"Come on back, boys!"

In 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant was given command of the Union armies in the US Civil War. Knowing that the fastest way to force a surrender was through the use of total war, Grant placed Philip Sheridan in charge of the forces in the Shenandoah Valley in late 1864 and informed him that “If the war is to last another year, we want the Shenandoah Valley to remain a barren waste.” The valley was the breadbasket of the South and General Robert E. Lee could not afford this threat, so he sent Jubal Early to protect the valley. 

Photo: americaslibrary.gov

On October 19, 1864 (150 years ago), Early attempted a surprise attack on Sheridan’s forces near Strasburg, Virginia to try and end the Union occupation of the Lower Valley. The surprise was successful: the Union forces were unaware of the Confederate plan until the forces arrived and Sheridan wasn’t even present at the time of attack. 

Photo: nps.gov

Sheridan was in Winchester, Virginia when the attack was launched, on a return trip from Washington, DC. He received reports of gunfire but believed it to be his own troops attacking Early. However, he left Winchester and rode towards the battle. Sheridan discovered that his troops were retreating and in order to halt this, he ordered Captain William McKinley to form a line to intercept stragglers and send them back to battle. When he arrived at the battlefield near Cedar Creek, Sheridan rallied his troops by shouting, “Give ‘em hell!” and the Union soldiers managed to defeat Early’s troops. 

Photo: exhibits.lib.byu.edu

The Battle of Cedar Creek was the last major conflict in the valley and effectively ended the Confederates’ campaign to control the Shenandoah Valley. In addition, the battle occurred just before the 1864 election and since it was a Union victory, it helped Lincoln to win reelection over his opponent George McClellan, who would have ended the war and allowed the Confederacy to remain as a separate country 

 Photo: nps.gov