HOME

The Battle of Cedar Mountain

On the blazing hot afternoon of August 9, 1862 a few miles south of Culpeper, Virginia, Confederate Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson led his troops into battle against Union Major General Nathaniel Banks’ corps of the Army of Virginia. The five hour fight saw four Federal brigades surge across corn and wheat fields against three Confederate divisions formed along the road, fence lines, and in the woods.

Culpeper’s native son, Major General A. P. Hill, sealed the Confederate victory when his division re-formed Jackson’s crumbled line and led the charge that turned the tide of the battle. For Hill and the other Culpeper men engaged, this was a personal battle to liberate their homes, friends, and family from the Union occupation.

3,800 men were killed or wounded in the shadow of Cedar Mountain by the end of the day — the deadliest day in Culpeper’s history.

Through historic preservation and education efforts, Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield is working to ensure that this battle and the valor displayed by both armies will never be forgotten.

Please consider a donation in support of our preservation and education efforts. Your donation is tax deductible.
 

 MARCH PROGRAMs

Meet the Giants of our Forest!

Families are invited to sign up for a special outdoor program on Saturday, March 20 focused on the giants of our forest – massive oak trees that make their leafy neighbors look tiny!

We’ll learn about ways in which a tree’s age can be calculated, and measure several battlefield trees to estimate their age. We’ll talk about what these trees may have been witness to on the battlefield and what was happening in Culpeper County as the trees grew. Read more about this program

Battlefield Tour

We're offering monthly historian-guided tours on selected Saturdays. Our next tour date is March 27 if you'd like to learn more about the battle of Cedar Mountain. More information

Thank you soldiers of Virginia & VIsitors

Our thanks to the living historians who brought to life the experience of soldiers from the 17th to the 20th century at our event last October! More than a dozen accurately dressed individuals with appropriate equipment and arms shared stories and demonstrated weaponry, giving visitors the opportunity to see how military fashion and technology changed over 300 years. The Civil War experience was also shared from the perspective of civilians. A unique, educational and entertaining day! Thank you to the visitors who stopped by. We appreciate the hard work of all involved in this event; in particular, the efforts of organizer James Owens. Looking forward to hosting this event again -- mark your calendar for October 30, 2021!

EVENT PHOTOS

VISITing the battlefield on your own

BATTLEFIELD MAP

The battlefield is open from dawn to dusk. Please follow current Virginia COVID-19 precautionary guidelines, such as physical distancing from other visitors, while enjoying the trails. Please see the page Visit Cedar Mountain for additional information for visitors. Thanks for your interest!