The Battle of Cedar Creek: Victory from the Jaws of Defeat

Jonathan A. Noyalas

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781596295933
• eBook ISBN: 9781614230410
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

Nestled between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia's Shenandoah Valley enjoyed tremendous prosperity before the Civil War. This valuable stretch of land--called the Breadbasket of the Confederacy due to its rich soil and ample harvests--became the source of many conflicts between the Confederate and Union armies. Of the thirteen major battles fought here, none was more influential than the Battle of Cedar Creek. On October 19, 1864, General Philip Sheridan's Union troops finally gained control of the valley, which eliminated the Shenandoah as a supply source for Confederate forces in Virginia, ended the valley's role as a diversionary theater of war and stopped its use as an avenue of invasion into the North. Civil War historian, preservationist, and author Jonathan A. Noyalas explains the battle and how it aided Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign and defined Sheridan's enduring legacy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. No Longer “the Valley of humiliation”
• 2. “A more perfect feeling of security”
• 3. “Early’s ‘Good morning’ salutation”
• 4. “What only such Generals as Napoleon and his kind have been able to do”
• 5. “The thanks of the nation”
• 6. “They come not with fire and sword”
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author