The 1862 Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as the Battle of Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, involved 22,000 Confederate troops, under command of Major General Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson.
Opposing this force was 12,000 Union troops under the command of Major General John Pope's Army of Virginia, in its first action. The battle was the only recorded time in the war that 'Stonewall' Jackson drew his sword. The five-hour fight was intense, and a narrow victory for the Confederates. It was the bloodiest day in Culpeper County history, with over 3,000 killed and wounded on both sides.
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, performed her first field duty at the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Historians considered Cedar Mountain to be the opening salvo (assault) of the Second Manassas Campaign.
The Civil War Preservation Trust has created self-guided long and short loop trails with interpretive signage. The Site includes several historically important features: the Gate, the wheat field, and a monument erected during the war to Major General Charles S. Winder, who died in the battle. The site also affords views over large portions of the battlefield under private ownership and is a terrific site for birding, too.