Second Battle of Kernstown

Background. Jubal Early, a key Confederate defender of the Shenandoah Valley, received a temporary promotion to lieutenant general and command of the Army of the Valley during the 1864 campaigns. His forces wintered in the valley in 1863-64. George Crook, promoted to brigadier general in 1862, had returned to lead the Kanawha Division in February 1864; at Kernstown, Early defeated the Union Army of West Virginia.

Engagement. Fought on July 24, 1864, at Kernstown, Virginia, the battle saw Early soundly defeat the Union Army of West Virginia under Brigadier General George Crook. The engagement involved elements such as Mulligan's division on Pritchard's Hill, a site significant in the earlier First Battle of Kernstown. The outcome drove Union troops from the Shenandoah Valley back over the Potomac River into Maryland.

Significance. The victory at Kernstown marked the high-water point for the Confederacy in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. It was a significant success for Early, who had been given command of the Army of the Valley. This success preceded later defeats at Winchester and Cedar Creek, but for this specific engagement, it represented the peak of Confederate control in the region.