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Battle of Cedar Creek
Historian Page
What Happened at the Battle of Cedar
Creek?
A few days before the Battle of Cedar Creek, the
Union chased the Confederates out of Shenandoah Valley. The
night of the 19th, the Confederates marched in heavy fog and
surprise attacked the Union. General Sheridan, of the Union,
wasn't there at the time because he was on his way back from
a conference in Washington. At about 10:30 in the morning,
Sheridan came and saw the first of his soldiers running
away. He then reforms them and in the late afternoon, he
counterattacks the Confederates. After about two hours of
fighting, the Confederate line broke, giving the Union the
advantage to take over their line and shoot at them from the
sides. The Confederate troops retreated, and the Union won
the battle.
Who were the Generals of the Battle of
Cedar Creek?
 General
Jubal A. Early was the leader for the Confederate Army. He
was born in 1816 in Franklin Country, Virginia, and died in
1894. He graduated from West Point, and signed to become a
Virginian lawyer, but ended up as a general. He hated women,
although he had children himself, and he was said to be
cranky.
 General
Philip H. Sheridan was the leader for the Union Army. He was
born March 6, 1831 and died August 5, 1888. He was born at
sea on a British ship, which means he was British born. He
started going to school when he was ten years old and
enjoyed reading books about military history. He graduated
from West Point in the class of 1853. After he graduated he
became a Lieutenant. When the Civil War started he shot up
in rank as spots were left open when former officers went
south. By the year 1861 he was already Captain.
When did the Battle of Cedar Creek
occur?
The Battle of Cedar Creek took place October 19,
1864.
Where did the Battle of Cedar Creek take
place?
The battle of Cedar Creek took place in the
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It is located along Cedar
Creek. There was also some fighting in Frederick County and
Warren County.
Why did the Battle of Cedar Creek
occur?
The Battle of Cedar Creek happened because the
Confederates wanted revenge over the Union troops. Earlier
the Confederates had been chased out of Shenandoah Valley,
which was their property until this war. The Shenandoah
Valley was important to have control over because it is very
wide, and it is connected to two very important rivers. The
two rivers are the Potomac River, and James River. The
Potomac flows right to Washington D.C., which was the
capital of the north. James River flows in to Richmond, the
capital of the South. The valley was a major connection
between the two capitals, so having control over the valley
meant they could encounter troops crossing between sides.
Another important thing about controlling Shenandoah Valley
is that it is above the plains, so they could see incoming
troops climbing up the mountain.
How did the Battle of Cedar Creek
end?
Once the Union troops met up with General
Sheridan, they gained power. They reformed their line and
counterattacked the Confederates. The counterattack from the
Union caused the Confederate troops to retreat, giving the
Union troops a surprising victory. Their victory gave them
control over Shenandoah Valley.
Four significant events that happened
in the World, during 1864:
-Italy renounces all claims to Rome.
Florence replaced Turin as their new Capital.
-An allied Western expedition participated in a violent
civil war in Japan.
-Ismail succeeded Mohammed S. as a Viceroy of Egypt.
-Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay formed a military alliance
against the Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano Lopez.
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