First Battle of Kernstown
March 23,1862
"We Have Got Them Started. Come on! Come On!" - The Union breathrough at Kernstown March 23, 1862 (Courtesy Keith Rocco/Tradition Studios)
Description:
As commander of the Valley District, Confederate Gen. Jackson was tasked with keeping the Federal Army in the Shenandoah Valley from moving east to join Federal Gen. McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign. In a rare intelligence miscue, Col. Turner Ashby reported to Jackson that most of the Federal troops at Winchester had left the area. Relying on this faulty intelligence Jackson rushed his small force north to attack the few Federals at Winchester commanded by Col. Nathan Kimball. Jackson quickly learned that he was facing an entire Federal division of 8,500 men. The Federals stopped Jackson at Kernstown and then counterattacked turning Jackson’s left flank and forcing him to retreat.
Significance:
The First Battle of Kernstown was Jackson’s only tactical defeat in the Valley. Indeed, this is the only recorded loss of his career. However, it was a strategic victory. President Abraham Lincoln was disturbed by Jackson’s threat to Washington and redirected substantial reinforcements to the Valley, depriving McClellan’s army of these troops. McClellan claimed that the additional troops would have enabled him to take Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign and perhaps even end the war that much earlier.
The Battlefield Today:
To learn more about the First Kernstown battlefield today, click here
Visitor Information:
Civil War Orientation Center & Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center
1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road
Winchester, VA 22601
Phone: 877-871-1326
Open Daily: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Self-Guided Tours: A free printed driving tour of the First Battle of Kernstown is available at the Civil War Orientation Center and other Civil War sites in the area.
