May 15, 1864 - Battle of New Market

May 15, 1864

The Battle of New Market 

New Market, VA

General Franz Sigel

vs.

General John C. Breckinridge

* "last Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley." Wow - I've documented a lot of firsts, so it's a big moment to record my first "last" 

OK, here's the deal - on the way home from my epic journey to West Virginia completing the First Campaign (July 2024), I drove though a bunch of stuff that will be be revisited another time for the Shenandoah Valley campaign. I also drove directly through the New Market battlefield, though it was closed on a Sunday; guess I'll need to ditch work and revisit on a weekday, but I grabbed a bunch of markers this first time anyway. To to be revisited and revised for sure! 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=253507

The Night Before the Battle

"We fired in their faces."

—The Battle of New Market (May 14-15, 1864)—

You're standing on Manor's Hill, a key position during the May 15, 1864, Battle of New Market - and during fighting on May 14, the day and night before the main battle.

While the main Union and Confederate armies were still marching towards New Market on May 14, advance elements of both forces first clashed on May 13 and 14. By nightfall on May 14, the Confederates, commanded by Gen. John Imboden, were positioned in a line anchored on Shirley's Hill, the height you see in the distance - and the Federals, commanded by Col. Augustus Moor, were on a line anchored here on Manor's Hill. The two sides exchanged artillery fire, the shells soaring between the heights.

That night the Confederates launched harassing attacks in the darkness on the Federals here on Manor's Hill. One southerner said they "crawled up close to their [Union] line and fired into their faces." One Federal wrote, "They advanced on us at dark. The infantry drove them back." Another recalled, "[We] were in a cold rain here skirmishing with some heavy firing every few minutes."

Another Confederate remembered, "[General] Imboden sent out a body of infantry... they were so close to the Yankee camp that they could hear chickens squawking and cooking utensils rattling as the Yankees were preparing their supper."

As the Federals returned fire, one Confederate laid with his head behind a large post. "That post showed up from the flash of the guns and the Yankees supposed it to be a man," a southerner recalled. "The splinters just showered off that big post at every volley, while he was as flat to the ground as he could get."

Later that night, Imboden pulled his troops several miles south… but the Confederates returned in force before the sun rose.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158157

May 15, 1864

[The Battle of New Market]

The Battle of New Market began here at 2:00 p.m. when 4,500 Confederates, under the command of Generals John C. Breckinridge and Gabriel C. Wharton, attacked 6,000 Federal troops who had established this hill as their first defensie position. Fully 90% of the day's casualties were sustained here, with the Confederates outmaneuvering and outfighting General Franz Sigel's Union troops on all fronts. By 2:45 p.m., Sigel was compelled to retreat to a second defensive position one mile north of here. In hot pursuit, Breckinridge drove him to yet a third defensive position at Rude's Hill, then forced him to flee across the Shenandoah River. The battle, which saw 149 men killed, 994 wounded, and 228 missing, marked the last Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=248610

The Attack on Manor's Hill

"A cold chill runs down our backs."

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

Time: Morning

You are standing on the western portion of the Union line at the beginning of the Battle of New Market. The 123rd Ohio Infantry and the 18th Connecticut Infantry were positioned here. The cannon of the 1st West Virginia Light Artillery Regiment, Battery G, commanded by Capt. Chatham T. Ewing, were behind them.

The battery, formerly known as the Plummer Guards, was formed in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1861, and offered their services to the Unionist government that had been formed in Wheeling, VA. When Confederate Gen. John C. Breckinridge arrived on the field that morning, he placed artillery on Shirley's Hill, the height in the distance, and opened fire. Federal guns, including Ewing's cannon, replied in kind. For two hours the opposing Cannoneers traded fire.

At 11am, with the Federals showing no sign of attacking, Breckinridge ordered his infantry to advance. "Our battalion... was ordered to drive in the enemy's skirmishers," remembered Maj. Peter Otey, commander of the 30th Virginia Battalion, "Thus bringing on the fight." Otey and his men advanced down the slope of Shirley's Hill towards the valley between the two hills. The Federals sent their own skirmishers forward, but as one Connecticut soldier said, "we found them too thick and had to fall back."

Breckinridge's main force followed, descending the slope of Shirley's Hill. Most hurried, but the young VMI Corps of Cadets marched in parade ground fashion, exposing them to artillery fire that wounded five cadets.

After a pause at the base of this hill, Breckinridge ordered his troops forward on a wide front that outflanked the Union line. The Confederates advanced up the slopes towards you, using their rifle butts to knock the rails off a fence that stood in their way. Watching their approach, a Union artilleryman recalled that, "A cold chill runs down our backs."

But when the Confederates reached this rise, they encountered little resistance. The only significant fighting was in this area, where the 18th Connecticut briefly clashed with the 51st Virginia. Upon arriving on the field, Union Gen. Franz Sigel had already begun to abandon this position and withdraw his troops north, behind you.

(Captions):

This image was taken from Shirley's Hill, the hill you see in the distance, looking back at Manor's Hill, the hill you're standing on.

Image courtesy John and Georga Bracken.

Battery G, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery, commanded by Capt. Chatham T. Ewing.

Image courtesy West Virginia & Regional History Center

This marker was made possible through the generosity of John and Georga Bracken

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158166

Position of Major Henry Peale's 18th Connecticut Infantry, 350 men, skirmishers from Companies A & B suffered the first casualties in the battle.

1 man killed, 31 wounded and 24 missing.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158167

Left flank of Colonel John E. Wynkoop's Second Cavalry Brigade; 15th New York, 130 men and 20th Pennsylvania, 170 men.

