President Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton were growing increasingly frustrated with George McClellan and his lack of progress outside Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign. McClellan was now bottled up at Harrison’s Landing on the James River with no clear plan to resume the offensive. On June 26, 1862, the President ordered a consolidation of forces to create a new army called the Army of Virginia by combining three existing armies: the Mountain Department commanded by John Frémont, Nathaniel Banks’ Department of the Shenandoah, and the Department of the Rappahannock under Irvin McDowell. In addition, also included was Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis’ brigade from the Military District of Washington. Major General John Pope was given overall command. Frémont promptly resigned, since he was insulted because he considered Pope “subordinate and inferior” and was replaced by Franz Sigel. Pope’s initial missions were to defend the Shenandoah Valley, protect Washington, D.C., and disrupt the Virginia Central Railroad in the vicinity of Gordonsville and Charlottesville. If Pope could occupy Gordonsville, the junction of the Orange and Alexandria and Virginia Central Railroad, and Charlottesville this would sever Lee’s supply line to the Shenandoah Valley. This would force Lee to defend these rail links and move troops away from Richmond aiding McClellan in the process.

Pope’s forces were widely dispersed and on July 3 he ordered McDowell (3rd Corps) to Warrenton and by July 10 Sigel (1st Corps) and Banks (2nd Corps) had moved from the Shenandoah Valley to Sperryville and Washington in Rappahannock County, respectively. With McClellan neutralized on the peninsula, Lee planned a strike at Pope. In addition, Lee was angered by the new style of war Pope was proposing in his series of General Orders. In General Order #5 Pope stated that his army would subsist off the land. His soldiers could take provisions from the local population (in Virginia) in exchange for vouchers payable at the end of the war if and only if the owner could provide testimony that they had been loyal to the Federal government from the date of the voucher. Soldiers would no longer place guards over private property. General Order #7 dealt with guerrilla activity. If shots were fired from a home at Union forces the home would be burned to the ground and the occupants treated as P.O.Ws. If railroads were damaged all civilians within five miles would be required to work to repair them and would have to pay for the Union troops needed to oversee them. Lastly, General Order #11 gave officers of the Army of Virginia the authority to arrest any disloyal male citizen and require them to take the Oath of Allegiance. If they agreed and followed it they would be allowed to go about their normal activities. If they violated it they would be shot and their property confiscated. Those refusing to take the oath would be conducted south beyond the furthest Union pickets. If they returned they would be treated as a spy and hung. Lee referred to Pope as a “miscreant” and would send Stonewall Jackson to protect the railroads. In a letter to Jackson he stated, “I want Pope suppressed. The course indicated in his orders if the newspapers report correctly cannot be permitted and will lead to retaliation on our part.”

Lee ordered Stonewall Jackson to Louisa Court House along the route to Gordonsville on the Virginia Central Railroad with his Stonewall Division under Brigadier General Charles Winder on July 13 (arrived 19th). Major General Richard Ewell’s Division accompanied Jackson. Two weeks later Ambrose Powell Hill’s Light Division followed (arrived 29th).

Pope countered by moving a brigade of Bank’s Corps led by Brigadier General Samuel Crawford to Culpeper and ordered him to take charge of the cavalry. The cavalry of both armies scouted the area between them leading to the battle of Orange Court House on August 2. A description of the battle of Orange Court House by Eric Wittenberg can be found on History Net. 

Jackson moved his headquarters from Louisa Court House to Gordonsville by August 6 to attend the court-martial of Richard Garnett. Garnett was brought up on several charges stemming from the Battle of Kernstown five months earlier, Jackson’s lone defeat in his famed Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The trial was held at Ewell’s headquarters at Frascoti (9281 Blue Ridge Parkway- in Somerset just outside Gordonsville). Jackson suspended the trial the next day when it became clear that things were not going his way and Garnett would likely be acquitted and focused on advancing his army toward Culpeper 20 miles to the north. He would command a total of about 27,000 men.

The routes of both armies to Cedar Mountain are shown below in the map by Jed Hotchkiss (Jackson’s map maker).

The route of this tour was based on a map that appeared in Blue and Gray Magazine referenced in the sources.

Originally Jackson planned to move toward Culpeper with Ewell in the lead marching east to Orange followed by Hill and Winder, all would cross the Rapidan River at Barnett’s Ford. Ewell was in Somerset and Hill and Winder in Orange. Hill was at Mayhurst, the Willis home, now a bed and breakfast, while Winder was also in Orange but was ill. Ewell was to march east to Orange but at the last moment Jackson changed the plan and had Ewell march north toward Barnett’s Ford through Liberty Mills without informing Hill or Winder.

Hill waiting in Orange for Ewell did not realize that it was Winder’s Division that was passing him. Jackson on arriving in Orange was furious with Hill, creating a permanent rift between the two. The march toward Culpeper on August 8th, with temperatures climbing into the mid 90s, was a disaster with little progress made and a huge bottleneck was created at Barnett’s Ford (below). The order of march toward Culpeper would now be- Ewell, Winder and Hill.

