Full Moon Over Cedar Mountain
Emerging Civil War is pleased to welcome back Michael Block. Mike is the author of the Emerging Civil War Series book The Carnage was Fearful: The Battle of Cedar Mountain.
This Saturday, August 9 there will be a full moon. Why might this be of interest to you
On Saturday evening, August 9, 1862—the date of the Battle of Cedar Mountain—there was a full moon. Confederate commander Stonewall Jackson pressed his men forward in the moonlight, hoping to capitalize on the advantages gained earlier in the day.
The fighting culminated with an artillery exchange between Capt. Willie Pegram’s Purcell Artillery & four Federal batteries. The brief dual was one sided.
David H. Strother penned in his diary: “and the blazing of the guns, the bursting of shells and the vast columns of white smoke obscuring the woods and piling up like snow mountains in the moonlight was a scene so dramatic and grand that it will not be soon forgotten.”[1]
This will be the second time since 1862 that there will be a full moon on the anniversary (August 9) and day (Saturday). The last time this event occurrence was 95 years ago in 1930.
It is forecast to be a clear night.
[1] Eby, Cecil D., ed., A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War: The Diaries of David Hunter Strother, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1961, 78.
Mike, A whole bunch of your fellow Civil War travelers are pleased to learn about this unique occurrence of the full moon with the anniversary of the battle. So now there are the following questions: #1 (the easy one) – Do you plan to be on hand to photograph the event? #2 (another softball) – Or will Drew Gruber be standing watch with his camera at the ready? #3 (to stump the band) – Have you figured out when the next conjunction will occur?
Bill- #1. I will be there on Saturday to photograph and perhaps have a facebook live event.
#2.Drew will not be at the event, as he has other commitments.
#3. I researched up to 2050 and it will not happen again before that year.