150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek -- Important Lessons

Today (October 19) is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek. Why is that important to us today? It's the story of how one person can totally change history.

By October 19, 1864, the main Union and Confederate armies in the east were in a stalemate in trenches around Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. To relieve the pressure, Robert E. Lee had sent part of his army to threaten to capture Washington DC and they had come close to succeeding, but by now they were in the Shenandoah Valley on their way back to Lee.

The Confederates staged a surprise assault on the Union army around Cedar Creek in the Valley on this day, and they initially were completely successful. The Union soldiers were in full retreat and this could have had very important consequences for the future of the United States.

Then the commander of the Union Army in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General Philip Sheridan, 33 years old, arrived on the field and as described by everyone who was there he completely changed the situation. In minutes he had his routed soldiers inspired to turn around and fight, and by the end of the day it was a complete Union victory over the Confederates. For the rest of the Civil War the Confederate army would never be able to use the Shenandoah Valley.

The lesson for us now? That one person can truly change history. If Philip Sheridan had not been the person in charge of this Union army, or if he had been a less charismatic person, it is entirely possible that the Civil War might have ended in a different way, and thus the history of the United States would be entirely different.