CHAPTER TEN
OCTOBER 18-19, 1864
Early’s greatest gamble of the campaign began under the cover of darkness.
Confederate soldiers began assembling and shuffling off to their assigned positions in the battle plan. One officer remembered the night as “cloudy and cold,” which limited visibility, and the men “glided along the road like a procession of specters through the dark.”
North of Cedar Creek, as the men of the Army of the Shenandoah bedded down, there was no indication that the next day would be any different than the last. Sheridan’s soldiers had spent the last few days lounging about their camps reading mail and casting their ballots for the upcoming election.
The Federal line extended across the hills and ridges above Cedar Creek. The VI Corps held the right with the XIX Corps in the center, its left resting near the Valley Turnpike. George Crook’s Buzzards and a provisional division commanded by Col. J. Howard Kitching occupied the left.
Gordon’s men were in position sometime after 3 a.m. They were directed to rest until the attack order came. The other divisions had been filing into place at the same time, along with the cavalry. As the minutes ticked by, anxiety levels rose for the Southerners. Even Early felt anxious. “Colonel, this is the most trying experience of my life,” he admitted to a staff officer; “if only I could pray like Stonewall Jackson.”
* * *
Thomas Rosser’s two brigades were in place and tasked with creating the diversionary attack to begin the general offensive. The time was 4:30 a.m. when Col. Thomas Owen, leading the 3rd Virginia Cavalry, moved his men quietly toward the enemy. In addition, Col. William Payne’s cavalry brigade would make a dash at the Union pickets, capture as many as they could, and advance toward Belle Grove in a desperate attempt to capture Sheridan.
CONFEDERATE ATTACKS DURING THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK—During the early morning hours of October 19, 1864, Confederates moved into position to attack the Union left flank. Kershaw’s and Gordon’s men quickly overran Crook’s Army of West Virginia before crashing into Emory’s XIX Corps. By mid-morning, Wright’s VI Corps had been driven from their positions, as well, and the Confederates held the field.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Kershaw’s 2,500 Confederates crossed at Bowman’s Mill Ford to attack the Union lines. (DD/PG)
Unable to stand the tension any longer, Joseph Kershaw’s division moved forward when the noise generated by the cavalry of Payne’s Brigade, which advanced in front of the Second Corps on the opposite flank, carried down to their position. Crossing at Bowman’s Ford, Kershaw’s division was spearheaded by Georgians, commanded this day by Col. James P. Simms. The rest of the division followed.
The 2nd Battalion of the 5th New York Heavy Artillery was posted along Crook’s picket line near Bowman’s Ford. All through the night, these artillerists-turned-infantrymen could hear strange noises coming from their front and across Cedar Creek. Suddenly, out of the early morning mist, charged Kershaw’s Southerners. Taken by surprise, the Empire Staters fired a ragged volley and then ran for the rear, Kershaw’s men hot on their heels. Simms’ Georgians struck the Federal entrenchments near a gap between the brigades of Cols. Thomas Wildes and Thomas Harris. These brigades, belonging to Joseph Thoburn’s division, were “subjected to enfilading fires … these two brigades were driven from the works … a large portion of the men flying … in great disorder.”
With the Rebels pouring over the works, Thoburn’s line was quickly overrun, exposing Capt. Henry DuPont’s artillery. Visibility was limited, as DuPont recalled, “in consequence of the mist”—but he opened fire nonetheless. Facing overwhelming numbers, the Delawarean’s gunners held on in the hopes that they could slow the enemy advance long enough for troops from the XIX Corps to form. The resistless Confederate tide swept over the position, though, and the artillerists headed for the rear—losing only one piece in the process.
The battle of Cedar Creek (LOC)
Gordon’s corps was still resting south of the river at this time. It was 4:35 a.m. when Col. William Payne’s cavalry trotted past the waiting infantry. Gordon then issued orders for the infantry to fall in. Shortly afterwards, the command “Forward” rang out, and the Confederate flanking assault began.
In columns of four came Gordon’s infantry, protected behind their cavalry screen. The first men to bear the brunt of the surprise maneuver were the 34th Ohio Infantry, whose sleepy pickets along the river were quickly gobbled up. Confederates then felt the sting of the Shenandoah’s icy water as they crossed the North Fork; one Georgian remembered the “scramble” of men that “took place to see who should get first across.”
