Gordon's Approach

Confederate troops crossed the field to fight Thomas's Brigade and to drive back the US 8th Corps.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Frederick County, Va.

Significance:

Part of Cedar Creek Battlefield

Confederate soldiers led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon advanced across the field from the south and east. They included veterans of the famous “Stonewall Brigade,” many of whom were from the Shenandoah Valley. They had been awake for most of the night, enduring a long night march while crossing freezing cold rivers. After a series of recent defeats, this day offered hope for victory. They had several advantages, including surprise. The rolling terrain to the east, combined with the heavy fog that morning, made it difficult to see them. They caught some US soldiers still asleep in their tents, but those that were awake and in line of battle offered tough resistance. The Stonewall Brigade fought Thomas’s brigade in this field and, after meeting stiff resistance from the 8th Vermont, forced them to retreat across the Valley Pike.