July 24, 1864 - Second Battle of Kernstown

July 24, 1864

Second Battle of Kernstown

Kernstown, VA

George Crook: Union infantry anchored by Col. James A. Mulligan's (mortally wounded here) division on Pritchard's Hill; To his right, Col. Joseph Thoburn's division formed on Sandy Ridge, and To his left,  Rutherford B. Hayes's brigade formed east of the Valley turnpike; plus cavalry under Averell  

vs.

Jubal Early: Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon's division formed the Confederate center along the Valley Turnpike; Ramseur's division formed on his left with its flank resting on Sandy Ridge to the west of Kernstown, screened by Col. William "Mudwall" Jackson's cavalry; Brig. Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton's division, led by Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, formed the Confederate right, with its flank screened by Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn's cavalry.

* Early wins (on the same farm where Jackson lost the first battle) and launches his late-stage raid into Union territory: "the high-water point for the Confederacy in the Valley in 1864." Don't worry, Grant sends Sheridan to solve the problem shortly. 

* The first time I visited this battlefield the gate was closed, but I checked the box. However, in the summer of 2025 I returned on a (still incomplete) completist mission - and boy was I glad I did! As much as I complained about the contradictions and ambiguities of the Third Winchester trails, the Kernstown Battlefield Walking Trails are excellent! I highly recommend a visit. The kind and knowledgeable staff will give you a golf cart tour, but of course I had to hike all the way up Pritchard's Hill then down and back through the site of the first battle of Kernstown. Good times.

* Two future presidents fought here, and if you've been following along you'll know they are McKinley and Hayes. 

Our story begins here, with a back view of the farmhouse; the fought-over stonewall is in the background. (As it does not appear in the database, I guess that maker introducing the Kernstown Battlefield Association is technically not an historical marker) And then we climb up the hill. 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=275398

The Second Battle of Kernstown

The Last Confederate Victory in the Valley

 On the afternoon of July 24, 1864 the Union Commander, Maj. Gen. George Crook launched an attack on Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's forces at Kernstown. Col. Rutherford B. Hays's brigade advanced east of the Valley Pike and Col. James Mulligan's small infantry division moved from Pritchard's Lane supported by Col. Joseph Thoburn's division to the west on Sandy Ridge. Meanwhile Early's forces stood ready to launch a counterattack upon the advancing Union troops.

As the battle commenced Mulligan's units moved toward Maj. Gen. John Gordon's division in the center of the line while Hayes' brigade moved toward Gordon's right flan Before Hayes could strike, Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge skillfully attacked Hayes' exposed left flank with Brig. Gen. Gabriel Wharton's division routing Hayes and forcing Mulligan to withdraw back to Pritchard's Lane.

At this point in the fight, Gen. Crook ordered Thoburn's division to able to temporarily slow Wharton's advance giving Hayes time to rally his brigade on the back side of Pritchard 's Hill, thus allowing him to lead his men in an organized withdrawal from the battlefield. Before long, however, Col. Mulligan himself being pressed from three directions when Gordon's sharpshooters found their mark, mortally wounding him and forcing his division to flee in confusion toward Pritchard's Hill towards Winchester.

Confederate soldiers sprinted forward, climbing over the stone fence where Col. Mulligan lay wounded, pursuing the fleeing Federals to the north of Winchester where they camped for the night. While the weary Confederate infantry bivouacked, the Confederate cavalry continued their pursuit of Crook's disorganized force well into West Virginia.

Well after the war, a Confederate soldier wrote in his memoir* that the Second Battle of Kernstown was "the easiest won battle of the war." And while this battle is rightly seen as an overwhelming Confederate victory, it would prove to be in their last major victory in the Valley.

