On 19 October 1864, Major General Philip Sheridan’s Union forces stood on both sides of the Valley Pike north of Cedar Creek, centered on Belle Grove, when Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early sent three Confederate divisions under Major General John B. Gordon along a trail south of the Shenandoah to Bowman’s and McInturff’s Fords to strike the left flank of George Crook’s Eighth Corps, while Wharton’s Division prepared a frontal attack across Cedar Creek. The assault began at 5:00 a.m. as Kershaw’s Division rushed the trenches of Thoburn’s Division and Gordon’s Corps then struck Hayes’ Division, causing many of Crook’s men to flee, while Confederate artillery moved to Hupp’s Hill against Emory’s Corps and the fighting pressed around Belle Grove. Wright’s Corps formed west of Meadow Brook before becoming heavily engaged, but Keifer’s Division was forced back, Wheaton’s Division was pushed from its positions, and Getty’s Division deployed on Cemetery Hill west of Middletown about 8:00 a.m., where for about an hour it repelled repeated assaults before retiring at 10:00 a.m. to a new Federal line farther north, halting the Confederate advance north of Middletown. By 11:00 a.m. Confederate forces occupied the line Getty had vacated, but Early halted to reorganize despite objections from many commanders, and when Sheridan arrived about 10:30 a.m. after riding from Winchester from a conference in Washington, he revived his battered army, completed the Federal line, and repulsed a 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, planning a flank attack as Emory’s Corps pivoted southeastward; after skirmishers were driven in around 3:30 p.m., the main Federal attack began at 4:00 p.m., Confederate resistance held for about an hour, then Gordon’s thinner western lines broke and Custer’s cavalry struck for Early’s rear, creating panic that became a stampede along the entire Confederate line. Early’s forces lost control during their retreat despite brief delaying actions at the Federal morning positions and at Hupp’s Hill, and when a bridge at Spangler’s Mill south of Strasburg broke, the resulting jam prevented vehicles from moving farther south, forcing the abandonment of guns, most of the 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.