The Second Battle of Kernstown

The Second Battle of Kernstown. Two U.S. Presidents Fought at Kernstown. , Colonel James A. Mulligan's Union command of 1,800 men encamped on these heights on the night of July 23, 1864, when Confederate cavalry drove Union cavalry back toward Kernstown on the morning of the 24th, Mulligan deployed two cannons on the hill checking the Confederate advance. Mulligan subsequently advanced his small command to the support of the Union cavalry., Mulligan's immediate supervisor, Major General George Crook, doubted several reports indicating the presence of Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early's entire Confederate army at Kernstown. Instead, Crook ordered an attack. Future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes led his 1,300 Ohioans and West Virginians into position on the east side of the Valley Pike, advancing with Mulligan. Minutes later, Major General John C. Breckinridge's Confederates advanced from behind the ridge to the east (containing present-day I-81), striking Hayes in his flank and rear, and throwing most of his troop into the utmost confusion. Colonel Hayes rallied what men he could on Pritchard's Hill. While Mulligan's men made a brief stand along the lane at the foot of the hill., From the hill, Hayes saw the 13th West Virginia Infantry located in an orchard (where the present day Saturn dealer is located) to the east, bravely but vainly resisting Breckinridge's attack. Hayes sent his young aide Lieutenant William McKinley, another future U.S. President, to retrieve the "Mountaineers" from the orchard before they were overwhelmed. Riding amidst a torrent of artillery and rifle fire, McKinley reached them and delivered Hayes's order to withdraw. The 13th West Virginia fired one last volley and retreated to Winchester., Among the attacking Confederates were Colonel George S. Patton, grandfather of the famous World War II commander and Swedish-born Colonel Augustus Forsberg, both leading Virginia brigades., [Sidebars:] , Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes. Born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1822, Hayes received an appointment as major of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861. After being seriously wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862, he returned to the army and successfully led his troops throughout the 1864 Valley Campaign, earning a general's star. He was elected President by the House of Representatives in the disputed election of 1876 and served for one term., Lieutenant William McKinley. In 1861, McKinley enlisted as an 18-year-old private in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and rose to the rank of major by the war's end. He was elected President of the United States in 1896 and 1900 before being assassinated by an anarchist in 1901.