The Confederates numbered approximately 10,000 while the Union troops were only 6,000 strong. When Northern General Robert Schenck began an attack on the Confederates, Jackson sprang into action. In a manner befitting his nickname, Stonewall drove the Union Army back toward Franklin, West Virginia and later returned to the Shenandoah Valley.

In a wire to Robert E. Lee dated May 9, 1862, Jackson stated, “God blessed our arms with victory at McDowell yesterday.” Whether the source was providence or fate, the Southern Army would soon experience a devastating reversal in its fortune.

Mort Künstler painted this dramatic scene, a detail from The High Water Mark, which typifies the fighting which took place at the Battle of McDowell.