Battle of Cedar Creek

Dates:

October 19, 1864

Other Names:

Belle Grove

Location:

Cedar Creek, Virginia

Key Individuals Involved in the Battle of Cedar Creek:

Union: Major General Horatio Wright and Major General Philip Sheridan
Confederate: Lieutenant General Jubal Early

Outcome:

UnionVictory. 8,575 casualties of which 5,665 were Union soldiers.

Overview of the Battle :

At dawn, October 19, 1864, the Confederate Army of the Valley under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early surprised the Federal army at Cedar Creek and routed the VIII and XIX Army Corps. Commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan arrived from Winchester to rally his troops, and, in the afternoon, launched a crushing counterattack, which recovered the battlefield. Sheridan’s victory at Cedar Creek broke the back of the Confederate army in the Shenandoah Valley. Lincoln rode the momentum of Sheridan’s victories in the Valley and Sherman’s successes in Georgia to re-election.
Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries