Please note: Optional Dinner will start at 6:00 PM. The Lecture will start at 7:00 PM. To make dinner reservations, email CvilleCWRT@gmail.com and indicate your entree choice: ribeye steak, salmon or chicken. Dinner includes salad and dessert. Cost is $24 for members and $30 for non-members.

Lecture Topic:  Michael Block will discuss his new book "The Carnage was Fearful: The Battle of Cedar Mountain, August 19, 1862. In early August 1862, Confederate Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson took to the field with his Army of the Valley for one last fight—one that would also turn out to be his last independent command. Near the base of Cedar Mountain, outnumbered Federal Infantry under Maj. Gen. Nathanial Banks attacked Jackson’s army as it marched toward Culpeper Court House. A violent three-hour battle erupted, yielding more than 3,600 casualties. “The carnage was fearful,” one observer wrote.

Civil War history typically breezes by the battle of Cedar Mountain, moving quickly from the Seven Days’ Battles into the Second Bull Run Campaign, but this stand-alone battle had major implications. It saw the emergence of the Federal cavalry as an effective intelligence collector and screening force. It also provided Confederate Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill’s first opportunity to save the day—and his first opportunity to incur Jackson’s ire. Within the Federal army, the aftermath of the battle escalated the in-fighting among generals, led to recriminations and finger-pointing over why the battle was even fought. Some called it out-right murder.

Most importantly, the defeat at Cedar Mountain halted a Federal advance into central Virginia and provided Gen. Robert E. Lee an opportunity to take the fight away from Richmond and toward Washington.

Michael Block is a former Vice President of The Friends of Cedar Mountain and has spent countless hours developing interpretation of the battlefield and escorting visitors to the battlefield on in-depth tours.