On the far side, Gordon’s men arrived at the John Cooley farm and found themselves astride the flank of the Army of West Virginia. West of the farmstead, Gordon aligned his corps for the assault. His old division, commanded by Clement Evans, comprised his left flank. John Pegram deployed the two brigades in his division behind Evans. The right of the line was held by Maj. Gen. Stephen Ramseur’s division. Minutes before the sun rose to usher in the day, Gordon’s men went forward, seven abreast.
Coming out of the mist and fog of the early morning, Clement Evans drove his men toward Rutherford Hayes’ division. The Rebels struck Hayes at an opportune time: only half of the division had been ordered into position; the rest remained in camp. As had happened in Thoburn’s division, the Federal line disintegrated. Hayes’ collapse left Kitching isolated. He was quickly overrun by Ramseur’s division, screaming the Rebel Yell.
Belle Grove (above) still wears the scars of battle in its masonry and woodwork (below). (CM, DD/PG)
In a span of some 30 minutes, the left flank of the Army of the Shenandoah was gone.
* * *
“It has always been somewhat of a mystery where Early obtained the troops with which he fought this battle,” a befuddled Vermonter later said, summing up the effect of Early’s morning assault. In actuality, Early’s only infantry reinforcement had been Kershaw’s division—but those South Carolinians made a difference on this October morning. Kershaw, along with Evans, drove onward. They continued toward the Valley Turnpike and Maj. Gen. William Emory’s XIX Corps.
These Union veterans were under arms when the fighting started. In very quick succession, the sounds of battle crept closer to them. Emory’s line faced south, and Emory knew it would take time to pull his men out of the earthworks and meet the threat bearing down from the east. This would be no easy task.
Coming from the southeast, the now-united Confederate advance had driven back one Union corps and now looked toward damaging another. However, something other than Union shot and shell would help delay the advance. In their morning assaults, the Southerners had overrun the Northern camps and uncovered a cornucopia of goods. One Confederate officer remarked that “the smoking breakfast, just ready for the table, stood temptingly inviting, while the opened tents displayed a scene almost enchanting to the eyes of the Southern soldier.”
Near Belle Grove, looking south toward XIX Corps’ line (DD/PG)
“Good gracious what a feast we had!” exclaimed another officer as their battle line started leaking soldiers. Napoleon’s comment, “An army moves on its stomach,” was never more evident than at Cedar Creek. The fact that the soldiers of Early’s army could not resist the temptation of the Union camps showed the effectiveness of “The Burning” Sheridan’s army had undertaken in the Valley. It also illustrated the inability of the Confederacy at this stage of the war to properly equip and supply its fighting men.
Many of the Rebels were motivated more by their success than their stomachs, though, and the onslaught of Evans, Kershaw, Pegram, and Ramseur continued.
Emory ordered Brig. Gen. James McMillan to send a brigade toward the sound of the fighting in an effort to allow Emory to reform his men. McMillan decided to send his old brigade to a ridgeline east of the turnpike. Led by Col. Stephen Thomas, the 8th Vermont, 12th Connecticut, and 160th New York marched across the turnpike and took up a position on a wooded ridge. There, the Yankees met Gordon’s screaming, onrushing ranks. The fighting that ensued was “a horrid, desperate, hand-to-hand encounter,” one soldier shivered. Severely outnumbered, all three Federal regiments suffered heavy casualties.
The 8th Vermont lost 106 of 175 men they engaged in their counterattack against the Confederates. A monument to the regiment is located southeast of the Belle Grove driveway. Because of the undulating nature of the land, though, it cannot be seen from the Valley Turnpike. (DD/PG)
Thomas’ counterattack had the desired effect, though. It allowed Emory enough time to fashion a new line with his corps. His veterans put up a stubborn defense, but soon, even they were overwhelmed and were driven from their position, streaming westward across a tributary of Cedar Creek known as Meadow Brook.
In a little under two hours, two-thirds of the Army of the Shenandoah had dissolved under the waves of Stonewall’s old command. Just like an apparition from the late Stonewall, the Confederates had appeared out of the fog and had struck the Union line hard.
Now, all that remained between the Confederates and complete victory was the Union VI Corps.
The 128th New York fought valiantly, but the gray onslaught overwhelmed them. A monument remembering their action sits near the XIX Corps entrenchments, just to the west of the Valley Turnpike. (DD/PG)
