First Battle of Kernstown

Overview

The First Battle of Kernstown was fought on March 23, 1862, in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia, the opening battle of Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The First Battle of Kernstown opened Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign in March 1862. Although Confederate forces under Jackson faced a substantially larger Union force commanded by Nathan Kimball and Erastus B. Tyler, the engagement initiated a series of operations that would fix Federal attention on the Valley throughout the spring of 1862. As the opening action of Jackson's campaign, Kernstown set in motion a strategic dynamic in which Union commanders were compelled to account for Confederate activity in the Shenandoah, with consequences for the broader disposition of Federal forces during the Peninsula Campaign period. Confederate casualties of 263–718 against a Union force estimated at nearly twice the Confederate strength of 2,990–4,200 men reflected the asymmetry Jackson's command operated under from the outset of the Valley Campaign.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)