Military
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By the Civil War, the Coaling at Port Republic was nearly devoid of trees because the timber had been used to produce charcoal, and during the Battle of Port Republic it became the key Federal artillery position. Federal commander Brigadier General Erastus Tyler deployed 3,000 infantry and 3 batteries of artillery from a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the Coaling, and for three-quarters of a mile to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, creating a strong line. Early on June 9, 1862, Confederate Major General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, fresh from victory the day before at Cross Keys, attacked this position. His leading unit, the Stonewall Brigade, was repulsed twice by intense musketry and canister fire. The Federals on the right then counterattacked and drove the Confederates back nearly one-half mile, leaving Jackson in a precarious position until additional Confederate units began approaching the field.
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Virginia · United States
