American Civil War: VMI Cadets Help Win Battle of New Market!

May 15, 1864 - Confederate forces win the Battle of New Market. Operating in conjunction with Lieutenant Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's main advance in Virginia, Major General Franz Sigel marched into the Shenandoah Valley in May 1864. Tasked with clearing the area of Confederate forces, Sigel began moving up the Valley. To block this Union thrust, Major General John C. Breckinridge gathered what Confederate troops he could find including the 257-man Corps of Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. Encountering Sigel near New Market on May 15, Breckinridge formed his men for battle, but deliberately placed the cadets in the reserves with hope that the boys, aged 15 to 21, would not be needed. Advancing on Sigel's position, the Confederate lines were hit hard with artillery and musket fire. Seeing Breckinridge's line faltering, Sigel ordered his men to attack. With a gap forming in his lines, Breckinridge ordered the cadets forward into the breach. Meeting the Union charge, the Confederates held and then launched a counterattack. Surging forward with the cadets in the lead, Breckinridge's men drove the Union troops from the field, forcing Sigel to retreat down the Valley. The Battle of New Market cost VMI ten cadets who either died during the fighting or later from their wounds.