New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum: The Bloody Cedars
N 38° 39.924 W 078° 39.706
17S E 703434 N 4282240
The 54th PA Infantry suffered devastating losses when they were cut down by Confederate fire on a cedar-covered hillside during the Battle of New Market.
Waymark Code: WMBGM3
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2011
Views: 7
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 battlefield -- The Bloody Cedars. 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. During the battle that unfolded, the Union cavalry under Gen. Stahel charged the Confederate right flank. The cavalry fell back under heavy fire, and the infantry were ordered to attack. The 1st WV led the charge followed by the 54th PA. The 1st WV unexpectedly retreated and left the 54th PA on their own. When the 54th crested a hill, they were surprised by the large number of Confederates troops waiting in a hollow. As the men tried to retreat under the devastating fusillade they encountered, they made two stands in the cedar groves that covered the hillside. Because the 54th PA ended up suffering one of the greatest regimental losses at the Battle of New Market, this section of the battlefield was dubbed 'The Bloody Cedars'.
In 1905, surviving veterans of the 54th erected a monument on the battlefield. After the ceremony, they took some cedar seedlings back to Pennsylvania, some of which still survive at the cemetery in Johnstown, PA, where many of the regiment's veterans are buried.