Struggle to the Heights

Consider dragging 2,000-pound cannon up this ravine—at night. General A.P. Hill’s Confederates faced that task during the second night of battle. The assignment was essential to “Stonewall” Jackson’s plan to flank the Union army on the crest of Bolivar Heights. Hill’s men dragged artillery up this and other nearby ravines before rolling the cannon into position in the open field behind you. The names of these soldiers are not recorded in military reports about the event, but their labors soon changed the course of the battle.