Cedar Creek • Tour the Battlefield • Battle Maps • The Armies
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Kershaw, Evans and Ramseur Sweep Away the 19th Corps
The disorganized men of the 8th Corps headed for the rear and down the Valley Pike, joined by ammunition and supply wagons that had been parked in the fields south of Belle Grove. Payne’s Rebel cavalry succeeded in capturing many in the rear of the column but the wagon guards and the sheer numbers of retreating transport allowed many to escape.
Previous map: Dawn • Next map: 7 a.m.
The noise of the destruction of the 8th Corps gave Emory’s 19th Corps a few minutes warning of the coming attack. His men were ready and in the trenches – but facing to the west, the wrong way. Emory knew their flank was vulnerable and began repositioning his forces.
He pulled the 900 men of Thomas’ Brigade from the right of his line and and sent them south across the Valley Pike. They formed line of battle in a dense woods in the path of the three Confederate divisions, hoping to buy time for the rest of the corps. The monument to the 8th Vermont Infantry is at the site of this battle line.
Emory then formed several regiments along the Valley Pike at a right angle to his entrenchments to cover his flank and rear. The monument to the 28th New York Infantry is at the site of the angle of Emory’s line.
Meanwhile 6th Corps commander Horatio Wright, commanding the entire army in the absence of Sheridan, arrived on the scene. He sent orders for two of his three 6th Corps divisions to immediately move south toward the fighting. He rallied two of Thoburn’s 8th Corps regiments and led them in a brief counterattack. It was thrown back and Wright was grazed in the face, forcing him to spend the rest of the battle holding a handkerchief to his bleeding lip and chin.
The three regiments of Thomas’ small brigade fought fiercely, losing 360 men in less than ten minutes. But they were outflanked on both sides and overwhelmed, and the Confederate assalt poured across the Valley Pike. The regiments along the Pike were overwhelmed in fierce fighting – one North Carolina regiment from Kershaw’s Division lost four color bearers – but bought time for most of the 19th Corps artillery to escape.