The Battle of Monterey Pass

The Battle of Monterey Pass. Custer Moves Forward. At the Monterey Pass, Union General Judson Kilpatrick divided his cavalry division, sending portions of the 1st Michigan to Fairfield Gap to attack the wagon train as it entered the Maria Furnace Road. He also ordered the 1st Vermont Cavalry to attack the wagons as they entered the Cumberland Valley. General Kilpatrick ordered Union General George Custer to move forward and cut the wagon train in half as it entered the main turnpike ahead, and moved toward Ringgold, Maryland. . . Nothing could have prepared the Union cavalry for what they would experience that night. As the Union cavalry moved into this area, all conventional warfare tactics would prove useless. As heavy fighting broke out in these woods, much of the fighting was in close proximity to the “inky darkness.” . . The mountain terrain itself would be another obstacle for the Union cavalry as they deployed. Hillsides with rock cropping and underbrush mad it difficult to navigate through the woods. To make matters worse, the thunderstorm began to re-intensify, adding to the misery of the battlefield conditions. . . Not knowing where your enemy was located until a bright flash of light from a muzzle near you would be the final touch of horror for the Union cavalry soldier. Cutting the wagon train in half would not be an easy task. . This historical marker is in Washington Township in Franklin County Pennsylvania