At The Time Of The Battle, The Crittenden Gate Was In The Middle Of The Confederate Line
The Orange-Culpeper Road and Crittenden Lane crossroads is where the Confederates placed their cannon (named for a prominent family in the area). The area was dubbed "the Gate." Although Union cannon rained down lethal return fire, slowing any potential advance of Confederate infantry through the region, Confederate artillery fired shot after shot from this position for nearly two hours at the beginning of the war. Before Confederate reinforcements arrived on the battlefield, Union soldiers from the 46th Pennsylvania, 28th New York, and 5th Connecticut Infantry battalions came dangerously close to seizing this stronghold.
A group of individuals rebuilt this significant landmark in 2018. Sam Pruitt, a board member of Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield and the scout liaison, worked with Scout Zach Wright, his father Dale , and fellow Scout Travis Badger (right), to organize the most recent attempt. The Crittenden Gate is now represented by Wright's work, which more accurately captures the split gate design. The project also involved collaborating with the state forestry department to get rid of non-native plants and replacing them with native ones. 20 Eastern Redbud trees were planted in the cleared space between the monuments and the line immediately beyond the gate. The ongoing restoration work of the Cedar Mountain Battlefield Association benefited greatly from the assistance of BSA Troop 225. A bridge connecting an interpretative path to the site's pond, picnic tables, the creation of a picnic area, the clearing and development of a trail leading to an early cemetery, and the placement of benches along the trails are examples of previous Eagle Scout initiatives.
