Plan of the Battle of Cedar Mountain

Historical map of the Battle of Cedar Mountain

Battle of Cedar Mountain, Virginia, August 9th, 1862.

The newly-organized Union Army of Virginia under Gen. John Pope had as its mission to draw Lee's focus and forces away from the defense of Richmond. To that end, the army began moving toward Gordonsville in July, planning to approach the Confederate capital from the north. Realizing the seriousness of his position, with McClellan in front of him and Pope on his left flank, Lee sent Stonewall Jackson and A. P. Hill to take the Federal forces by surprise. The first meeting was at Cedar Mountain, where federal troops under Gen. Banks engaged Confederates Winder and Ewell, with some success, until Hill's reinforcements arrived and a crushing counter attack was begun. With neither reserves nor reinforcements, Banks was forced to pull back. This became the opening engagement of the Second Bull Run Campaign.

Color coding indicates the location of Union and Confederate forces.
Relief shown by hachures.
This item is from the collections of the Virginia Historical Society; please contact the institution for more information.
Robert Knox Sneden Scrapbook (Mss5:7 Sn237:1), Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Va.
In the Robert Knox Sneden Diary (Mss5: Sn237:1 v. 1, p. 472).
Manuscripts

Virginia Historical Society, P.O. Box 7311, Richmond, VA 23221-0311 USA

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