Strasburg in Shenandoah County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Cedar Creek
Strategic Crossing
— 1864 Valley Campaign —
When Gen. U.S. Grant came East to assume command of all Union forces in 1864, he ordered Gen. Franz Sigel to seize control of the Valley. As Sigel moved south along the Valley Turnpike, Confederates on May 9, 1864, burned the bridge here delaying his advance. Sigel was defeated at New Market a few days later.
Following Sigel’s defeat, and after months of on-and-off fighting, Grant placed Gen. Philip Sheridan in command of the Union army in the Valley. In the pre-dawn darkness of Oct. 19, 1864, Sheridan’s pickets were attacked here by Confederates from Gen. Jubal Early’s army as the Battle of Cedar Creek began. The Confederates were slowed by artillery fire from a Federal battery situated on the hill one-quarter mile northeast of here. Confederate artillery took position on the hills above the Stickley farm, west of the road. These guns sent shells across the creek into the Federal camps. When the Northerners retreated, the Confederate artillery and Gen. G.C. Wharton’s infantry division crossed the bridge and joined the battle raging north of the creek.
That same day, near dusk, a Union counterattack drove the Confederates back across Cedar Creek. While trying to cross the bridge, the last organized Confederate division under Gen. John Pegram was broken. The Southerners gathered what men they could land made a stand along the hills to your left and behind you in an effort to save their wagons and artillery, which were then jammed up along the Pike heading south. Their escape failed when Federal cavalry under Gens. George A. Custer and Tom Devin charged the panic-stricken Confederates, capturing men and cannon.
After the Battle of Cedar Creek, the Federals converted Daniel Stickley’s fine brick residence into a field hospital. Wounded from both armies were cared for by U.S. medical staff for weeks following the battle. It is said that the limbs from amputations were piled higher than the table on which the surgery was performed.
Most of the soldiers buried here were re-interred at the military cemeteries in Winchester soon after the war. The remains of John Helms of Atlanta, Georgia, still lie west of the house.
(Caption under picture) The Stickley Mills were among the last of some 100 mills burned by order of Gen. Philip Sheridan during the fall of 1864. Sheridan’s cavalry also torched more than 2,000 barns and destroyed an estimated 15,000 farm animals sin the region during the period known as The Burning. The remains of the mills are still visible west of the Pike.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant, and the Virginia Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1908.
Location. 39° 0.421′ N, 78° 19.163′ W. Marker is in Strasburg, Virginia, in Shenandoah County. Marker is on Valley Pike (U.S. 11) 0.4 miles north of Quarry Road, in the median. In the median between the north and south bound lanes of US 11. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Strasburg VA 22657, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Cedar Creek (here, next to this marker); Fort Bowman (here, next to this marker); Frederick County / Shenandoah County (approx. 0.2 miles away); Samuel Kercheval (approx. half a mile away); 128th Regt N.Y.S.V.I. (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Strasburg.
Regarding Cedar Creek. The Cedar Creek battlefield is interpreted by several markers. See the Battle of Cedar Creek Virtual Tour by Markers link below.
Also see . . .
1. Battle of Cedar Creek. National Parks Service Summary. (Submitted on September 30, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Cedar Creek: Then & Now. American Battlefield Trust website entry (Submitted on June 15, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2006, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 2,798 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 20, 2006, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. 2, 3. submitted on September 30, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on October 28, 2014, by Linda Walcroft of Woodstock, Virginia. 5. submitted on September 30, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.