Despite the fact Early had escaped, Crook’s flank attack reaped significant results. Fisher’s Hill had disorganized Early’s men and pushed them farther up the Valley. The lack of a strong Rebel presence in the upper Shenandoah gave Sheridan the freedom to begin what became known as the ‘Burning’ during the autumn of 1864, as he fired large amounts of property, carrying out another element of Grant’s plan to destroy the region as a source of provender for the Confederate armies.

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While Sheridan laid waste to the upper Shenandoah Valley, Early reorganized and reinforced his battered command. The two would lock horns on October 19, 1864, at the Battle of Cedar Creek. That morning, Early turned the tables by striking Crook’s VIII Corps on Sheridan’s left flank. In a matter of 15 minutes Crook’s men, many of them asleep in the early morning hours, were captured or driven from their position.

Though Sheridan’s men rallied to carry the day, that fight tainted the reputation of the VIII Corps. Although it is true that Sheridan’s army won at Cedar Creek largely due to the fighting of the XIX and VI corps, the VIII Corps was responsible for much of Sheridan’s success in the Valley up to that point and played an important role in the creation of his wartime legacy. The flank attack at Winchester and the massive maneuver at Fisher’s Hill gave Sheridan two crucial victories and elevated him to the pantheon of legendary Union commanders.

As the years went by, arguing over the fight at Fisher’s Hill resulted in animosity between Sheridan and Crook, two men who had been nearly as close as brothers for four decades. Historians have expended a fair amount of ink debating who was responsible for developing the idea to strike Early’s left flank. Evidence exists to support both claims.

Regardless of who conceived the plan, Crook should be credited for guiding his men to the eastern slopes of Little North Mountain, and his soldiers deserve a large portion of the recognition for taking matters into their own hands after the terrain had disrupted their formations. Had the soldiers lacked initiative and fighting prowess, the attack would have failed and the plan declared a blunder. ‘I feel the success is due, more than in any battle I know,’ Colonel Wells wrote in his battle report, ‘to the splendid individual heroism of the men in the ranks.’

This article was written by Jonathan A. Noyalas and originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of America’s Civil War magazine.

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