannons in three positions, including near the Crittenden Gate, near the Crittenden Farm buildings, and on the mountain shelf. Confederate and Federal artillery dueled for two hours as Ewell's and Winder's Divisions came onto the field, and some shells burst among Confederate infantry, forcing them to leave the road and move through the trees to their positions. During this fighting, Gen. Charles S. Winder was mortally wounded. Union Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks had only 8,000 men against Jackson's force of more than 22,000, but Gen. A.P. Hill's Division had not yet arrived when Banks ordered an attack. At about 5 p.m., as the artillery fire lifted, the Ohioans, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and Marylanders of Gen. Christopher C. Augur's division advanced against the center of the Confederate line. Jackson had hoped to attack Banks while he was isolated from the rest of Pope's army, but Banks's advance forced Jackson to react to the Federal assault.

Virginia · United States