Battle of Cedar Creek

• 1. Strategic Context And Objectives

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  In March 1864, Major General Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of all Union armies after being summoned from the Western Theater and promoted to lieutenant general. His strategy differed sharply from previous commanders by focusing on destroying Confederate armies rather than conquering territory. Grant ordered multiple Union forces to fight simultaneously, making it difficult for Confederates to transfer troops between battlefronts. In Virginia, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia became a primary target. Steps were taken to cut off supplies coming from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley via railroads like the Virginia Central Railroad and the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. The Confederate Army of the Valley formed in June 1864 under Lieutenant General Jubal Early as part of Lee's Second Corps. Its mission included protecting the Shenandoah Valley while threatening Washington, D.C., forcing the Union to divert resources away from Richmond. Early achieved victories at Lynchburg and Kernstown before winning the Battle of Monocacy on July 9. Two days later he threatened Washington but was repelled during the Battle of Fort Stevens. A cavalry raid led by Brigadier General John McCausland burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in late July.

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• 2. The Surprise Confederate Assault

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  Heavy fog blanketed the Shenandoah Valley early on the 19th of October 1864, allowing Confederate forces to approach undetected. Gordon climbed Massanutten Mountain on October 17 to identify vulnerabilities in the Union left flank. He found a narrow trail along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River that enabled his three divisions to move into position before dawn. By 3:30am, all three Confederate columns had reached their starting points near Cedar Creek. Kershaw's Division attacked Thoburn's Union 1st Division around 5:00am while most soldiers slept in tents. The Union 1st Division lost its organization quickly as men fled or were captured. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Wildes kept two regiments organized long enough to conduct a fighting withdrawal toward the Valley Pike over thirty minutes. Captain Henry A. du Pont saved nine artillery pieces while withdrawing toward Middletown. Colonel Joseph Thoburn died trying to rally troops near Middletown after being struck by Confederate cavalry. Rutherford B. Hayes learned of the attack only moments before his own division faced seven brigades from Gordon's column. His Second Brigade remained in tents when retreating men raced through their camp. Most of Hayes's men retreated toward Belle Grove while others fled northeast down the pike. J. Howard Kitching led raw recruits who showed little resistance before being wounded in the foot.

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• 3. Sheridan's Arrival And Rallying

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  Major General Philip Sheridan spent October 18 sleeping in Winchester after returning from Washington, D.C. At 6:00am pickets south of Winchester reported distant artillery sounds that he initially dismissed as Grover's reconnaissance mission. By 9:00am he rode south toward the Valley Pike as battle noise increased rapidly. He encountered retreating men and wagons less than five miles from Winchester hearing panic-stricken stories claiming all was lost. Sheridan ordered lines set up to intercept stragglers arriving around 10:30am. His presence inspired soldiers with one man describing it as an electric shock. Wright had already begun organizing a defensive line between Newtown and Middletown before Sheridan arrived. The Union army numbered about 31,610 effectives with ninety artillery pieces when Sheridan took command. Sixty-four officers and men died during the initial Confederate assault while over three thousand four hundred were wounded. Another fifteen hundred nine became captured or missing. Crook's Army of West Virginia suffered heavily with two division commanders killed or mortally wounded including colonels Thoburn and Kitching. Daniel D. Bidwell from the VI Corps and Charles Russell Lowell from the Cavalry Corps also fell during fighting.

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• 4. The Decisive Counterattack

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  Sheridan received confirmation around 3:30pm that Longstreet was not approaching from Front Royal after interrogating prisoners. He learned only Kershaw's Division remained present instead of the rumored reinforcement. The Union counterattack began just before 4:00pm using superior cavalry forces against Confederate flanks. Custer's Division moved to the far right northwest from the main infantry line facing Rosser. Merritt's Division occupied the left southeast side of the pike while Grover returned to command his Second Division. Dwight now led the First Division of the XIX Corps on the right flank. Crook's Army of West Virginia held reserve status close to the turnpike supporting the VI Corps. The plan involved containing Confederate flanks while turning their left east of the pike preventing escape across Cedar Creek's bridge. Infantry attacks stalled initially as Gordon's men behind stone walls resisted combined with artillery support. Grover again sustained wounds during failed assaults against Ramseur and Kershaw. Merritt's third charge succeeded when bolstered by advancing VI Corps troops causing disorder among Confederates. Colonel Charles Russell Lowell died mortally at Thorndale Farm moments before Confederate lines broke. Custer took two lead regiments forward after securing the Cedar Creek bridge earlier than expected.

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• 5. Casualties And Tactical Losses

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  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. Both the VI Corps and XIX Corps suffered over two thousand casualties each though the VI Corps lost more killed and wounded. The Army of West Virginia became principal victims losing five hundred forty men captured or missing while seven hundred ninety of the XIX Corps' total were similarly affected. Two division commanders from Crook's force died including colonels Thoburn and Kitching alongside brigade commanders Bidwell and Lowell. Confederate losses estimated around three hundred twenty killed plus fifteen hundred forty wounded and one thousand fifty missing totaled roughly two thousand nine hundred ten far fewer than Union figures. Three hundred wagons and ambulances along with forty-three artillery pieces including twenty captured Union guns fell into enemy hands. Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur became highest ranking casualty when mortally wounded and captured by the 1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment. Early's artillery chief Thomas H. Carter escaped capture despite darkness allowing many prisoners to flee while captors searched for additional men.

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• 6. Political Impact And Legacy

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  Sheridan's victories in the Shenandoah Valley helped secure President Lincoln's reelection campaign victory in November 1864. Earlier that August advisors warned Lincoln his chances looked doubtful due to war fatigue and numerical disadvantages facing Union forces. The Cedar Creek win arrived three weeks before election day bringing joy to an administration struggling under pressure. Poet Thomas Buchanan Read wrote Sheridan's Ride adding to general fame after Harper's Weekly featured him on its cover. Sheridan achieved status eclipsed only by Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman eventually becoming Commanding General of the United States Army. An equestrian statue sculpted by Gutzon Borglum dedicated in 1908 stands today at Washington D.C.'s Sheridan Circle contrasting sharply with declining Confederate fortunes. Jubal Early faced accusations of incompetence losing confidence among subordinates whose portions were recalled to Richmond. On the 2nd of March 1865, Early and remnants of his army suffered defeat by Custer during the Battle of Waynesboro ending existence of the Army of the Valley. Portions of battlefield preserved as part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park established in 2002 encompass about seven hundred twenty-nine acres across three counties including trails exhibits and Belle Grove Plantation Manor House listed nationally since the 11th of August 1969.

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