Cedar Creek, Battle of, October 19, 1864, a Union victory that ended major military action “in the Shenandoah Valley, in northern Virginia, during the Civil War. Some 18,000 Confederates, under General Jubal Early, attacked the Union camp at Cedar Creek and forced the withdrawal of the more than 30,000 Union troops. Upon hearing artillery fire, General Philip H. Sheridan, who was about 14 miles (23 km) away at Winchester, rode to the site of the battle. He rallied his soldiers, and the Confederates were routed.