15th New York: 2 killed, 3 wounded and 11 missing.

20th Pennsylvania: 1 killed, 15 wounded and 15 missing.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=254636

Position of Captain Chatham T. Ewing's Battery G, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery four 3 inch rifles.

1 man killed, 1 wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158170

Right flank of Lieut-Colonel George M. Edgar's 26th Va. Infantry Battalion, 2:00 p.m. 425 men.

3 men killed, 21 wounded.

 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158171

2:00 p.m. position of Capt. William T. Hart's Engineer Company, 37 men.

10 men wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158173

2:00 p.m. position of the 51st Virginia Infantry commanded by Lieut-Colonel John P. Wolfe, 700 men.

2 killed, 90 wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=248280

The Confederates on Manor's Hill

The Pause Before the "Storm of Shot and Shell"

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

Time: Mid Afternoon

When the Confederates attacked the Federals here on the River Road/Manor's Hill line, shortly after noon, they met little resistance. Seeing his troops were outmanned, Union commander Gen. Franz Sigel had ordered most of them to withdraw to Bushong's Hill, about a mile in front of you, to form a new line along with additional troops just arriving on the field.

But Sigel ordered two regiments, the 18th Connecticut and 123rd Ohio, to create a line on Rice's Hill, just 400 yards to your front. He hoped they could slow down the Confederates long enough to give his other troops time to establish the new position on Bushong's Hill.

When the Confederates reached this height in the wake of the withdrawing Federals, they stopped long enough to reform their lines before resuming their attack. Southern artillery opened fire and engaged Union cannon. To the east (your right), a company of the 22nd Virginia had already made certain that New Market was clear of Federals, and Gen. John Imboden took his cavalry on a sweeping move to the other side of Smith Creek.

Gen. Gabriel Wharton's brigade made up the bulk of the troops here on the high ground, with the VMI Cadets in reserve and the four cannon of Jackson's Battery, commanded by Lt. Randolph H. Blain, providing artillery support. Breckinridge had also moved the 26th Virginia Battalion, part of Gen. John Echols brigade, to the left end of the line, in the hopes of turning the Union flank. Echols accompanied the 20th leaving the rest of his brigade near the Valley Pike under the command of Col. George S. Patton. Breckinridge himself galloped up to this height just before his next advance.

About 2pm, the Confederates moved forward to attack the Rice's Hill line, advancing across the ground in front of you. The foot soldiers cried out with the Rebel yell, and Jackson's guns fired in support - the entire force letting loose a "storm of shot and shell." For the outmanned Federals waiting on Rice's Hill, the outlook was bleak.

(Captions):

Confederate artillery in action.

Detail from "Virginia 1864", an 1888 chromolithograph by William L. Sheppard.

Lt. Randolph H. Blain in later years. Blain commanded the Confederate cannon here on Manor's Hill.

This marker was made possible through the generosity of Stephen Dement.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=254632

2 p.m. position of Lieut. Colonel J. Lyle Clark's 30th. Virginia Battalion of Sharpshooters, 306 men.

2 killed and 48 wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=254631

2:00 p.m. position of Captain Charles H. Woodson's (dismounted) Co. A.

1st Missouri Cavalry, 62 men.

5 men killed, 35 wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=254544

2:00 p.m., left flank position of Colonel George H. Smith's 62nd Va. Mounted Infantry, 448 men.

11 men killed, 81 wounded

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158163

Position of Major Horace Kellogg's 123rd Ohio Infantry Regiment 800 men.

5 men killed, 33 wounded and 37 missing

 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=247951

Remembering the Fallen

"The Vacant Chair"

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

This is a place where men died. This is hallowed ground.

There were 1,372 casualties at the Battle of New Market - 1 out of 8 soldiers who fought here, a casualty rate of 13%, a rate higher than battles such as Fredericksburg, Cold Harbor, and Malvern Hill.

After the fighting had ended, the scenes on the battlefield were sobering. As one historian wrote, "The dead lay scattered thickly." A Confederate cavalryman said, "The yankeys lay dead and [wounded] & dying in abundance." And that night, a local resident remembered, "Many on the battlefield died in the dreary rain."

Each death was a life snuffed out too early, and an unfathomable loss to those who knew and loved them.

Today, this ground is a monument and memorial to those who fell here... especially those who never returned home, who left, in the words of the famous wartime poem and song, "the vacant chair" by the fireside.

Casualties at New Market (estimates)

Confederate

43+ Killed

474 Wounded

3 Missing

531 Total

(The total is higher than the individual estimates because it is clear that the number of killed and wounded were higher than those counted.)

Union

96 Killed

520 Wounded

225 Missing

841 Total

(Captions):

"Stanard Had Breathed His Last"

VMI Cadet Beverly "Jack" Stanard, who was killed at New Market. Fellow cadet John S. Wise found Stanard after the battle but said "I had come too late. Stanard had breathed his last but few moments before... His body was still warm... Poor Jack!"

Image courtesy VMI Archives.

"Somebody's Darling"

Artist Jame Taylor came across and sketched this soldier "young in years" who was killed at Fisher's Hill - a boy typical of those who fell on battlefields in the Valley.

Image courtesy Western Reserve Historical Society.

"Disturbing the Dying"

Union Capt. Patrick Graham, who was wounded and captured at New Market. Col. William S. Lincoln, who was also captured, described how Graham "Had been shot directly through the right lung, and each breath he drew sent the air whistling through the wound, disturbing the dying, who laid near."

"All is Still as Death"

This eyewitness account of the battlefield from a witness who walked the ground after the fighting appeared in a Raleigh, North Carolina newspaper on June 8, 1864

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/new-market