Overview
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Grant developed a strategy for several Union armies to strike the Confederacy from different directions. General Franz Sigel received orders to enter the Shenandoah Valley and destroy the railroad center at Lynchburg, Virginia.
In May, Sigel led 9,000 to 10,000 Union soldiers into the valley. Confederate General John C. Breckinridge quickly assembled about 4,000 soldiers, including 257 cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. On May 14, General John D. Imboden’s Confederate cavalry fought Union cavalry northwest of New Market before retreating through the town.
On May 15, Breckinridge attacked Sigel’s advance forces after an artillery duel. Confederate infantry advanced through heavy rain as Imboden’s cavalry moved around the Union left. Sigel ordered a counterattack, but a gap opened in the Confederate line. Breckinridge sent the VMI cadets forward to reinforce it.
The Confederates then launched a general advance. The cadets crossed a muddy field, captured a Union artillery battery, and took Union prisoners. Sigel ordered a retreat, leaving the Shenandoah Valley under Confederate control. Afterward, Union officials replaced Sigel with General David Hunter.
Essential Facts
- Date: May 15, 1864.
- Location: Shenandoah County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Major General Franz Sigel.
- CSA Commanders: Major General John C. Breckinridge.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of New Market.
- Campaign: Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 and Lynchburg Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: An estimated 840, including 96 killed.
- Forces Engaged: Department of West Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 6,275.
Confederate States of America
- CSA Casualties: An estimated 540, including 43 killed.
- CSA Forces Engaged: Department of Western Virginia.
- CSA Troop Strength: Roughly 4,090.
Significance
The Battle of New Market is important to American History because it opened the Lynchburg Campaign and was an early battle of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. The Confederate victory stopped General Franz Sigel’s advance and left the Shenandoah Valley under Confederate control for most of the summer. The battle also became notable for the participation of 257 Virginia Military Institute cadets, some of whom were only 15 years old. Ten cadets died, and 57 suffered injuries. After the defeat, Union officials removed Sigel from command and replaced him with General David Hunter, who ordered the burning of the Virginia Military Institute on June 12, 1864.
History
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to have the various Union armies in the field to act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions. Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond, Virginia area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three Federal armies south from Chattanooga, Tennessee to capture Atlanta, Georgia; and Major General Franz Sigel would invade western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to cut off supplies to Lee’s army and to prevent any Confederate attempts to attack Meade’s flank.
Lynchburg Campaign
The Shenandoah Valley runs in a north-south direction through approximately 140 miles of western Virginia between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of its exceptionally fertile farmland, the valley served as the breadbasket for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. In May 1864, Sigel marched 9,000 to 10,000 Union soldiers into the valley with orders from Grant to destroy the railroad center at Lynchburg, Virginia. Sigel’s operations, known as the Lynchburg Campaign, were the first of three campaigns in the valley that year.
Confederate Opposition
As Sigel advanced up the valley (to the south), Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge hastily assembled a small force of approximately 4,000 soldiers to oppose Union forces. Among them were 257 cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, some as young as fifteen years of age.
New Market — May 14–15, 1864
On Saturday, May 14, 1864, Confederate cavalrymen commanded by Brigadier General John D. Imboden engaged a detachment of Union cavalrymen northwest of New Market, Virginia. Sigel reinforced his troopers and drove Imboden back through New Market. During the night, Breckinridge arrived in the area and deployed his troops south of town.
At 10 a.m. on May 15, after an early morning artillery duel, Breckinridge ordered an attack on Sigel’s advance troops at New Market. As the Confederate infantry advanced through the pouring rain, Imboden’s cavalry flanked the Union left. Overwhelmed, Union forces abandoned New Market.
By approximately 2 p.m., the Federal skirmishers had fallen back to Sigel’s main force, and the Union general ordered a counterattack. When a gap opened in the Confederate line, Breckinridge reluctantly ordered the VMI cadets into action, purportedly exclaiming, “Put the boys in, and may God forgive me for the order . . .” Reinforced by the cadets, the Confederates held.
With the Union attack faltering, Breckinridge ordered a general advance. Charging across a muddy field through driving rain, the VMI cadets captured an artillery battery and some Union soldiers. Panic soon set in among the Federals, and Sigel ordered a general retreat.
Breckinridge called off his pursuit at approximately 4 p.m., and the battle ended. By 7 p.m., Sigel’s army crossed the Shenandoah River on its way to Strasburg, Virginia, leaving control of the valley in the hands of the Confederates.
Aftermath
The victorious Confederates suffered 540 casualties, including forty-three killed at the Battle of New Market. Among the Confederates who died during and after the battle were ten of the VMI cadets. On the federal side, besides failing to wrest control of the Shenandoah Valley from the Confederates, the defeat at New Market cost the Union 840 casualties, including ninety-six killed.
Union officials soon relieved Sigel of his command and replaced him with Major General David Hunter. On June 12, Hunter ordered the burning of the Virginia Military Institute after his troops occupied Lexington, Virginia.
Timeline
- 1860 — John C. Breckinridge ran for President of the United States and lost the election to Abraham Lincoln.
- March 12, 1864 — President Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- May 1864 — Franz Sigel marched 9,000 to 10,000 Union soldiers into the Shenandoah Valley.
- May 14, 1864 — John D. Imboden’s Confederate cavalry fought Union cavalry northwest of New Market.
- May 14, 1864 — Breckinridge arrived near New Market and placed his troops south of the town.
- May 15, 1864
- Union and Confederate artillery exchanged fire during the early morning.
- Breckinridge ordered an attack against Sigel’s forward troops at 10:00 a.m.
- Imboden’s cavalry moved around the Union left, and Union forces abandoned New Market.
- Sigel ordered a Union counterattack at about 2:00 p.m.
- Breckinridge ordered the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) cadets to reinforce a gap in the Confederate line.
- Confederate forces advanced, and the VMI cadets captured a Union artillery battery and Union prisoners.
- Sigel ordered a general retreat after panic spread through the Union ranks.
- Breckinridge ended the Confederate pursuit at about 4:00.
- Sigel’s army crossed the Shenandoah River by 7:00. and retreated toward Strasburg, Virginia.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of New Market (1864) — The Battle of New Market was fought in Shenandoah County, Virginia, on May 15, 1864, during the Lynchburg Campaign and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. General John C. Breckinridge attacked General Franz Sigel’s Union forces, while General John D. Imboden’s cavalry moved around the Union left. Breckinridge used 257 Virginia Military Institute cadets to close a gap in his line. The Confederate advance captured a Union artillery battery and forced Sigel to retreat, leaving the Shenandoah Valley under Confederate control.
Alignment
The Battle of New Market is part of the following AP US History sections:
