The Battle of New Market was the result of General Ulysses S. Grant's desire, late in the Civil War, to gain control of the Confederacy's breadbasket...the Shenandoah Valley. In spring 1864 Union Major General Franz Sigel's army of 10,000 began there trek south to subdue the valley. Opposing them was a much smaller Confederate force of about 5,000 under the command of General John C. Breckenridge. Among the rebel force was a regiment of cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute. The battle took place on on a stormy day; May 15, 1864. Reluctant to use the cadets as cannon fodder, General Breckenridge at first held them back. It soon became clear however that, to break the Union lines, the cadets must be put in...

The following series of photos sets you in the footsteps of the cadets as they marched into battle that day...