The Church and Cemetery

The Church and Cemetery. The Battle of McDowell (May 8, 1862). , Union troops camped in the fields south of here between April 17, 1862, and the Battle of McDowell on May 8, 1862. They deployed artillery, including "two twelve pounders [that] were planted on the plateau in the rear of [the church] so as to cover the bridge" over the Bullpasture River., The church to your right saw action throughout the Civil War. The pews of the church provided warmth for the armies who passed by, and soldiers etched their names and the date into the exterior bricks. The entrance on the southside of the building was likely used by free and enslaved African Americans, who worshiped from the balcony. During the Battle of McDowell, the church was used as a hospital. The building was struck by a cannon ball during the battle as Union surgeons worked on the wounded inside., When the battle was over, more than 700 casualties lay on the field or in makeshift hospitals. The VMI Cadets and the Stonewall Brigade, which formed the rear elements of Confederate Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson's army, worked to bury the dead and collect the wounded, aided by the citizens of McDowell., Dead Union and Confederate soldiers were buried in a mass grave in the cemetery across present day Route 250. Some of those dead came from inside the church to your right., (Captions):, Etchings like this can be found in the bricks of the church. Civil War Soldiers often wrote their names and the year at places of importance., This photo depicts a surgeon caring for the wounded as they would have here in the church. , Image Courtesy of Library of Congress, This picture depicts a burial detail digging graves as was done in McDowell after the battle. , Image Courtesy of Library of Congress