New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum: The Battle Of New Market
N 38° 39.319 W 078° 40.344
17S E 702537 N 4281098
The Battle of New Market of May 1864 is featured at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum.
Waymark Code: WMBGBG
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2011
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The New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum on the Valley & Mountain/Route 11: Winchester to Port Republic section of the Virginia
Civil War Discovery Trail is a 280-acre park that features a Civil War museum, a walking tour through the battlefield, and a restored 19th-century farm.
One of the stops is on the road into the Park -- The Battle Of New Market. On May 15, 1864 , Union Gen. Sigel and his 10,000 troops clashed with a small Confederate force of 4000 and cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute led by Gen. Breckenridge at the New Market battlefield. While the Confederates mustered at the Bushong House, they were fired upon by Union soldiers in the orchard. The Confederates shot back and the VMI cadets filled the gaps left by fallen men. They forced the Union soldiers back into the wheat fields. The Confederates relentlessly pursued them. The field was dubbed the Field of Lost Shoes by a cadet whose shoe was sucked off by the boggy mud of the field. Union cavalry rode right into cannon that Breckenridge had set up on a ridge and suffered devastating losses. The Union continued to retreat and soldiers tried to provide cover as men dragged their artillery back through the muddy field. The Confederates were ultimately victorious. The Union had suffered 841 losses, and the Confederacy had 531, including 10 VMI cadets.
Every year, there is a reenactment of the Battle of New Market on the very same battlefield it occurred.0