Near McDowell in Highland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Sitlington's Hill
The Battle of McDowell (May 8, 1862)
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 17, 2023
1. Sitlington's Hill Marker
Sitlington's Hill was heavily wooded with thick underbrush and several rocky slopes, made for hard fighting. Both armies used ravines that traversed around and through the hill during the battle. The top of the ridge has a knoll to the left and a knoll to the right with a depression in the middle.
A Confederate soldier described the hill as looking like "the back of a Bactrian camel, the two humps rising 800 feet and 1,200 feet above the bottomlands below, "...broad but was rugged and had many sharp ridges and ravines on its surface. In front of it, a smooth slope dropped down sharply to the Bull Pasture River, about 500 feet below...a ridge that ran North and South, and at right angles to the turnpike."
Today the Hill looks much like it did during the 1862 battle. The path you are walking on was possibly used by some Confederate reinforcements during the battle.
"A position almost impregnable if defended with reasonable skill and courage." - PVT. E Z. Hays 32nd Ohio
(Caption):
Sketch of Sitlington's Hill by Sgt. Oscar Ladley 75th Ohio Infantry.
Erected by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, in the Alleghany Highlands, and specifically in the Potomac Highlands. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Confederate Right (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Spectacular Show (about 600 feet away); The Battle Rages (about 600 feet away); An Attack Repulsed (approx. 0.2 miles away); The 12th Georgia (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Reconnaissance In Force (approx. Ό mile away); The Ravines (approx. Ό mile away); A Road From The Past (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in McDowell.
Other markers no longer nearby. The Battle of McDowell (was about 600 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Battle of McDowell (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); Battle Of McDowell (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Battle of McDowell (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 17, 2023
2. Sitlington's Hill Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 497 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 11, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