Winder watched his Division pass from the porch of the Erasmus Taylor house in Orange where he was seriously ill. He would join them later by ambulance.

Ahead of Jackson’s column Union and Confederate cavalry clashed at Locust Dale an intersection where the north bound Orange Court House-Culpeper Road crossed the Madison Court House-Rapidan Station Road. There is nothing to see there today except for road signs (38.3361229, -78.1268883). Pope had excellent cavalry commanders Brigadier General’s John Buford and George Bayard. Buford operated on the Confederate left and Bayard the right. The 1st NJ under Bayard was particularly effective. The Confederates were harassed at every defendable hill between Orange and the battlefield delaying their advance. In addition, Bayard’s group captured over 20 Confederates and learned from them that Jackson’s force consisted of four divisions, one of them commanded by Ewell, and they were headed to Culpeper. Because of the effectiveness of the Union cavalry Jackson assigned Maxcy Gregg’s brigade to guard Barnett’s Ford and Alexander Lawton’s brigade to guard his large wagon train (1200 wagons) near Crooked Run Church. Pope would have a clear picture of what was headed his way and his cavalry was buying time for him to consolidate his forces. By the evening of the 8th Bayard had fallen back to Cedar Mountain and was reinforced by the 1st ME and the 1st RI cavalry.

Pope had already placed Brigadier General Crawford’s brigade from Banks’ Corps (Alpheus Williams’ Division) south of Culpeper and began to move the remainder of his forces there on the 6th. General James Rickett’s Second Division of McDowell’s 3rd Corps moved from Waterloo Bridge through Amissville and was nearing the Hazel River. The rest of Banks’ Second Corps left Little Washington heading west to Sperryville, then south to Woodville where he camped.

The following day Ricketts was southeast of Culpeper near the junction of the Orange Court House and Stevensburg Roads about 2 miles from the battlefield. On the morning of the 9th Crawford was on the battlefield at the intersection of the Orange-Culpeper Road and Mitchell Station Road (current Cedar Mountain Drive). Banks had crossed the Hazel River but was still six miles northwest of Culpeper. Pope was now in Culpeper at the Wallack House, however, Sigel and his 14,000 man Corps was still in Sperryville and would not reach Culpeper until after the battle was over. Pope was dumbfounded when Sigel asked him what road he should take to Culpeper (there was only one main road- the Culpeper-Sperryville Turnpike).

Jackson spent the night of August 8th on the front porch of Reverend James Garnett’s home, Spring Hill. Spring Hill still stands today on private property and is not visible from any road.

His staff slept nearby at Crooked Run Baptist Church (38.3619635, -78.1072210). Ewell’s Division was on the grounds of Spring Hill about 4 miles from the battlefield. Winder was in the area near the present Woodbury School just north of the Rapidan River about 9 miles from the battlefield and Hill was still near Orange.

Early in the morning of the 9th the Confederates continued north and their wagons crossed at Crooked Run Ford (Jackson’s Crossing). What is not apparent from the pictures of the ford below is how steep each of the banks are. It is no surprise that Jackson’s quartermaster, Major John Harman, had so much difficulty crossing here (38.3528337, -78.1120889).

Ewell’s Division led the column moving north as it approached Cedar Mountain. The picture below was taken at what is thought to be the School House intersection facing south. To the left is the Orange-Culpeper Road and to the right is the Madison Court House Road. These roads merge very close to the Cedar Mountain Battlefield.

Crawford’s cavalry had established a strong screen along Crittenden Lane. The 1st PA were north of the Orange-Culpeper Road, south of the road in the middle was the 1st NJ, followed by the 1st RI near the Crittenden house. The 1st ME was aligned along the northern side of Cedar Run at the base of the mountain from Crittenden Lane back to and past Mitchell Station Road. Federal artillery were placed along a rise of the Mitchell Station Road, the current Cedar Mountain Road on the morning of the 9th. There were four regiments of infantry from Crawford’s Brigade protecting the cannons (46th PA, 28th NY, 5th CT and the 10th ME). Christopher Auger’s division led by Brigadier General John Geary followed by Brigadier Generals Henry Prince and George Greene were on their way from Culpeper.

Union and Confederate forces were both converging at a cornfield and wheatfield at the base of a mountain then known as Slaughter’s Mountain- the home of Reverend Slaughter (subsequently known as Cedar Mountain).

Next- The Battle of Cedar Mountain

Sources-

The Battle of Cedar Mountain by Michael Block Blue and Gray Magazine Volume 32, Number 2, 2016.

The Carnage was Fearful The Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9, 1862 by Michael Block.

Michael Block conducted me on a personal tour of most of the sites on this post.

Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain by Robert Crick.

From Cedar Mountain to Antietam by Eric Stackpole.