Grant decided to give the command of the army in the Shenandoah to General Philip H. Sheridan, to whom he gave instructions to drive the Confederates out of the valley once for all, and to destroy all growing crops and everything that would be of any advantage to the Confederacy in the way of supplies for their army or otherwise. This he finally did, and Sheridan afterwards said that he believed a crow could fly over the entire valley without getting even a mouthful to eat.
September found the two armies near Winchester, and on the 19th a severe battle was fought which was kept up the entire day, the advantage being first with one side and then the other. Finally the Confederates, being outnumbered, retreated back through Winchester. This was a bloody day, in which the loss of the Federals was about 5,000, and that of the Confederates about 4,000.
The next day the Confederates were overtaken at Fisher's Hill, at which place Early was making preparations for a great battle, which engagement did not occur until the 22d. This engagement proved to be disastrous to Early, his army being flanked by the Federals with superior numbers. He began a stubborn retreat, which finally became a rout. He was closely followed up by the Federals, and fought several small engagements on his retreat.
On about the middle of October he received reënforcements from Longstreet, and on the 19th he attacked Sheridan's army at Cedar Creek, under the immediate command of General Wright, Sheridan having gone to Washington, but returned in time to take part in the battle. This took place about twenty miles from Winchester, the attack being made by General Gordon, who fell upon General Sheridan's men while they were yet sleeping early in the morning. Gordon was immediately supported by the army; Early himself came up to the attack. The Federals were completely surprised and retreated, which became a rout, leaving their entire camp equipment, together with some prisoners, in the hands of the Confederates. The Confederates thought they had gained a signal victory, and gave up the pursuit of the retreating Federals, and turned their attention to pillaging the Federal camp.
General Sheridan was on his way from Winchester to his army headquarters at Cedar Creek when he heard the roar of the cannon which convinced him that a great battle was being fought. He at once made haste to take charge of his army, this being Sheridan's famous ride. He first met stragglers of his army, and then passed through brigade after brigade of his retreating army, which so blocked the highway that he was compelled to leave the same and take to the fields. He at length succeeded in stopping the retreat and turned it into an attacking column. In this retreat were two divisions commanded by two future presidents, viz.: President Hayes and McKinley. This attack on the Confederates completely surprised them, and they were utterly routed and so badly defeated that Early's army was never completely reorganized, this being the last principal engagement in the Shenandoah Valley.
Previous to these battles in the valley, Early had dispatched General McCausland with his division of cavalry to go into Pennsylvania to levy large sums of money on the towns in reprisal for Hunter's depredations in the Shenandoah Valley. This cavalry party burned the town of Chambersburg.
[THE SIEGE AND FALL OF PETERSBURG]
After the battle of Cold Harbor Grant remained a few days trying to find a weak place in the Confederate lines. This he abandoned and resolved to move his army across the James and to Petersburg, which place is about twenty miles from Richmond, and was defended by General Beauregard with a small division of the Confederate army.