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A Fatal Reconnaissance
When "Stonewall" Jackson reached this point at about 9 p.m. on May 2, 1863, he stood at the peak of his military career. Four hundred yards in front of you, a shaken Union army hastily built earthworks to halt the Confederate tide. One hundred yards behind you, Jackson's troops formed along the Bullock Road for what Jackson hoped would be the final and climactic night attack against the faltering Federals.
While the Confederates prepared, the general and a small group of attendants rode forward on the Mountain Road - little more than a woods path - to this point. Jackson could hear the aces of Union soldiers fashioning earthworks in front. One of his staff officers cautioned the general to go back. "The danger is over," he snapped. "The enemy is routed. Go tell A.P. Hill to press right on!" With that, Jackson continued his fateful ride toward the front. |