Overview
The Battle of Cedar Creek took place on October 19, 1864, during General Philip Sheridan’s campaign against General Jubal Early in the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan had previously defeated Early at the Battle of Opequon on September 19 and the Battle of Fisher’s Hill on September 22. Union leaders believed Confederate resistance was nearly over and started transferring troops to Petersburg.
Confederate reinforcements increased Early’s army to about 21,000 soldiers. On the evening of October 18, Early ordered a night march toward the Union camps at Cedar Creek. At dawn, General John B. Gordon’s division routed General George Crook’s 8th Corps. Gordon and General Joseph Kershaw then overwhelmed General William H. Emory’s 19th Corps. General Horatio G. Wright’s 6th Corps resisted before withdrawing in order.
Early believed he had won, but Confederate soldiers stopped to loot the Union camps. Sheridan returned from Winchester, rallied his troops, and reorganized the army. The Federals stopped Early’s renewed advance at about 3:00 p.m. The 19th Corps and General George Custer’s cavalry then attacked Early’s left flank. Sheridan ordered a general counterattack at about 4:00, routing the Confederate army. The victory forced Early from the Shenandoah Valley and ended the final Confederate invasion of the North.
Essential Facts
- Date: October 19, 1864.
- Location: Frederick County, Shenandoah County, and Warren County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Horatio Wright and Philip Sheridan.
- CSA Commanders: Jubal Early.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Cedar Creek.
- Campaign: Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 and Sheridan’s Valley Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, September–December, 1864.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: An estimated 5,665 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Shenandoah.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 31,945 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: An estimated 2,910 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Valley.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 21,000 soldiers.
Significance
The Battle of Cedar Creek is important to American History because it ended Confederate control of the Shenandoah Valley and stopped the last Confederate invasion of the North during the Civil War. Philip Sheridan’s victory prevented the valley from continuing to supply food and other resources to the Confederacy. Along with General William T. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, the victory strengthened President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election campaign and supported the continuation of the war. Cedar Creek also allowed Sheridan’s forces to leave the valley and rejoin the Army of the Potomac. Those troops later took part in the Appomattox Campaign, which helped bring the Civil War to an end.
History
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to have the various Union armies in the field to act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions. Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond, Virginia area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three Federal armies south from Chattanooga, Tennessee to capture Atlanta, Georgia; and Major General Franz Sigel would invade western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to cut off supplies to Lee’s army and to prevent any Confederate attempts to attack Meade’s flank.
Battle of Lynchburg
As Grant pressed Lee in Eastern Virginia during the spring and summer, the Confederate general devised a plan to divert Union forces away from his army. Lee designated Lieutenant General Jubal Early’s corps as the Army of the Valley, and in June he ordered Early to redeploy his army from Petersburg to the Shenandoah Valley. On June 17–18, Early’s army defeated Major General David Hunter’s Union forces at the Battle of Lynchburg, leaving control of the valley in Confederate hands. Early then launched his own offensive, invading Maryland and eventually threatening Washington, DC before being forced to retreat into the Shenandoah Valley.
Early’s successes in Maryland threatened President Lincoln’s re-election bid in November. Coupled with Grant’s mounting casualty totals in Eastern Virginia, Southerners had good reason to hope that the Northern electorate might opt for a peace candidate and a negotiated settlement with the Confederacy to end the war.
Sheridan Goes to the Valley
Outside of the political arena, Confederate operations in the valley had become a source of irritation to Grant. Thus, on August 1, Grant sent Major General Philip Sheridan to the valley and on August 8 placed him in charge of the newly created Army of the Shenandoah. Grant’s orders for Sheridan were twofold: destroy Early’s army and to “Do all the damage to railroads and crops you can. Carry off stock of all descriptions… so as to prevent further planting. If the war is to last another year, we want the Shenandoah Valley to remain a barren waste.”
Sheridan succeeded at both.
After a slow beginning, which concerned both Lincoln and Grant, Sheridan’s soldiers defeated Early’s outnumbered army at the Battle of Opequon (September 19) and the Battle of Fisher’s Hill (September 22). With Early’s army nearly neutralized after those two battles, Sheridan spent the next few weeks attending to his other task—laying waste to the Shenandoah Valley. By early October, Federal leaders convinced that Confederate resistance in the valley was near an end, began shifting troops from the Shenandoah Valley to the Petersburg area to support Grant’s pursuit of Lee.
