Battle of McDowell - Battle

Battle

Starting at dawn on May 8, the Confederate advance crossed Shaw's Ridge, descended to the Cowpasture River at Wilson's House, and ascended Bullpasture Mountain. The advance was unopposed. Reaching the crest of the ridge, Jackson and his mapmaker, Jedediah Hotchkiss, conducted a reconnaissance of the Union position at McDowell from a rocky spur right of the road. Johnson continued with the advance to the base of Sitlington's Hill. Expecting a roadblock ahead, he diverged from the road into a steep narrow ravine that led to the top of the hill. After driving away Union skirmishers, Johnson deployed his infantry along the long, sinuous crest of the hill. Jackson asked his staff to find a way to place artillery on the hill and to search for a way to flank the Union position to the north.

About 10 a.m., Brig. Gen. Robert C. Schenck arrived after a forced march from Franklin, West Virginia. Being senior to Milroy, Schenck assumed overall command of the Union force at McDowell with headquarters at the Hull House. He deployed his artillery, consisting of 18 guns, on Cemetery Hill and near the McDowell Presbyterian Church to defend the bridge over the Bullpasture River. He deployed his infantry in line from McDowell south along the river for about 800 yards. He placed one regiment (2nd West Virginia) on Hull's Hill, east of the river and overlooking the pike. Three companies of cavalry covered the left flank on the road to the north of the village.

Schenck and Milroy sent out skirmishers to contest the base of Sitlington's Hill along the river. As Confederate forces on the crest of the hill increased in numbers, Schenck and Milroy conferred. Union scouts reported that the Confederates were attempting to bring artillery to the crest of the hill, which would make the Union position on the bottomland at McDowell untenable. In absence of an aggressive Confederate advance, Schenck and Milroy attempted a spoiling attack. Milroy advanced his brigade (25th Ohio, 32nd Ohio, 75th Ohio, 3rd West Virginia) and the 82nd Ohio of Schenck's brigade, about 2,300 men. About 3 p.m. Milroy personally led the attacking force, which crossed the bridge and proceeded up the ravines that cut the western slope of the hill.

In the meantime, Jackson had been content to hold the crest of the hill while searching for a route for a flanking movement to the north. He had decided against sending artillery up the hill because of the difficulty of withdrawing the pieces in the face of an attack. Union artillerymen on Cemetery Hill elevated their pieces by digging deep trenches in the ground for the gun trails and began firing at the Confederates in support of the advancing infantry. Schenck also had a six-pounder hauled by hand to the crest of Hull's Hill to fire on the Confederate right flank above the turnpike (some accounts say a section of guns, another says a whole battery). The Union line advanced resolutely up the steep slopes and closed on the Confederate position. The conflict became "fierce and sanguinary".

The 3rd West Virginia advanced along the turnpike in an attempt to turn the Confederate right. Jackson reinforced his right on the hill with two regiments and covered the turnpike with the 21st Virginia. The 12th Georgia at the center and slightly in advance of the main Confederate line on the hill crest bore the brunt of the Union attack and suffered heavy casualties. This was largely due to the fact that the regiment was armed with smoothbore muskets and were consequently unable to do much damage to the rifle-equipped Federals. The fighting continued for four hours as the Union attackers attempted to pierce the center of the Confederate line and then to envelope its left flank. Nine Confederate regiments were engaged, opposing five Union regiments in the fight for Sitlington's Hill. At dusk the Union attackers withdrew to McDowell.