The Battle of McDowell
Union Troops Attack Jackson
Major General Edward Johnson commanded the Confederates on the crest overlooking the town of McDowell. Johnson spread his line along the hilltop, anchoring his right flank on the knoll to your right. Stonewall Jackson remained in the valley below, directing troops to Johnson’s aid. The Union commanders, Brigadier Generals Robert S. Schenk and Robert H. Milroy, feared the Confederates would haul cannon to the crest and bombard their positions. On the afternoon of May 8, 1862, Milroy attacked the Confederates here but was repulsed. The battle continued into the night. When Johnson was wounded, Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro assumed command of the Confederates on top of the hill.
“We were posted along the crest of this hill… We are within full range and their bullets whistle about us… We return the fire. More of the enemy now make their appearance from the valley below and they seem resolved to drive us from the hill. A batter opens on us from a hill near the village, but our [position] is so high that the balls pass over us without doing much harm.”
Charles C. Wight, 58th Virginia
Marker can be reached from U.S. 250, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
