The Shenandoah Valley / Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864

The Shenandoah Valley, also, Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. , The Shenandoah Valley , Welcome to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, renowned in story and song. The valley has been home to American Indians and early settlers from Germany, Ireland, and Scotland who followed the Indians' Warrior Path and turned it into the Great Wagon Road. Tidewater gentry crossed the Blue Ridge and brought the practice of enslaving African Americans to the region. All were drawn to the area by the limestone soils and rivers and streams, all of which contributed to successful agricultural enterprises. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, both North and South sought to control the area. In the postwar years the Valley recovered. Today it is once again a vital transportation corridor.,

There are names which ring like bells in history, and Shenandoah is one of them, for it is not only a river, but also a valley, a valley consecrated by the lifeblood of brave men. , Julia Davis, The Shenandoah, 1945

, From Backcountry…to Breadbasket…to Battlefield…and Beyond, Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864 , In the fall of 1864 both the Union and the Confederacy knew they were in a fight to the finish. On October 19th General Jubal Early's Confederates launched a predawn attack here at Cedar Creek and drove Union troops out of their lines and through Middletown in disarray. Many of the Confederates stopped to collect Union prisoners and supplies that had been left behind. Union General Philip Sheridan, however, rallied his troops and turned the Confederate victory into a total defeat. The Shenandoah Valley was now in Union hands.