Near Rapidan in Culpeper County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Battle of Cedar Mountain

A Narrow Victory

Photographed By Benjamin Harrison Allen, August 9, 2022

1. Battle of Cedar Mountain Marker

This ABT marker replaced the original CWT marker.

Inscription.

Battle of Cedar Mountain. A Narrow Victory. , "My command did not want to back out. We had backed out enough." , Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, USA, "Banks is in our front and he is generally willing to fight. And he generally gets whipped." , Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA, While Gen. Robert E. Lee engaged the Army of the Potomac outside Richmond in the summer of 1862, Union Gen. John Pope began to organize the Army of Virginia 30 miles north of here near Warrenton, Virignia. The first objective for Pope's own offensive was the railroad hub at Gordonsville, Virginia, 22 miles to the south of here. Gordonsville was an ideal location for staging a new assault on Richmond. Unwilling to allow such a movement, Lee tasked Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and 24,000 men with the defensive of the town., Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, in the vanguard of Pope's army, led his corps into Culpeper County on August 7. Jackson moved to attack Banks before the rest of the Union force could organize and concentrate against him. On August 9, after both armies marched hard in the heat to reach the field, Jackson encountered Banks's men in position nearly half a mile up the road in front of you, then known as the Culpeper Road., Banks ordered his own attack as Jackson's strung-out column approached his lines. The fury of the Union assault nearly routed the Confederates, but Jackson rode into the maelstrom and rallied his men under heavy fire. Jackson's action and the arrival of Gen. A.P. Hill's division turned the tide of the battle and Confederates delivered a crushing counterattack. The Battle of Cedar Mountain halted the Union advance on Gordonville and set the stage for the Southern victory at the Battle of Second Manassas three weeks later., (captions) , Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks nearly overwhelmed Jackson's still-formi line before being driven back by Confederate reinforcements., The first time Stonewall Jackson (left) defeated Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks was at the Battle of Winchester on May 25, 1862. Banks hoped to exact retribution by initiating the fighting at Cedar Mountain. Courtesy Library of Congress, This 1.25-mile walking trail will guide you through the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Please follow the posted arrows to find your way around the battlefield.

"My command did not want to back out. We had backed out enough." —Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, USA

"Banks is in our front and he is generally willing to fight. And he generally gets whipped." —Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA

While Gen. Robert E. Lee engaged the Army of the Potomac outside Richmond in the summer of 1862, Union Gen. John Pope began to organize the Army of Virginia 30 miles north of here near Warrenton, Virignia. The first objective for Pope's own offensive was the railroad hub at Gordonsville, Virginia, 22 miles to the south of here. Gordonsville was an ideal location for staging a new assault on Richmond. Unwilling to allow such a movement, Lee tasked Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and 24,000 men with the defensive of the town.

Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, in the vanguard of Pope's army, led his corps into Culpeper County on August 7. Jackson moved to attack Banks before the rest of the Union force could organize and concentrate against him. On August 9, after both armies marched hard in the heat to reach the field, Jackson encountered Banks's men in position nearly half a mile up the road in front of you, then known as the Culpeper Road.

Banks ordered his own attack as Jackson's strung-out column approached his lines. The fury of the Union assault nearly

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routed the Confederates, but Jackson rode into the maelstrom and rallied his men under heavy fire. Jackson's action and the arrival of Gen. A.P. Hill's division turned the tide of the battle and Confederates delivered a crushing counterattack. The Battle of Cedar Mountain halted the Union advance on Gordonville and set the stage for the Southern victory at the Battle of Second Manassas three weeks later.

(captions)
Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks nearly overwhelmed Jackson's still-formi line before being driven back by Confederate reinforcements.

The first time Stonewall Jackson (left) defeated Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks was at the Battle of Winchester on May 25, 1862. Banks hoped to exact retribution by initiating the fighting at Cedar Mountain. Courtesy Library of Congress

This 1.25-mile walking trail will guide you through the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Please follow the posted arrows to find your way around the battlefield.

Erected 2022 by American Battlefield Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is August 9, 1862.

Location. 38° 24.278′ N, 78° 4.213′ W. Marker is near Rapidan, Virginia, in Culpeper County. Marker is on General Winder Road (Virginia Route 657) 0.3 miles

Friends of Cedar Mountain Information Center. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 16, 2021

2. Friends of Cedar Mountain Information Center.

Original CWT marker has been replaced.

west of North James Madison Highway (U.S. 15), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located at the parking area for the main trailhead for the Cedar Mountain Battlefield Interpretive Trail (Stop 1). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9465 General Winder Road, Rapidan VA 22733, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (about 400 feet away); Hand-to-Hand Fighting (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named The Battle of Cedar Mountain (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Battle of Cedar Mountain (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rapidan.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location also titled “Battle of Cedar Mountain".

Also see . . . Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield. (Submitted on August 11, 2022.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2022, by Benjamin Harrison Allen of Amissville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 184 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 11, 2022, by Benjamin Harrison Allen of Amissville, Virginia. 2. submitted on October 16, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.