Contrary to popular belief not every Union soldier was surprised by Gen. Jubal Early's attack.
Jubal A. Early, in full Jubal Anderson Early, Confederate general in the American Civil War (1861 - 1865) whose army attacked Washington, D.C., in July 1864 but whose series of defeats during the Shenandoah Valley campaigns of late 1864 and early 1865 contributed to the final collapse of the South. He fought in most of the major battles in the Eastern Theater, including the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He received a promotion to major general on January 17, 1863. Early's service was important during the Salem Church and the Gettysburg campaigns. He is the one who launched Gen. Jubal Early's attack. From start to finish the Battle of Cedar Creek was one of the most dramatic battles of the war. Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early launched it with a risky night march that led to a daring pre-dawn attack against heavy odds in dense fog.
About Gen. Jubal Early's attack, during the morning, Lieutenant General Jubal Early appeared to have a victory for his Confederate army, as he captured over 1,000 prisoners and over 20 artillery pieces while forcing 7 enemy infantry divisions to fall back. Although most Confederate soldiers, by mid-October, believed Early's army was no longer a threat in the Valley and would not dare attack, General William H. Emory, commander of the XIX Corps, believed that a Confederate attack was imminent due to information he received about Confederate activity spying on Confederate locations. When Emory reported intelligence to General Horatio G. Wright, the army's interim commander, Wright discounted it. In addition, Colonel Stephen Thomas, a brigade commander in the XIX Corps received intelligence reports that plainclothes individuals were inspecting Confederate positions from the foothills of Mount Massanutten. This is one of the facts about the Battle of Cedar Creek.
