McDowell Battlefield
1,385 Acres Preserved
“The fight goes on unabated until the sun sets...Happening to look to the rear, I saw some men lying on the grass. My first impression was that they had laid down to avoid being hit. But they were motionless. The truth flashed over me - they were dead.”
The Battle of McDowell was the first Confederate victory in Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign. Jackson initially moved his troops east giving the impression that he was leaving for Richmond, however he and his men doubled back west along the Virginia Central Railroad to Staunton and then marched further west to confront Union forces under Gens. Robert H. Milroy and Robert Schenck.
McDowell Battlefield Park includes a 1.5-mile hike that will take you to the battleline on top of Sitlington’s Hill—the scene of heavy fighting on May 8, 1862.
Sitlington’s Hill is a spur of Bull Pasture Mountain, so the climb is very steep and should be made with caution. The trail is marked by blue blazes on trees along the route. The hike takes approximately two hours for a round trip.
