The First Battle of Kernstown was fought on March 23, 1862 near Winchester Virginia. This was Major General Thomas J. Jackson’s first major battle in command of his own army. Jackson believed that he was attacking a small Federal rearguard that was withdrawing. But because of bad scouting and intelligence he was actually attacking advancing Union forces almost three times his strength.
Jackson was forced to retreat after an all-day fight which pushed his men to the limit. Almost a quarter of his force became casualties. It was his only defeat as an army commander. But he more than accomplished his strategic goals. Washington stripped McClellan’s advance on Richmond of tens of thousands of men to deal with this newly perceived threat. This unpromising start became the first fight of Jackson’s Valley Campaign that changed the course of the Civil War.
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First Battle of Kernstown monument
Opequon Church
Battle of Kernstown A9
Kernstown Battles marker
Kernstown Circle Tour marker and map
Pritchard’s Hill
The Beginning of Jackson’s Valley Campaign
The Pritchard House
Fulkerson’s Virginians Attack
An Unheralded Commander’s Unique Victory
Rose Hill
Rose Hill
War in the Backyard
Fight for the High Ground
Advance of Tyler’s Brigade
The Order for Retreat
Northern Victory, Southern Defeat