The Grisly Discovery After the Battle of Cedar Mountain

Days after the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Union General George H. Gordon returned to the battlefield and encountered a horrifying scene. Dead soldiers lay bloated beneath the August sun, and near the shattered Union line he discovered five fallen officers lying together. Among them was Captain William Blackstone Williams of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry—a respected officer whose political views, military service, and violent death reveal a complicated Civil War story that has largely been forgotten. In this episode of History with Waffles, we walk the preserved ground of Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County, Virginia, following the movements of Union and Confederate soldiers across the cornfields, wheat fields, ridgelines, and woodlots where the battle unfolded on August 9, 1862. You will see where Williams and the 2nd Massachusetts advanced toward Stonewall Jackson’s line, where General Samuel Crawford’s Union attack nearly shattered the Confederate left, and where Williams’s body was later discovered alongside four fellow officers. We also explore: The opening fighting near Crittenden Lane Why Nathaniel Banks attacked Stonewall Jackson The arrival of A. P. Hill’s Confederate reinforcements The extreme heat and suffering endured by the soldiers Cedar Mountain’s original battlefield markers The field’s surviving witness tree The hundreds of soldiers buried in unmarked graves Stonewall Jackson’s rusted sword during the Confederate crisis How this battle helped lead directly toward Second Manassas Captain Williams had once blamed Republican antislavery agitation for the growing national crisis. Yet when the Civil War began, he entered the Union Army and became one of the most admired officers in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. His life ended on this field, but the words spoken at his funeral ensured that his sacrifice would not be entirely forgotten. Walk the actual ground where Captain William Blackstone Williams fought, died. Chapters 00:00 – A Grisly Discovery Among the Dead General George Gordon returns to Cedar Mountain and finds Captain William Blackstone Williams among five dead Union officers. 02:20 – The Road to Cedar Mountain Stonewall Jackson, John Pope, Nathaniel Banks, and the campaign between the Seven Days Battles and Second Manassas. 03:03 – The Fighting Begins at Crittenden Lane Jubal Early’s Confederate troops move into position as artillery and cavalry open the battle. 03:40 – Who Was William Blackstone Williams? The Massachusetts engineer, international traveler, political critic, and future Union officer. 05:07 – Walking the Confederate Position Following Early’s line across the preserved battlefield. 06:12 – Understanding the Cedar Mountain Battle Map Confederate regiments, the wheat field, Crittenden Lane, and the shape of the battlefield. 07:10 – Banks Faces Jackson’s Larger Army The Union attack initially succeeds before Confederate reinforcements arrive. 08:05 – Five Officers Lying Among the Dead George Gordon surveys the battlefield and discovers Williams’s body. 09:45 – The Difficult Ground Union Soldiers Faced Examining the ridge, Confederate defensive position, extreme heat, and battlefield terrain. 10:47 – Matching the Modern Field to a Historic Photograph Comparing the landscape today with an image preserved by the Library of Congress. 11:26 – The Union Charge Across Cedar Mountain Crawford’s troops advance repeatedly toward the Confederate line. 12:07 – The Veteran Who Preserved the Battlefield Daniel A. Grimsley, the original battlefield markers, and the early preservation movement. 13:58 – Hundreds Buried in Unmarked Graves The Union dead, Captain Williams’s recovery, and the process of returning his remains home. 15:02 – Reading the Battlefield Through Terrain The KOCOA interpretive map and the changing positions of both armies. 17:12 – The Funeral of Captain Williams The powerful tribute delivered after his body returned to Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. 18:03 – The Union Attack Nearly Breaks Jackson’s Army Crawford’s assault smashes into Stonewall Jackson’s weakened left flank. 19:25 – Where the 2nd Massachusetts Attacked Walking the likely ground where Captain Williams was killed and later discovered. 21:10 – Cedar Mountain’s Living Witness A surviving witness tree that stood during the battle in 1862. 22:33 – A Confederate Grave on the Battlefield The cemetery, the battle’s outcome, and its connection to Second Manassas. 23:37 – The Dead May Still Be Beneath This Field Casualties, unidentified graves, and the responsibility of walking preserved battlefield ground. 24:42 – Stonewall Jackson’s Sword Would Not Draw Jackson rallies retreating Confederates while holding a sword rusted inside its scabbard. 25:47 – The Sacrifice of the 10th Maine Union soldiers attempt to slow the Confederate counterattack. 26:55 – Standing Where Captain Williams Died Final reflections from Cedar Mountain Battlefield.