Battle of Opequon

battle_name=Battle of Opequon

Background

Major General Philip H. Sheridan had been given command of the Army of the Shenandoah and sent to the Shenandoah Valley to deal with the Confederate threat under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early. For much of the early fall of 1864, Sheridan and Early had cautiously engaged in minor skirmishes while each side tested the other's strength. Early mistook this limited action to mean that Sheridan was too afraid to fight and he left his army spread out from Martinsburg to Winchester. Sheridan learned of Early's dispersed forces and immediately struck out after Winchester, the location of two previous major engagements during the war, both Confederate victories.

Related Topics:
Major General - Philip H. Sheridan - Army of the Shenandoah - Shenandoah Valley - Confederate - Lieutenant General - Jubal A. Early - 1864 - Martinsburg - Winchester

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