Battle of Cedar Creek

On 19 October 1864, Philip Sheridan’s Union forces held positions on both sides of the Valley Pike north of Cedar Creek, centered on Belle Grove, when Jubal A. Early sent three divisions under John B. Gordon along a trail south of the Shenandoah to Bowman’s and McInturff’s Fords to strike George Crook’s Eighth Corps on the left flank while Wharton’s Division prepared a frontal attack across Cedar Creek. The Confederate assault began at 5:00 a.m. as Kershaw’s Division hit Thoburn’s Division and Gordon’s Corps soon struck Hayes’ Division, driving many of Crook’s men to the rear, while Wharton moved to the Cedar Creek Bridge and Confederate artillery advanced to Hupp’s Hill against Emory’s Corps. Emory’s men shifted their line west of the Pike, and around Belle Grove mixed elements of Crook’s and Emory’s Corps fought hard as Wright’s Corps formed west of Meadow Brook. Keifer’s Division engaged Kershaw by 7:15 a.m. but lost contact with the rest of the corps and fell back, Wheaton’s Division was pushed from positions near Belle Grove to high ground west of the brook and then withdrew to join Getty’s Division, and Getty’s Division deployed on Cemetery Hill west of Middletown about 8:00 a.m., repelled repeated attacks from four of Early’s divisions for about an hour, and then retired at 10:00 a.m. to a new Federal line farther north, where the Confederate advance stopped north of Middletown. By 11:00 a.m. Confederate forces occupied the ground Getty had left, but Early halted to reorganize despite objections from many commanders. About 10:30 a.m. Sheridan arrived from Winchester after returning from a conference in Washington, energized his battered army, and completed a reordered Federal line that repulsed a weak Confederate probe at 1:00 p.m. Sheridan then placed cavalry on both flanks with Wright’s and Emory’s Corps in line and Crook’s Corps in reserve, and at about 4:00 p.m., after skirmishers were pushed in around 3:30 p.m., the Federal counterattack began. Confederate resistance north of Middletown held fiercely for about an hour, but Gordon’s thinner lines to the west broke and Custer’s cavalry struck toward Early’s rear, spreading panic that became a stampede along the Confederate line. Confederate artillery and a few infantrymen fought brief delaying actions at the Federal morning positions and at Hupp’s Hill, but Early lost control as his army dissolved in retreat. South of Strasburg, a broken bridge at Spangler’s Mill blocked vehicles from moving farther south, forcing the abandonment of guns, most wagons captured that morning, and twenty-four cannon to Federal cavalry. Early’s shattered forces gathered at Fisher’s Hill and withdrew southward, and Confederate military power in the Valley was broken.

Middletown, Virginia · United States