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First Kernstown March 23, 1862
Frederick County and Winchester, VA
Campaign: Jackson�s Valley Campaign Col. Nathan Kimball, USA
Maj. Gen.
Thomas J. Jackson , CSA Kimball had 8,500 men, Jackson about 3,500. The Union lost just under 600 men, the Confederacy just over 700. Jackson had dutifully retreated down the Valley to cover Joe Johnston�s flank as Johnston fell back from Centreville; Jackson had little choice in the matter considering he was outnumbered 4:1. But he was always looking for an opportunity to catch a part of the Union forces isolated and gobble that up, then take further advantage of the surprise. On the 21st he got news that the Yankee force was splitting, half marching east over the Blue Ridge Mountains and the other was pulling back to guard the upper Shenandoah. Jackson turned his men around and moved 25 miles on the 22nd, and another 15 miles by 2pm on the 23rd. The main body of Confederate infantry, depleted by heavy straggling in the hard marches, faced what seemed a rearguard, only four regiments. Rather than waiting for more scouting or for more of the stragglers to catch up, Jackson hurled his tired men into an attack. They got nowhere. Instead of just a rearguard it was the whole Union force, an infantry division over twice Jackson�s strength. The Rebel attack was easily repulsed despite Jackson�s efforts to rally men and impel them forward by force of personality. However, the Union orders were quite cautious, and after a tactical counterattack that turned Jackson�s flank there was no pursuit that might have scattered the Confederate force.
After the battle Jackson arrested the commander of his old Stonewall Brigade for failure to obey orders. The orders had been to attack, and Richard Garnett had certainly attacked � he just hadn�t been victorious. Heavy casualties and a shortage of ammunition when faced with a stronger, fresher enemy led Garnett to order a retreat, but Jackson refused to consider the circumstances and sacked Garnett. Jackson did not want men who thought for themselves; their thoughts had to be obeying orders. Despite the tactical Union victory, President Lincoln was disturbed by the clear Confederate threat to Washington and shifted substantial reinforcements to the Valley. The reinforcements had been promised to McClellan�s army, and McClellan used this as an excuse during his Peninsula campaign. According to him, if he�d been reinforced according to plan he would have taken Richmond, although this is probably giving him too much credit.
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