General Milroy and his army were up at 2:30 AM. He sent his sick to the rear and ordered his men to eat breakfast and strike their tents. At daylight he formed his lines and sent cavalry toward North River Gap to ensure that the Confederates were not trying to flank him from that direction, which they were not. Milroy sent a detachment of the 2nd WV under Captain George Latham to Sitlington’s Hill and part of the 1st WV Cavalry to the road gap through Bull Pasture Mountain on his left flank, shown on the map below.

With the 52nd VA and two companies of Ashby’s cavalry in the lead on the morning of the 8th the Confederates crossed Shaw’s Ridge into the Cow Pasture River Valley. After a brief skirmish with Union pickets they were reconnoitering the Federal position from Bull Pasture Mountain about 10:00 AM. Johnson and a small detachment of the 52nd VA left the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and made their way near the top of Sitlington Hill, where they could clearly see the Union lines. Stonewall Jackson and Jedediah Hotchkiss were initially examining the Federal lines from the opposite side of the turnpike but soon joined Johnson on Sitlington Hill. Federal skirmishers fired on the group sending them back into the woods. Around the same time Union General Schenck arrived in McDowell with his 1650 men. They had marched 34 miles from Franklin in 23 hours. Milroy’s force now numbered about 4300 men. Latham reported back to Milroy that the Confederates were advancing on Sitlington Hill (shown on the map below).

Milroy observing the action on the hill sent Major Long of the 73rd OH forward with one company each of the 32nd, 73rd and 75th OH, and 3rd WV to ascertain the exact position of the enemy. He also opened fire with his artillery but could not elevate his guns high enough to reach the top of the hill. The 52nd VA on the Confederate left repulsed the first attack of the Federal skirmishers. The 12th GA, the 44th, 52nd, and 58th VA arrived on the field and took positions as shown in map #3.

The 31st VA were positioned on the turnpike. Jackson decided against placing any of his artillery on the rugged, steep hill. He ordered Hotchkiss to find a way to move the artillery around to Milroy’s rear and have it in position by 3:00 AM the following day. Union Generals Schenck and Milroy established their headquarters at the Felix Hull House.

Schenck was the senior officer but allowed Milroy to remain in command since the battle had already begun and Milroy was more familiar with the terrain. Schenck quickly came to the conclusion that the position in McDowell at the base of the mountain (shown below) was indefensible and that they needed to retreat to Franklin. He also felt that this could not be done until they knew the size of the enemy and after darkness had set in.

Stonewall Jackson realized that a frontal assault down the hill and across the Bull Pasture River or one straight down the turnpike would be foolish and decided to hold his defensive position for the remainder of the day not anticipating an attack. He sent his staff back to their headquarters at John Wilson’s Hotel on the eastern side of Bull Pasture Mountain while Jackson remained on the eastern slope of Sitlington Hill with Johnson.

Scattered firing continued until Union Captain Latham reported back to Milroy that the Confederates were moving a battery into place on top of Sitlington Hill, which was not true. Milroy felt he had no other alternative but to attack, shown in map #4 below. Standing in the valley in the city of McDowell and looking up at Sitlington Hill and Bull Pasture Mountain it takes one only a matter of seconds to realize how difficult a task Milroy would order his men to undertake.

Bullpasture Mountain from west of McDowell shown from left to right pictures taken from 38.3278466, -79.4970901.

The assault began between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. Colonel Nathaniel McLean would command the attack force that would eventually be made up of the 25th, 32nd and 75th OH, and 3rd WV. McLean and Major Robert Riley would lead the 25th and 75th OH across the river and climb a ravine straight into the Confederate front. The 25th OH was in the lead under Lieutenant Colonel William Richardson. The men would need to climb up through a rocky, rugged woodland for nearly a mile before they reached an open field where a Confederate force several times their size and under cover would be waiting for them. The Federals were exhausted well before they reached the open field, where they charged into the 12th GA (this regiment would suffer the highest Confederate casualty rate in the battle). Confederate Colonel W.C. Scott’s 2nd Brigade made up of the 44th, 52nd and 58th VA were behind the Georgians and under heavy fire. The Federals held their ground for 90 minutes before Milroy sent the 32nd and 82nd OH, as well as the 3rd WV forward to reinforce them and attack the Confederate right flank, their locations are shown in map #4 below. One or two cannon were also placed on Hull’s Hill to support the attack. After moving through the woods undetected the Ohioans charged with fixed bayonets into Johnson’s right flank. Sixteen-year-old Delano Morey was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing 2 Confederates during the charge.

