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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.
 

Upcoming 2020 guided tours

Tour information

2020 living history event

Thanks to our visiting living historians for a wonderful weekend of experiential learning! In view of the challenges presented by the pandemic, we elected to scale back our annual commemoration of the battle, held on August 8 and 9. We are exceedingly grateful to everyone who supported this year's event, which attracted a steady stream of interested visitors to the Federal and Confederate encampments and informative cavalry presentation. On August 9, the 158th anniversary of the battle, we held our annual ceremony to honor those  who fought at Cedar Mountain who have been identified to us by their descendents.

VISITing the battlefield on your own

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!