Battle of Monterey Pass

In the July 4, 1863 Battle of Monterey Pass, Confederate cavalry attempted to hold off Union cavalry that sought to attack the Southern wagon train retreating from Gettysburg. On the morning ofJuly 4, 1863the Union cavalry division commanded by Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick was ordered to attack a Confederate wagon train retreating fromGettysburgon the road running betweenFairfieldandWaynesboro,Pennsylvania. Informed by local citizens that the Confederates were crossing atMontereyPass, a gap inSouthMountain, Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s cavalry brigade reached the base of the gap at about sundown. In rain and darkness, Custer’sMichiganhorsemen attacked the Confederates defending the pass. In the chaotic fighting that followed, other Union troops advanced up the mountain, threatening to outflank the Confederates, who withdrew further up the summit. A charge by the First West Virginia Cavalry gained the mountain summit and resulted in the capture of a Confederate artillery piece. In wild confusion, a number of wagon teams bolted down the western slope of the pass and crashed into ravines or ran off of cliffs. Union cavalry took over 1,500 prisoners and captured dozens of wagons, many of which were subsequently burned, as the fight spilled over the Mason-Dixon Line. About 10,000 soldiers were involved in the Battle of Monterey Pass, which makes it the second largest battle fought onPennsylvaniasoil, following only the Battle of Gettysburg.