As the 3rd WV was moving up the turnpike they encountered the 31st VA. Both regiments contained men from Clarksburg, VA. The 31st VA were ordered to move up Sitlington Hill to reinforce the Confederate right flank and would be replaced by the 21st VA but by this time the 3rd WV had moved off the turnpike. The 25th VA also reinforced the Confederate right. Fighting was fierce in the center of the line as the sun began to set. The 52nd VA tried to flank the Federals right flank. William Taliaferro’s brigade marched on the double quick with the 23rd (Colonel Alexander Taliaferro) and 37th VA (Colonel Samuel Fulkerson) reinforcing the Confederate right and the 10th VA (Colonel S.B. Gibbons- who would soon be killed) the Confederate left. The 12th GA was pulled out of line when they ran out of ammunition. The 44th VA temporarily broke and fled but Colonel Scott was able to rally them.

Colonel John Campbell’s Second Brigade of the Valley Army was coming up on the turnpike when Campbell was wounded. Command fell to Lieutenant Samuel Hale, the regimental adjutant, when both Captains John Vermillion and William Hannum declined to assume the role. By the time the 2nd Brigade was in position it was dark but they did manage to fire a few rounds before Johnson ordered a cease fire.

At about 8:00 PM General Johnson was wounded in the ankle and his horse killed from a shot by Private Abner Boyer of the 82nd OH. Command passed to General Taliaferro and Johnson was carried to a field hospital in the rear. On the way there he passed Jackson and Hotchkiss and informed them of the situation. Jackson ordered Hotchkiss to instruct Taliaferro to hold his position until the First Brigade (Stonewall Brigade) commanded by Brigadier General Charles Winder arrived. Hotchkiss rejoined Jackson and they returned to their headquarters at Wilson’s Hotel where Jackson reminded Hotchkiss to ensure that the artillery was in place by 3:00 AM. General Milroy recalled his troops at 8:30 PM.

Union losses were 22 killed, 247 wounded, four captured and one missing. The 32nd OH suffered 68 casualties, the 25th and 82nd OH suffered 60 casualties each. The 12th GA had 52 men killed and 123 wounded, and the 25th VA lost 92 men. Total Confederate casualties were 146 killed, 282 wounded and 4 captured. The Stonewall Brigade and VMI cadets were assigned to remove the dead and wounded from the field in the dark. In McDowell Milroy made the decision to retreat to Franklin. At 11:30 PM wagons were loaded with stores and wounded soldiers, and the troops followed at 2:00 AM. They passed this old antebellum log toll house a few miles outside of McDowell.

The Federals marched on the Crab Run Road until they halted at 8:00 AM about 12 miles from McDowell at the Forks of the Waters where they set up a field hospital on the Vandevender farm. At 3:00 AM when Hotchkiss rode to the top of Bull Pasture Mountain to check on the artillery, Robert Sitlington informed him the Union had left town. He sent a courier back to Jackson with the news. After making sketches of the battlefield Hotchkiss joined Jackson at his new headquarters at the home of Mrs. Felix Hull in McDowell. In the morning when the Rebels moved into town they discovered many seriously wounded Yankees that were left behind. Twelve dead Union soldiers were found in the Presbyterian Church, and several more in the Bradshaw Hotel (now the site of the Highland County Museum).

The next three pictures show damage to the church walls that may have occurred during the battle, although that seems unlikely.

Signs and monuments near the Presbyterian Church

On the 10th the Confederates followed the retreating Yankees. Milroy crossed the South Fork of the Potomac River near Forks of the Waters (38.4822802, -79.5092013) into modern day West Virginia. The Federals began setting the forests on fire here to delay Jackson’s pursuit. On the 11th Jackson set up headquarters at Henry Simmons’ home near Cave, WV. Jackson’s army would camp at McCoy’s Mill. On the 12th Jackson learned that General Frémont and Blenker’s 10,000-man division had now joined Milroy. At this point Jackson headed back to the Shenandoah Valley.

Next- The Old Sitlington Hill Walking Trail

Sources

Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign- war Comes to the Homefront by Jonathan A. Noyalas

The Battle of McDowell May 1862 by Richard L. Armstrong Blue and Gray Magazine Volume XX, Issue 5, 2003.

Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign Shenandoah 1862 by Peter Cozzens