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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.
 

VISITing the battlefield

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 Visit Cedar Mountain for additional information for visitors. Thanks for your interest!

2020 event news

May 14 update: The large scale battle reenactment, Slaughter on the Mountain, is being postponed to 2021. Cedar Mountain Battlefield is owned by the American Battlefield Trust, and the Trust, understandably exercising caution due to uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, and adhering to current Commonwealth of Virginia guidelines, cannot approve public events at this time. Registrants will receive an email with additional information.
We are very grateful to our partner Rear Rank Productions and all the registrants for their tremendous response to this year's event. We certainly look forward to seeing everyone next year for this large-scale battle reenactment event.
A smaller commemoration event for the anniversary period August 7-9, 2020 will proceed as guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and permission from the Trust allow. Information will be posted here and on our Facebook page.