Military
As both armies advanced to combat on Sitlington's Hill, they used ravines to reach the top. Most Confederate troops used a ravine that provided a direct route to the height, while during the battle Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson remained on the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and directed reinforcements up through that ravine and over the ridge to Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's beleaguered Confederates at the top of the hill. Jackson also placed the 31st Virginia Infantry along the pike near the bottom of the ravine to prevent Union infantry from using it to get behind the Confederates. Federal troops used a ravine on the other side of the height to advance up the western slope of the hill. Union Col. Nathaniel McLean's attacking force, consisting of the 25th Ohio and 75th Ohio Infantry, crossed the Bullpasture River, then followed a road parallel to the river for several hundred yards before turning left and starting up the ravine. Progress through the ravines was slow, tedious, and tiring, and the rugged terrain took a heavy toll on the troops even before they neared the top and the inferno of battle.
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