The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-07
FAMOUS BATTLES
CIVIL WAR
Major London's Account of the
Fight at Cedar Creek
in 1864
BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
Chatham Record, Wednesday, Octo'
Der 49,

pSI 4C.)
Tomorrow is the forty-seventh an
niversary of the battle Of Cedar creek
in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
This battle was one Of the most re-
markable battles of the war am was
one in which a brilliant victory for
the C~onfederates was turned into DIS
astrous and ~disgraceful defeat. The
Gen. Jubal A. Early and the Federals
by Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, at least
he commanded in the latter part of
the battle. for at the beginning or
the battle he was at winchester,
twenty miles away" from which
place he made the famous ride that
has been immorta1iZed in verse.
This battle began by surprising The
Federals and driving them in confu-
sion from their camps but about 3
O'Clock in the afternoon General
Sheridan arrived in a furious gallop
and rallied his routed soldiers. who,
with re-enforcements, succeeded in
changing their defeat into a victory.
The battle had been we'll planned and
the enemy completely surprised.
About dark the night before Con n
18th OF October, 1860 the Confeder-
ates left Their camp and made a most
fatiguing night march In order to sur
wade across the Shenandoah river
twice, and suffered much from b
cold water while hating to rest on
the march. for no fires were allowed
to be kindled by which they could
warm and dry themselves because
the fires woul attract the
Of the enemy. The route they fol-
lowed was over the mountains, where
the path was SO narrow and rough
that they had to march single file and
under difficult surroundings.
The Confederates after their fatig-
uing night march arrived near the
emy's camps just before day-dawn
and vigorously attacked, taking then
completely by surprise and capturing
their camps and putting them to
fight. The enemy's rout was COM
plete, losing 1900 prisoners, "a can
nor. n a large supply Of military
stores and provisions Indeed the
Federal defeat and rout was as disas-
trous as was hat at the battle OF
Federals offered no serious opposition
or resistance and the day seemed won,
and the wearied and hungry soldiers
began to plumber the enemy's we'll
supplied camps, and thus became dis
organized and demora1iZed.
While the Confederates we're thus
enjoying the provisions and supplies
captured IN the Federal camps Gen
eral Sheridan met his ~retreatng
troops and promptly rallied them,
and, making them turn around,
brought them in greatly superior
numbers to meet again the victorious
Confederates. The Co~nfederates were
now themselves surprised, and, al
though many were rallied and fought
as brave1y as they a eve done, yet
they could not resist the Federals
who, in superior numbers, ~outf1anked
them and drove them in confusion
from the battlefield which that morn
inc fSau bod "o Tho frnoro ON Ny,~
left (and they were not North Caro-
~Iinians) were the first to give way and
retreat, running to the rear in great
confusion" and then Gen. Stephen D.
Ramseur ordered the brigades Of his
division to fall back and form behind
q stone fence and thus checked for
a while the advance OF the enemy in
his front. While holding his posi-
ton and encouraging his men General
Ramseur was MORALLY wounded, and
then with the enemy in front and to
the ga and left flank Ramseur's men
were forced to fall back, and soon
they were in the general stampede
that had seized all Of Early's army.
So great was this stampede that all
the efforts Of the officers were una
vailing to arrest their fight.
There were four North Carolina
.brisades in this battle, Grimes, Cox,
Johnston and Goodwin, and while they
WCi0 IC last ~ leave the HCiO yet
they also were swept away in the
panic that seized our men and joined
in the general rout. A terror Of the
enemy's cavalry lac seized our men
and there was no checking their
flight, especially after night had
made the scene more demoralizing.
Yet these soldiers, who were thus
stampeded and fed in confusion, were
the same who had fought SO bravely
in many previous battles and who
also fought with undaunted courage
in many more battles after this rout.
For his g%allantry in this battle Gen.
Bryan Grimes was promoted to the
command OF Ranseur's division.
In the victory OF the morning the
Confederates had captured Gas above
stately 1900 prisoners. all OF whom
were carried away before the after
moor rout, and twenty-four cannon.
In the Federal victory that afternoon
the Federals recaptured those TWEEN