First Battle of Kernstown

I've been trying to understand the Civil War from start to finish. There are a lot of aspects of the war that I just don't understand and completely don't get....but I'm working on it. One day I will completely understand the war....probably the day after I die. But until then, I study and read.

The First Battle of Kernstown is a battle that I am trying to understand right now. I pick a battle at a time and read and study up on it so that eventually I'll have read about them all.

At Kernstown, Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson fought against Colonel Nathan Kimball. There were 3600-3800 men under Jackson and 8500-9000 men under Kimball. Because of misinformation, Jackson believed that he outnumbered Kimball when in fact Kimball outnumbered him a good 2-1.

This battle was considered the only battle that Jackson ever lost. It was a combination loss as well as victory. Jackson's goal was to keep Kimball from joining General George B. McClellan in the Peninsula. So while he engaged Kimball and actually lost the battle, he was victorious in that he did in fact, keep Kimball away from McClellan.

This battle took place both north and south of town. The initial clash taking place on March 22, 1862 north of town and then Jackson gathering his forces that day and the next south of town.

The United States artillery (24 pieces) unlimbered on Pritchard's Hill and the Confederate artillery (27 pieces) under command of Turner Ashby unlimbered near the Opequon Church.

By the time the battle ended, the Confederates had lost 718 men to killed, wounded, missing, or captured and the Union had lost 590 men.

Although this was a Union victory, it was also a Union loss. If Kimball had been able to get to the Peninsula to help McClellan, there would have been added support for the Peninsula Campaign. McClellan claims that had he had reinforcements, he could have taken Richmond. Is this true? We will never know....just another "what-if" of the Civil War. But it is an interesting thing to contemplate.