Here's what else is at the top of Pritchard's Hill: in addition to more views and analysis of second Kernstown, there is also stuff relevant to both Second Winchester and First Kernstown. Stay with me, everybody. We will talk about that then. We can talk about the cemetery now. 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=259720

Pritchard Family Cemetery

Circa 1758-1872

Five generations of Pritchards lived on this property from the mid-1700s until 1879. Per family records, four generations of the family have at least one member buried here. Likely interments include three generations of father (Reese Jr.), son (Stephen Sr.) and grandson (Stephen Jr.) along with their wives, a stepson and three sisters. The single fifth generation Pritchard buried here is toddler Margaret Pritchard who lived her short life in the still standing brick house during the height of Civil War actions in the Valley.

The final Pritchard family members to live on this property were Samuel Reese (SR), his wife, Helen, their young daughter, Margaret, along with four other children and SR's mother, Mary. SR was close to losing the farm when he died in 1875, which may explain why he and his wife are buried in Mount Hebron cemetery in Winchester rather than in the family cemetery.

Today, the only intact headstones are those of Margaret "Peggy" Pritchard and her daughter Susan Baldwin. Also, two partial headstones have been found.

The Kernstown Battlefield Association takes great care in preserving this cemetery along with the memories of the Pritchard family members interred therein.

Likely Burials

Name • Burial (Age) • Relationships of Family Members Buried Here

Reese Pritchard, Jr. • 1758 (~49) • Patriarch of the Kernstown Pritchards

Eleanor Pritchard • after 1765 (?) • Wife of Reese Pritchard

John Evans • after 1765 (?) • Step-son of Reese Pritchard

Margaret "Peggy" Pritchard • 1797 (46) • Wife of Stephen Pritchard, Sr.

Stephen Pritchard, Sr. • 1818 (~73) • Son of Reese Pritchard

Margaret Pritchard • 1819 (47) • Unmarried daughter of Stephen Pritchard, Sr.

Susan (Pritchard) Baldwin • 1836 (58) • Daughter of Stephen Pritchard, Sr.

Judith Pritchard • 1855 (70) • Unmarried daughter of Stephen Pritchard, Sr.

Stephen Pritchard, Jr. • 1858 (~72) • Son of Stephen Pritchard, Sr.

Margaret Pritchard • 1864 (~2) • Granddaughter of Stephen Pritchard, Jr.

Mary Pritchard • 1872 (76) • Wife of Stephen Pritchard, Jr.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey

A GPR survey was conducted on this cemetery in April 2021. The survey found twelve adult graves and two child sized burials. Based on family records and other more recent research, the identities of two of the adult burials and one of the child burials remain unknown.

From up on this hill, I can look down on that farm and see where I'm going next. During 1st Kernstown that's where the Confederate sharpshooters were located. Ely's Brigade was all over the Valley Campaign, but this one is listed on the Second Kernstown trail- so here we go. 

 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=259779

Ely's Brigade Actions in the Valley

A 12th West Virginia Infantry Soldier's Story

Pvt. William Allison Fleming, who was born near Fairmont, VA in Marion County, enlisted in August 1861 and was assigned to Company F, 12th Virginia Infantry (Union). He saw action on this battlefield in these two engagements:

Battle of 2nd Winchester: In January, 1863, Pvt. Fleming, while camped in Winchester (his unit became the 12th West Virginia), wrote home, remarking that General Milroy hoped Gen. Jackson would attack him, stating, "General Milroy says for them tell Jacon (Union slang for Jackson) to Come as soon as he wants to that if he Comes And he we hast to Leave that he will burn the City...".

On June 10th and 11th, Pvt. Fleming's Co. F with Co.'s I, C, and H, were posted on Sandy Ridge, about half a mile northwest of here. They were ordered forward to guard overnight a battery of artillery. On the 13th, Gen. Gordon's Brigade, part of Gen. Ewell's Corps, attacked along Sandy Ridge. As Gen. Gordon's skirmishers advanced, they began firing at the 12th, whose inexperienced men asked "Are those minié balls we here whizzing over our heads?" An officer replied,

"Boys, those are bullets as sure as you live!"

