Confederate forces under Lieutenant General Jubal Early attacked Union troops near Cedar Creek early in the morning while most soldiers slept. The attack caused the Union army to lose organization quickly with men fleeing or being captured before Major General Philip Sheridan arrived to restore order.
Major General Philip Sheridan took command of the Union army after arriving from Winchester around 10:30am on the 19th of October 1864. He led approximately 31,610 effectives and ninety artillery pieces against Confederate divisions including those led by Gordon and Kershaw.
Official Union reports listed six hundred forty-four officers and men killed plus three thousand four hundred thirty wounded and one thousand five hundred ninety-one captured or missing totaling five thousand six hundred sixty-five casualties. Confederate losses were estimated around three hundred twenty killed plus fifteen hundred forty wounded and one thousand fifty missing totaling roughly two thousand nine hundred ten.
The Army of the Valley ceased to exist on the 2nd of March 1865 when Jubal Early and remnants of his army suffered defeat by Custer during the Battle of Waynesboro. This event ended the existence of the force that had been formed in June 1864 under Lieutenant General Jubal Early.
Sheridan's victories in the Shenandoah Valley helped secure President Lincoln's reelection campaign victory in November 1864 after advisors warned his chances looked doubtful due to war fatigue. The win arrived three weeks before election day bringing joy to an administration struggling under pressure from numerical disadvantages facing Union forces.