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August 9, 1862
Estimated Casualties: 2,707 total
(US 1,400; CS 1,307)
Maj. Gen. John Pope was placed in command of the newly constituted
Army of Virginia on June 26. Gen. Robert E. Lee responded to Pope's
dispositions by dispatching Maj. Gen. T.J. Jackson with 14,000 men to
Gordonsville in July. Jackson was later reinforced by A.P. Hill's division
In early August, Pope marched his forces south into Culpeper County with the
objective of capturing the rail junction at Gordonsville. On August 9, Jackson
and Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks's corps tangled at Cedar Mountain with the Federals
gaining an early advantage. A Confederate counterattack led by A.P. Hill repulsed the
Federals and won the day. Confederate general William Winder was killed. This battle
shifted fighting in Virginia from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia, giving
Lee the initiative. (Text Source: U.S. Gov't, National Park
Service)
The Cedar Mountain battlefield is in private hands and the only
indication that a Civil War battle took place here are several
roadside signs on route 15 north of Orange, Virginia. To see the roadside
signs, click Here.
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