Battle of 2nd Kernstown: Back in the Valley, Pvt. Fleming took part in the short but bloody Battle of Cool Spring on July 18, 1864. In this fight, Union Gen. Horatio Wright had attempted, but failed, to cross the Shenandoah River at Snicker's Gap and maintain his pursuit of Gen. Early's retreat. At the close of the battle, the 12th WV found itself being the last regiment to cover the Union retreat eastward back across the river.

Less than one week later, Pvt. Fleming found himself again on the Kernstown battlefield. On Sunday, July 24, he and the 12th WV, now part of Col. Thoburn's Division of Gen. Crook's Army of the Kanawha, fell in for inspection, but without notice were quickly ordered forward to attack. Despite the urgency, as it was berry season, the men stopped to pick some as they moved through the woods on the western slope of Pritchard's Hill. Col. Ely, the Brigade Commander, shouted at the men to

"Keep in ranks men! This is no-o-o time for gathering blackberries."

Crook had ordered Col. Thoburn to attack the left flank of Gen. Gordon's Confederate Division in the center of the Confederate line, ignoring reports that Confederate Gen. Steven Ramseur's division was on Gordon's left flank. Nearly too late, Gen. Crook realized that Col. Thoburn's Division, with the 12th WV of Col. Ely's Brigade as its left-most unit (located a hundred yards or so from this point), was at risk of being encircled.

He ordered Thoburn to withdraw, with Col. Ely's Brigade leaving in place a skirmish line of 12th WV soldiers (none from Co. F), most of whom were killed or captured. This withdrawal exposed Col. Mulligan's division's right flank and enabled the Confederate forces to rout Gen. Crook's army.

Private William A. Fleming survived the war and was honorably discharged June 6th, 1865 at Richmond Va.

This marker was funded in partnership by the Elizabeth Van Lew Detached Tent 1 (VA), Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), the SUVCW Charitable Foundation, the Department of the Chesapeake SUVCW, and Department of the Chesapeake Auxiliary to the SUVCW (ASUVCW). The family of Private William A. Fleming, 12th WV, provided photos and documents.

I have frequently expressed bafflement that a field full of historical markers can all be found in the database...with one exception. Here's the exception to the Second Battle of Kernstown tour. It may replace a similar, more generic marker that is  no longer present. I'm adding it myself. 

Opequon Church back to the right, in the distance 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=159178

The Second Battle of Kernstown

Two U.S. Presidents Fought at Kernstown

Colonel James A. Mulligan's Union command of 1,800 men encamped on these heights on the night of July 23, 1864, when Confederate cavalry drove Union cavalry back toward Kernstown on the morning of the 24th, Mulligan deployed two cannons on the hill checking the Confederate advance. Mulligan subsequently advanced his small command to the support of the Union cavalry.

Mulligan's immediate supervisor, Major General George Crook, doubted several reports indicating the presence of Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early's entire Confederate army at Kernstown. Instead, Crook ordered an attack. Future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes led his 1,300 Ohioans and West Virginians into position on the east side of the Valley Pike, advancing with Mulligan. Minutes later, Major General John C. Breckinridge's Confederates advanced from behind the ridge to the east (containing present-day I-81), striking Hayes in his flank and rear, and throwing most of his troop into the utmost confusion. Colonel Hayes rallied what men he could on Pritchard's Hill. While Mulligan's men made a brief stand along the lane at the foot of the hill.

From the hill, Hayes saw the 13th West Virginia Infantry located in an orchard (where the present day Saturn dealer is located) to the east, bravely but vainly resisting Breckinridge's attack. Hayes sent his young aide Lieutenant William McKinley, another future U.S. President, to retrieve the "Mountaineers" from the orchard before they were overwhelmed. Riding amidst a torrent of artillery and rifle fire, McKinley reached them and delivered Hayes's order to withdraw. The 13th West Virginia fired one last volley and retreated to Winchester.

Among the attacking Confederates were Colonel George S. Patton, grandfather of the famous World War II commander and Swedish-born Colonel Augustus Forsberg, both leading Virginia brigades.

Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes

Born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1822, Hayes received an appointment as major of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861. After being seriously wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862, he returned to the army and successfully led his troops throughout the 1864 Valley Campaign, earning a general's star. He was elected President by the House of Representatives in the disputed election of 1876 and served for one term.

Lieutenant William McKinley

In 1861, McKinley enlisted as an 18-year-old private in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and rose to the rank of major by the war's end. He was elected President of the United States in 1896 and 1900 before being assassinated by an anarchist in 1901.

 

Looking back up at the house, with the aforementioned "stone fence" in front.  

And now the end of the battle, then some bonus material about the farm.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=154718

The Second Battle of Kernstown

Mulligan’s Final Stand

Late in the afternoon on July 24, 1864, 1,800 Union soldiers led by Colonel James A. Mulligan fell back to this lane. Major General John B. Gordon’s Confederate force attacked from the ground beyond Opequon Church. Mulligan held off Gordon briefly, but Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge’s devastating flank attack struck the Irishman from the east side of the Valley Pike. Breckinridge, a former U.S. Vice President, personally led his men forward. One soldier deemed him, “the bravest man I ever saw.” To the west, sharpshooters from Major General Stephen D. Ramseur’s Confederate command attacked Mulligan’s right flank, a short distance beyond the wheelwright shop.

As the Union battle line crumbled, Mulligan rode up behind his old Irish Brigade, the 23rd Illinois Infantry, “Never did he look better,” recalled one of the soldiers, “his penetrating eyes flashing as he beheld his brigade, the last in yielding to the pressure of the enemy.” With Confederates closing in from all sides, Mulligan ordered a fighting withdrawal. When he rose up in his saddle to cheer his men on, Confederate sharpshooters concealed in the streambed hit Mulligan. As his dedicated soldiers rushed to his side, two more bullets struck him in rapid succession. The sharpshooters also killed Lt. James Nugent, Mulligan’s 19-year-old brother-in-law, who had been holding the regimental colors.

Mulligan’s soldiers attempted to carry him from the field, but many fell under the blistering Confederate musketry. Mulligan saw the heavy losses his men were enduring and ordered “Lay me down and save the flag.” Mulligan’s men complied. Confederate soldiers later carried the mortally wounded Mulligan into the Pritchard House where he died two days later.

The victorious Confederates swept up Pritchard’s Hill and through Winchester, driving back the entire Union army in confusion to Bunker Hill, West Virginia. The Union army lost 1,200 men, while Early suffered only 200 casualties. A Virginia veteran summed up the Second Battle of Kernstown as “the most easily won battle of the war.”

Major General John C. Breckinridge

Considered a reluctant Confederate, Breckinridge served as the U.S. Vice President from 1857 to 1861 and was a presidential candidate in 1860. In the turbulent summer of 1861, he retained a seat in Congress as Senator from Kentucky, attempting to reconcile the fractured nation. Only when Kentucky Unionists plotted Breckinridge’s arrest in the fall of 1861, did he join the Confederate army.

Colonel James A. Mulligan

Mulligan was a charismatic Irish-American attorney from Chicago, Illinois, who raised “Mulligan’s Irish Brigade” for the Union cause in 1861. While he fought in the Valley in 1864, his pregnant wife and their two young daughters remained in Cumberland, Maryland, waiting for his return. Upon learning of Mulligan’s wounding at Kernstown, his wife hurried to Winchester to care for her husband, but he died before she arrived.

*

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=259834

Agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley

The History of Farming on the Kernstown Battlefield Property

Farming was, and continues to be, a major business in the Shenandoah Valley. This particular farm had two periods of significant productivity: from the mid-1700s until the Civil War and then again from about 1890-1990.

In the earlier period, you would have found a farm that included various crops (wheat, Indian corn, oats, hay), large amounts of livestock (horses, dairy cattle, swine, various fowl), a large barn, various outbuildings, a large woodlot, and one of the first portable steam powered sawmills in the Valley; the latter used to support the owner's wheelwright business. And for a short period after the Civil War there was even a distillery on the property.

