New Market Battlefield and Museum pics
Some pics from the battlefield and museum’s in New Market, Virginia.
The battle took place on the one year anniversary of the funeral of former VMI professor and Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. Another interesting fact about Stonewall Jackson is that he started a Sunday School for black slaves and taught them to read, at that time this was a violation of Virginia law. Jackson, also hired a slave named Jim Lewis to be a cook for his men at $10.75 a month, which was only a dollar below what Confederate soldiers made in a month (Mackowski, C., & White, K. D. . (2009). The Last days of stonewall Jackson. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.).
Back history of the battle from Wikipedia:
The Battle of New Market was a battle fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fought alongside the Confederate Army and forced Union General Franz Sigel and his army out of the Shenandoah Valley……..
The New Market Day ceremony is an annual observance held at VMI in front of the monument “Virginia Mourning Her Dead”, a memorial to the New Market Corps. The names of all of the cadets in the Corps of 1864 are inscribed on the monument, and six of the ten cadets who died are buried at this site. The ceremony features the roll call of the names of the cadets who lost their lives at New Market, a custom that began in 1887. The name of each cadet who died is called, and a representative from the same company in today’s Corps answers, “Died on the Field of Honor, Sir.” A 3-volley salute is then carried out by a cadet honor guard, followed by an echoing, solemn version of Taps played over the parade ground. To culiminate this ceremony, the entire Corps passes “Virginia Mourning Her Dead” in review.
Annually, the newly matriculated Rat Mass travels to the New Market Battlefield and recreates the infamous charge of the VMI Cadets across the “Field of Lost Shoes”, usually on a weekend. Four days prior to that, a march team consisting of first classmen (seniors) representing all companies and cadet government organizations depart from the Institute in Lexington, Virginia, and march 81 miles to the New Market battlefield in honor of the grueling pace the VMI Corps set in May of 1864.
The service of the Corps of Cadets during the 1864 Battle of New Market marks the only time in the nation’s history when an entire student body fought as a unit in pitched battle. That service entitles VMI cadets to parade with fixed bayonets.
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Hi,
Great post and pics. I would suggest Charlie Knight’s great new book (a national book club selection) called Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market and the Opening of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864″ (Savas Beatie 2010). First modern full length study of the battle.
Veronica, thank you very much for the book suggestion, I will have to check that out.
Please note that most of your images are not from the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, the official VMI museum for the Battle of New Market. Most are from a nearby private museum that does not focus solely on the Civil War or the Battle of New Market. Visit http://www.vmi.edu/newmarket for more information.