New Market in Shenandoah County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Cannon Along the Turnpike

"Fire rolling as it was dragged over the pike"

— The Battle of New Market (May 15, 1864) —

Cannon Along the Turnpike Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 11, 2024

1. Cannon Along the Turnpike Marker

Inscription.

Cannon Along the Turnpike. "Fire rolling as it was dragged over the pike". , On the day of the Battle of New Market, Union commander Gen. Franz Sigel first reached the battlefield around noon when he galloped up to this spot on the Valley Turnpike, the road in front of you. The Confederate attack was already starting, so Sigel left his staff at the Rice House, the building behind you, then hurried to the front lines. Seeing that the Confederate lines badly outflanked his own, he ordered his troops to pull back and form a new line on Bushong's Hill., To cover the withdrawal, Union Col. Augustus Moor had the 18th Connecticut and the 123rd Ohio form a defensive line behind you on Rice's Hill, part of the Rice Farm. He also placed 6 cannon under Capt. Alfred von Kleiser on this ground, covering the turnpike., Von Kleiser's guns were soon overwhelmed by fire from Confederate cannon, located just 500 yards to your right, that blasted the wheel off one gun. Von Kleiser withdrew, led by the crippled gun, with "fire roll[ing] from under that broken steel axle as it was dragged over the stones of the pike.", The Union infantry was also overwhelmed. "The rebels... advanced in two strong lines," Moor recalled, "Far overlapping our own." Moor's line tumbled back in chaos, but their brief stand here had bought time to prepare the new line on Bushong's Hill, and the next Confederate attack would find the going tougher, and much more deadly., (Sidebar):, The Valley Turnpike , During the Civil War, the road in front of you, the Valley Turnpike (today's US-11), was the superhighway of its age, and the most strategically important road in the Shenandoah Valley. During their advance to battle at New Market, both armies marched on the pike. , The turnpike was built under the leadership of Dr. John W. Rice, who lived on this site., (Captions):, This image shows the Valley Turnpike running past the Rice Barn, which stood about 100 yards to your right. , Image c. 1924 from Stonewall Jackson's Way by John Wayland., Union commander Gen. Franz Sigel., Union Capt. Alfred von Kleiser. , Image courtesy Virginia Military Institute Archives., This marker was made possible through the generosity of Larry Warren.

On the day of the Battle of New Market, Union commander Gen. Franz Sigel first reached the battlefield around noon when he galloped up to this spot on the Valley Turnpike, the road in front of you. The Confederate attack was already starting, so Sigel left his staff at the Rice House, the building behind you, then hurried to the front lines. Seeing that the Confederate lines badly outflanked his own, he ordered his troops to pull back and form a new line on Bushong's Hill.

To cover the withdrawal, Union Col. Augustus Moor had the 18th Connecticut and the 123rd Ohio form a defensive line behind you on Rice's Hill, part of the Rice Farm. He also placed 6 cannon under Capt. Alfred von Kleiser on this ground, covering the turnpike.

Von Kleiser's guns were soon overwhelmed by fire from Confederate cannon, located just 500 yards to your right, that blasted the wheel off one gun. Von Kleiser withdrew, led by the crippled gun, with "fire roll[ing] from under that broken steel axle as it was dragged over the stones of the pike."

The Union infantry was also overwhelmed. "The rebels... advanced in two strong lines," Moor recalled, "Far overlapping our own." Moor's line tumbled back in chaos, but their brief stand here had bought time to prepare the new line on Bushong's Hill, and the next Confederate attack

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would find the going tougher, and much more deadly.

(Sidebar):

The Valley Turnpike
During the Civil War, the road in front of you, the Valley Turnpike (today's US-11), was the superhighway of its age, and the most strategically important road in the Shenandoah Valley. During their advance to battle at New Market, both armies marched on the pike.
The turnpike was built under the leadership of Dr. John W. Rice, who lived on this site.

(Captions):

This image shows the Valley Turnpike running past the Rice Barn, which stood about 100 yards to your right.
Image c. 1924 from Stonewall Jackson's Way by John Wayland.

Union commander Gen. Franz Sigel.

Union Capt. Alfred von Kleiser.
Image courtesy Virginia Military Institute Archives.

This marker was made possible through the generosity of Larry Warren.

Erected 2024 by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 38° 39.269′ N, 78° 40.091′ W. Marker is in New Market, Virginia, in Shenandoah County. It is on North Congress Street (U.S. 11) 0.2 miles north

Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 11, 2024

2. Cannon Along the Turnpike Marker

of Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9137 North Congress Street, 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: The Rice Farm (within shouting distance of this marker); Slavery on the Rice Farm (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); The Church Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Action on the River Road (approx. 0.3 miles away); Confederate Artillery (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Genuine Relic (approx. 0.3 miles away); Virginia Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Market.

Regarding Cannon Along the Turnpike. Marker includes a map: The River Road Line, Early afternoon, May 15, 1864.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 335 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 25, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.