In the latter era, you would have found a major increase in mechanization, thus reducing need for non-family member labor.

You would have also noticed an increase in the number of buildings including a large Amish-built barn (still standing) and various out buildings (many still standing) used to house crops, livestock and equipment. Finally, like many farms in this region at that time, apple orchards were a major crop on this farm.

This property, currently at over 300 acres, dates back to the early 18th century and one time or another included woodlots, grain fields, animal pastures and significant stands of apple orchards. Even today, a portion of this property is still actively farmed, mostly as cattle pasture and hay fields.

Timeline of Ownership

Hoge (1735-1756) Emigrated from Scotland, one of the earliest European settlers in the Valley.

Pritchard (1756-1879) Four generations of successful farmers and businessmen; utilized enslaved and indentured labor; economically damaged by the Civil War.

Burton (1879-1890) James Burton was a well-known armorer at Harpers Ferry and in England prior to the Civil War, later appointed Superintendent of Confederate armories.

Grim (1890-1989) Three generations of successful farmers. The second generation patriarch was killed by lightning in 1931 while loading a wagon similar to the one in the picture. Most of the buildings found on this property today are associated with the Grims.

Kernstown Battlefield Association (1999-present) Continues limited farming via lease.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=259965

Enslaved Labor in the Shenandoah Valley

History of Slavery on the Pritchard Farm

Three generations of the Pritchard family utilized enslaved labor in their farming and business ventures from at least as early as 1778 to the time of the Civil War. Stephen Pritchard, Sr. (1745-1819) and his son Stephen Jr. (1776-1858) each held about a dozen enslaved African Americans. But Stephen Jr.'s son, Samuel (1815-1875), did not own slaves in accordance with the 1860 slave census. Was this because of his 1857 marriage to Helen Johnson from New Jersey?

Historical records are unclear on this matter. What we do know is when Helen Pritchard appeared before the Southern Claims Commission in 1878 to seek reimbursement for property taken during the war she was asked about potential witnesses, her response was "We had black slaves, but I don't know where they are." Perhaps Samuel Pritchard did not directly keep people in bondage, but utilized enslaved labor through rental agreements with local slave owners.

So what happened to the enslaved African Americans who lived and worked on this property? Per family wills, most were passed on to selected adult children, less Samuel, along with other inherited property. And while the individual fate of these enslaved African Americans is not clear, we do know many of their given names: Jacob, Richard, Molly, Amos, Anthony and others. It is clear while some of these enslaved African Americans lived out their lives in bondage and are buried somewhere on the Pritchard property, others no doubt obtained their freedom during the ebb and flow of the Civil War in the lower Valley. And like many of the newly minted freedmen, some migrated to nearby cities in search of work while others choose to stay in the area and help establish one of the dozens of local African American communities that sprang up after the war.

Although the population of enslaved people in Frederick County, VA was less than in areas such as Virginia's Tidewater region, enslaved people comprised about 15% of the population in 1860. Enslaved people, including those rented from outside of the county, played a vital part in this area's mostly agrarian economy at that time.

* * *

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=155117

The Second Battle of Kernstown

July 24, 1864

—Early's Maryland Campaign—

"I determined to attack the enemy at once [and] my whole force was put in motion for Winchester."

—Confederate Gen. Jubal Early, upon learning that a large number of Union troops had departed the Valley, having only Cook's command in Winchester

When Federal commanders sent troops from the Valley to reinforce Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, only a small Union force, under the command of Gen. George Crook, remained in Winchester. Under orders to keep pressure on the Federals, Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early marched north and attacked Crook at Kernstown, overwhelming and routing the defenders. This was the last major Confederate victory in the Valley.

Sources:

Patchan, Scott C. Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8032-3754-4.

https://www.kernstownbattle.org/kernstownhistory/2ndbattleofkernstown.html

* http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/alexhart.html