On the night of October 18, 1864, part of General Philip Sheridan's 32,000-strong Union Army of the Shenandoah covered the fields around Belle Grove, with supply wagons nearby, tents and entrenchments above Cedar Creek guarding the Valley Pike crossing, and trenches and camps on the bluffs above the North Fork of the Shenandoah overlooking the river passage. After victories in September and October 1864, Sheridan's army had carried out "The Burning," a systematic destruction of the Shenandoah Valley. Most believed that General Early, with at most 14,000 men, could not mount another offensive, and the Army of the Shenandoah settled into its fortified camp behind Cedar Creek fully confident that it was secure from any successful attack.

Photo: Bradley Owen

Middletown, Virginia · USA