Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

First Battle of Kernstown

First Battle of Kernstown was a battle fought on 23 March 1862 at Frederick County, in what is now Virginia, United States. It was part of the American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865. The recorded result: Union victory (See aftermath). Recorded strength: 6,352–9,000 against 2,990–4,200.

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Map of the First Battle of Kernstown of the American Civil War.
Map of the First Battle of Kernstown of the American Civil War.. Hal Jespersen at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought23 March 1862
WhereFrederick County, Virginia, United States39.145N, 78.200W
OutcomeUnion victory (See aftermath)
BelligerentsUnited States (Union)againstConfederate States (Confederacy)
Battlefield todayKernstown I battlefieldNPS site VA101, 7,432 acres studied, 2,575 core
Part ofAmerican Civil War1861 to 1865

Where it sits in the American Civil War

Battle of Fort Sumter, 1861Battle of Cheat Mountain, 1861Battle of Canada Alamosa, 1861Battle of Pensacola, 1861Battle of Gloucester Point, 1861Battle of Sewell's Point, 1861Battle of Aquia Creek, 1861Battle of Fairfax Court House, 1861Battle of Arlington Mills, 1861Battle of Philippi, 1861Battle of Pig Point, 1861Battle of Big Bethel, 1861Battle of Boonville, 1861Battle of Cole Camp, 1861Battle of Mathias Point, 1861Battle of Hoke's Run, 1861Battle of Rich Mountain, 1861Battle of Corrick's Ford, 1861Battle of Scary Creek, 1861Battle of Blackburn's Ford, 1861First Battle of Mesilla, 1861Siege of Tubac, 1861Battle of Cookes Canyon, 1861Battle of the Florida Mountains, 1861Battle of Athens, 1861Battle of Charleston, 1861Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, 1861Battle of Dry Wood Creek, 1861Battle of Carnifex Ferry, 1861Battle of Lewinsville, 1861Battle of Pinos Altos, 1861Battle of Greenbrier River, 1861Battle of Cockle Creek, 1861Battle of Santa Rosa Island, 1861Battle of the Head of 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Henry, 1862Battle of Roanoke Island, 1862Battle of Elizabeth City, 1862Battle of Fort Donelson, 1862Battle of Island Number Ten, 1862Battle of Hampton Roads, 1862Battle of New Bern, 1862First Battle of Kernstown, 1862Siege of Fort Macon, 1862Battle of the Brick Church, 1862Battle of Stanwix Station, 1862New Mexico Campaign, 1862Siege of Yorktown, 1862Battle of Albuquerque, 1862Battle of Peralta, 1862Battle of Picacho Pass, 1862Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, 1862Battle of South Mills, 1862Siege of Bridgeport, 1862Capture of New Orleans, 1862Skirmish at Paint Rock Bridge, 1862Battle of Clark's House, 1862Battle of Williamsburg, 1862Battle of Lebanon, 1862Battle of Eltham's Landing, 1862Battle of McDowell, 1862Second Battle of Dragoon Springs, 1862Battle of Plum Point Bend, 1862Battle of Drewry's Bluff, 1862Battle of Princeton Court House, 1862Battle of Pigeon Roost, 1862Battle of Whitney's Lane, 1862Capture of Tucson, 1862Battle of Front Royal, 1862Battle of Lewisburg, 1862First 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527 placed engagements of the American Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date23 March 1862
PlaceFrederick County, Virginia, United States
39.145N, 78.200W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength6,352–9,0002,990–4,200
Casualties and losses590 total; 118 killed; 450 wounded; 22 captured or missing718 total; 80 killed; 375 wounded; 263 captured or missing
Commanders
  • Nathan Kimball
  • Erastus B. Tyler
First Battle of KernstownFirst Battle of KernstownSecond Battle of KernstownFirst Battle of WinchesterSecond Battle of WinchesterBattle of OpequonBattle of Rutherford's FarmFirst Battle of WinchesterBattle of OpequonBattle of Rutherford's Farm20 km39.145N, 78.200W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1862

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: CS ARMYDefender: US ARMY
Strength3,0877,000
Casualties718 (23.3%)590 (8.4%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1047
Outcomedefender won
Duration1.3 days
Front width0.8 km0.8 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 177), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Kernstown I battlefield (site VA101): a study area of 7,432 acres, with a core area of 2,575 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 3,360 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

First Battle of Kernstown is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (172 in Virginia).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2052376, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Kernstown, revision 1370618715, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.