ORDER OF BATTLE // March 23, 1862
First Battle of Kernstown
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 9,342–13,200 estimated
United States
6,352–9,000
Medium-confidence figure
Confederate States
2,990–4,200
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
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.
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