Cedar Creek • Tour the Battlefield • Battle Maps • The Armies
Stop Six of the Cedar Creek Battlefield auto tour is Mount Caramel Cemetety.
Defense of the Cemetery wayside marker
The Middletown Cemetery, on a knoll west of the village, was the only point where Union officers believed they could establish a strong position and attempt to slow the Confederate advance. They hoped to halt the momentum that had propelled the Southern troops since the beginning of their surprise attack. From this high ground General George Getty’s division, approximately 2,500 strong, repulsed two Confederate assaults. Frustrated, General Jubal Early massed nearly 30 cannon near the Heater House and along Valley Pike (ahead of you and to the left).
The 30-minute cannonade, along with a third Confederate attack that threatened to turn the Union right, finally forced Getty to order a withdrawal.
Caption to the Painting
Hand-to-hand fighting for Captain James McKnight’s battery (center) marked the second Confederate assault on Cemetery Hill, which was repulsed by a counterattack by part of the Vermont Brigade (right). Confederate artillery, seen along the Valley Pike (center), bombarded the hill. Union General Daniel Bidwell (lower right) fell mortally wounded during the struggle.
Location of Stop Six and the marker
Stop Six and the Defense of the Cemetery wayside marker are in Middletown, Virginia. A small parking area is at the south entrance of Mount Caramel Cemetery at the corner of High Street and a short stretch of 3rd Street. ( 39° 1.943′ N, 78° 17.164′ W)