Date and Location
- May–October 1864
Location
- Frederick County, Virginia
- Shenandoah County, Virginia
- Warren County, Virginia
Timeline of Sheridan’s Valley Campaign
These are the main battles and events of Sheridan’s Valley Campaign in order. The campaign was part of the larger Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864.
- September 19, 1864 — Battle of Opequon
- September 22, 1864 — Battle of Fisher’s Hill
- October 9, 1864 — Battle of Tom’s Brook
- October 19, 1864 — Battle of Cedar Creek
Principal Union Commanders
- Major General Philip Sheridan
Principal Confederate Commanders
- Lieutenant General Jubal Early
Union Forces Engaged
- Army of the Shenandoah
Confederate Forces Engaged
- Army of the Valley
Number of Union Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 30,000 – 50,000
Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 21,000
Estimated Union Casualties
- Undetermined, but at least 11,300
Estimated Confederate Casualties
- Undetermined, but at least 7,500
Result
- Union victory
Impact of Sheridan’s Valley Campaign
- Sheridan’s Valley Campaign was the last of three campaigns that comprise the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864.
- During an operation of destruction known as “The Burning,” Major General Philip Sheridan claimed to have slaughtered thousands of sheep, hogs, and cattle and to have burned “2,000 barns filled with wheat, hay, and farming implements [and] over seventy mills filled with flour and wheat.”
- Sheridan’s Valley Campaign ended with the Union victory over Lieutenant General Jubal Early’s Army of the Valley at the Battle of Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864).
- After Major General Philip Sheridan’s successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign, the Shenandoah Valley no longer would be a source of sustenance for the Confederacy.
- Coupled with Major General William T. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, Major General Philip Sheridan’s successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign helped ensure President Lincoln’s re-election in 1864 and the continuation of the American Civil War.