Early’s Surprise
As the Federals were moving troops out of the Shenandoah Valley, Lee was moving troops into it. Reinforcements boosted the size of Early’s Army of the Valley to 21,000 soldiers. Although still outnumbered by over 10,000 men, Early launched a surprise attack on Sheridan’s troops encamped at Cedar Creek.
On the evening of October 18, 1864, Early’s army embarked on a night march toward Sheridan’s encampment. At dawn, Major General John B. Gordon’s division routed Major General George Crook’s unsuspecting 8th Corps and took hundreds of prisoners.
Joined by Major General Joseph Kershaw’s division, Gordon next overpowered Major General William H. Emory’s 19th Corps. The Confederates then hit Major General Horatio G. Wright’s 6th Corps, which offered more resistance before retreating in an orderly fashion. By that time, Early believed that he had won the battle, and the assault petered out as hungry Confederate soldiers went on a looting spree throughout the Federal encampment. Early’s failure to pursue Wright’s Corps and keep his army focused proved to be his undoing.
Sheridan Rallies His Troops
When the initial attack began, Sheridan was at nearby Winchester, returning from a summit meeting in Washington. Hearing the sounds of artillery in the distance, Sheridan dashed off to the site of the battle. He reached his fleeing army at mid-morning and began rallying his soldiers. At around 3 p.m., Early tried to resume his advance, but the reorganized Federals repulsed him. A half-hour later, the Union 19th Corps, supported by Major General George Custer’s cavalry division, successfully assaulted Early’s left flank. Sheridan then ordered a general counterattack at about 4 p.m. that routed the Confederate army. The remnants of Early’s shattered army limped back to Eastern Virginia to assist Lee in his struggle with Grant.
Aftermath
The Battle of Cedar Creek, which began with such promise for Early, was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy. Sheridan’s army suffered more casualties (5,665 killed, wounded, and missing/captured) than the Confederates (2,910 killed, wounded, and missing/captured), but Sheridan forced the Confederates to abandon the Shenandoah Valley.
The valley ceased to be a source of sustenance for the Confederacy. The Battle of Cedar Creek ended the final Confederate invasion of the North during the Civil War. Coupled with Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, Sheridan’s success in the valley helped ensure Lincoln’s re-election and the continuation of the war. The Union victory also freed Sheridan’s forces to rejoin the Army of the Potomac and hasten the end of the Civil War by taking part in the Appomattox Campaign.
Timeline
- 1864, March 12 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant General-in-Chief of the United States Armies.
- 1864, June — Robert E. Lee ordered Early to leave Petersburg and move his army to the Shenandoah Valley.
- 1864, June 17–18 — Early defeated David Hunter at the Battle of Lynchburg.
- 1864, August 1 — Grant sent Philip Sheridan to the Shenandoah Valley to confront Early.
- 1864, August 8 — Grant placed Sheridan in command of the Army of the Shenandoah.
- 1864, September 19 — Union forces won the Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon.
- 1864, September 21–22 — Union forces won the Battle of Fisher’s Hill.
- 1864, early October — Union leaders started transferring troops from the Shenandoah Valley to the Petersburg area.
- 1864, October 18 — Early’s army started a night march toward Sheridan’s camps at Cedar Creek.
- 1864, October 19, dawn — Gordon’s division routed Crook’s 8th Corps and captured hundreds of Union soldiers.
- 1864, October 19, morning — Confederate forces defeated Emory’s 19th Corps and forced Wright’s 6th Corps to withdraw.
- 1864, October 19, midmorning — Sheridan reached his retreating army and rallied his soldiers.
- 1864, October 19, about 3:00 p.m. — Reorganized Union troops stopped Early’s renewed advance.
- 1864, October 19, about 3:30 p.m. — The Union 19th Corps and Custer’s cavalry attacked Early’s left flank.
- 1864, October 19, about 4 p.m. — Sheridan ordered a general counterattack that routed Early’s army.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Cedar Creek (1864) — The Battle of Cedar Creek was fought on October 19, 1864, when General Jubal Early launched a surprise attack against General Philip Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah. Confederate troops routed two Union corps but stopped to loot the Federal camps. Sheridan returned from Winchester, rallied his troops, and stopped Early’s renewed advance. A Union attack against Early’s left flank and a general counterattack routed the Confederate army and forced it to abandon the Shenandoah Valley.
Alignment
The Battle of Cedar Creek is part of the following AP US History sections:
