Following the Battle of McDowell on May 8th 1862, Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson pursued retreating Union forces under the command of Generals Schenck and Milroy to Franklin. As was his custom, Jackson called for a day of prayer and thanksgiving for the victory at McDowell. Near this site, at 10 o'clock on Monday May 12, the divine services began. The services were never concluded, because during them a courier, riding hard and far on a horse covered with sweat and froth, galloped up to Jackson and handed him a dispatch ordering a return to the Shenandoah Valley. Jackson read it and passed a hastily scribbled note to the chaplain in the midst of his sermon, and the chaplain then abruptly ended the service with the benediction.