Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[369] cavalry from Lee's army before Petersburg, he determined to make a bold movement, swiftly and stealthily, against the authors of his misfortunes, to retrieve the loss of his reputation. For this purpose he gathered his forces at Fisher's Hill, and in secresy, behind a mask of woods, he formed them in two columns, for the purpose of making a simultaneous attack upon both flanks of the Nationals. He moved soon after midnight, in October,

Oct. 19, 1864

almost noiselessly along rugged paths that stretched over steep wooded hills, with horse, foot, and artillery, not daring to take the highway for fear of discovery. The divisions of Gordon, Ramseur, and Pegram, forming his right column, thus crept softly toward the National left along the line of the Manassas Gap railway. They twice forded the north fork of the Shenandoah, the last time at a point a little east of the mouth of Cedar Creek, when they turned in the direction of Sheridan's army. Early's left, composed of the divisions of Kershaw and Wharton, moved with equal caution toward the National right.

At two o'clock in the morning,

Oct. 19.

General Crook was made vigilant by reports of mysterious sounds like the dull heavy tramp of a multitude of men moving cautiously, but he could obtain no positive information of the near proximity of an enemy. The rest of the army slumbered on in fancied security, while the Confederates, concealed by a dense fog that arose before dawn, reached their appointed places without being discovered. At the early morning twilight the order for attack was given, when the rattle of musketry on right, left, and rear, and the ringing battle-shout, summoned the Nationals from repose and to arms. But before they could take position in the trenches, the assailants, who had captured the pickets, were there. So furious and successful was their assault, that in. the space of fifteen minutes Crook's corps was broken into fragments, and sent flying in wild disorder back upon the other corps, leaving seven hundred men as prisoners in the hands of the Confederates, with many cannon, small-arms, and munitions of war as spoils. Emory vainly tried to stop the fugitives, and keep his own line intact. Assailed in front, flank, and rear, and having one-third of the brigade of McMillen (which he had thrown forward to check the fierce torrent of the victors until the Sixth Corps could come up) killed or wounded, he, too, was compelled to give way, and leave several guns behind. These, with Crook's lost pieces, eighteen in all, were turned upon the fugitives with fearful effect, while Early's right column, led by Gordon, continued their flanking advance with vigor, turning the Nationals out of every position where they attempted to make a stand, and trying to wedge in between the corps so as to split the Union army. At the same time Kershaw and Wharton were fearfully pressing the National right. Perceiving the peril that threatened the whole army, Wright ordered a general retreat, which the Sixth Corps, yet in good order, covered with great skill. So ended the battle of Cedar Creek.

The whole army fell back to Middletown, a little village five miles north of Strasburg, the forces all tending in their route toward a concentration on the turnpike from which they had been pushed. At that town Wright rallied the broken columns, but there was yet too much disorder to give hope of the formation of a strong line, so he fell back a mile or so further, and left Early in possession of Middletown. There the Confederates stopped to