Hupp's Hill

During mid-October 1864, Union Gen. Philip Sheridan's army camped along the north bank of Cedar Creek, confident that its Valley campaign had ended after victories at Winchester, Fishers Hill, and Toms Brook. But Gen. Jubal A. Early and the full Confederate army had followed, and on October 13, 1864, at about 10 a.m., Early and his staff reached the crest of Hupp's Hill, where they could plainly see the camps of Col. Joseph Thoburn's division of Gen. George Crook's 8th Federal Corps in the fields to the east across Cedar Creek. As Confederates noted the Federal position, Early's artillery reached the summit, unlimbered, and began firing into the camps. Crook immediately sent two brigades under Cols. George D. Wells and Thomas M. Harris to meet what seemed to be a Confederate demonstration, but after passing the home of pioneer George Bowman, the brigades were separated by a wooded ridge in their path. As the Federals advanced, the Confederates did too, with Gen. John Gordon's division taking position west of the Valley Pike facing north while Gen. James Conner brought his Confederates across the hill on the east side of the pike. Harris soon realized he faced an overwhelming force, decided to retire, and sent a courier to inform Wells, but the message never arrived. By then Wells' brigade, struggling through thick underbrush 400 yards to the south, neared the hilltop, took cover behind a low stone wall, and opened fire on Conner's advancing Confederates, with the first volley shattering Conner's knee. The superior Confederate force soon overlapped the flanks of Wells' isolated brigade pinned along the wall, forcing Wells to reconsider his position. Just after he ordered a retreat, a Confederate minnie ball struck him in the chest, and he died while being removed from the field. Federal losses were 22 killed, 110 wounded, and 77 captured, while Confederate losses were reported as 22 killed and 160 wounded. This right smart little fight alerted Sheridan to renewed Confederate presence, yet Early was still able to launch a well-conceived and coordinated surprise attack that temporarily routed the Federal army during the Battle of Cedar Creek six days later, before a late Union counterattack erased Confederate gains and gave Sheridan another decisive victory.

Strasburg, Virginia · United States