New Market in Shenandoah County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Battle of New Market
May 15, 1864
| — | 1864 Valley Campaign | — |
In the spring of 1864, Union Gen. Franz Sigel marched his 10,000-man army south through the Shenandoah Valley as part of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s strategy to attack the Confederacy on several fronts simultaneously. To counter this threat, Gen. John C. Breckinridge led 4,000 Confederate troops to New Market, located on the only road over Massanutten Mountain, which divides the Valley and channels troop movements. In desperate need of soldiers, Breckinridge summoned the Corps of Cadets from Virginia Military Institute. The boys marched north from Lexington to join him.
On the evening of May 14, advance elements of Sigel’s army reached New Market, encountering Confederate Gen. John D. Imboden’s cavalry. The next morning, Breckinridge brought his full force to Shirley’s Hill, two miles south of here. When the Federals pulled back, Breckinridge ordered a general advance, with the cadets in reserve.
Sigel occupied a hill north of town on Jacob Bushong’s farm, where for several hours fighting swirled around the house and across an orchard and wheat field muddied by torrential thunderstorms. Casualties in the Confederate center created a hole that Breckinridge reluctantly filled with the cadets. After his forces repulsed two final infantry and cavalry charges, Breckinridge ordered an attack along his entire front. The Federals
this page online
Union losses totaled 841 killed, wounded, and missing, while the Confederates suffered 531 casualties, including 10 VMI Cadets killed and more than 40 wounded. With Sigel’s army no longer an immediate threat, Breckinridge took most of his troops east to join the defense of Richmond.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 14, 1872.
Location. 38° 39.709′ N, 78° 40.218′ W. Marker is in New Market, Virginia, in Shenandoah County. It is on George R. Collins Parkway (Virginia Route 305), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Market VA 22844, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Baptism of Fire (here, next to this marker); New Market Battlefield Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Stonewall Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); The Assault on Bushong's Hill (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Union Line Collapses
December 11, 2009
2. The Battle of New Market Marker
This is a former iteration of the marker. While the information is identical, the formatting is slightly different.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Died on the Field of Honor…" (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
More about this marker. On the lower left of the marker is a map of the Battle of New Market. On the upper center of the marker is a painting of The Charge of the VMI New Market Cadets, by Jack Woodson Virginia Military Institute Collections. On the upper right, the marker displays portraits of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge and Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel Courtesy of Library of Congress.
Also see . . .
1. Battle of New Market. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 25, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. New Market Battlefield Park. Virginia Department of Historic Resources website entry (Submitted on May 25, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
3. The Battle of New Market. United
December 11, 2009
4. The Battle of New Market Marker
This is the previous iteration of the marker in its context.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2009, by Keith Yoder of Centreville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,583 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on August 8, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on October 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on December 12, 2009. 3. submitted on October 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on December 12, 2009. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
