The Confederate Right

The Confederate Right. The Battle of McDowell (May 8, 1862). , You are looking toward the Confederate right flank. At the beginning of the battle, this flank extended toward the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike at the bottom of the hill to your right. The main Union attack came against this part of the Confederate line. As the Union pressure mounted, the Confederate position was in peril., Reinforcements under Confederate Gen. William A. Taliaferro arrived from the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike over the ridge behind you and hurried into line. As the battle progressed, the right flank was bent back at a right angle to combat the building pressure. The thick smoke and setting sun led to chaos on the battlefield., Confederate Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson, who was in command of the forces on the ridge, was severely wounded in the ankle and had to be removed from the battlefield., and Taliaferro assumed command. Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, who was directing reinforcements from the valley below, sent his mapmaker, Jedediah Hotchkiss to find Taliaferro and instruct him to hold his position., Hotchkiss recalled that he "scrambled up to the top of the mountain where the fighting had been going on, but which had then ceased but a short time. Everything was confusion - the men all mixed up and hunting for the wounded and reforming in anticipation of another attack." After delivering his message to Taliaferro, Hotchkiss rejoined Jackson, where they shortly received word that the battle had ended., (Captions):, Jed Hotchkiss. , Courtesy of Encyclopedia of Virginia, A Federal flank attack. Image courtesy of Library of Congress