West Virginians at New Market

This page is under construction. It will contain the names of West Virginians in Confederate service who died at the Battle of New Market, Virginia, during the battle or of wounds later. It will also contain the names of men who died but whose home counties are undetermined until I track their origins.

from "A History of Pendleton County, West Virginia" by Oren F. Morton, pages 410-11.

"The Battle of New Market

The battle of New Market was fought on the showery 15th

of May, 1864, between 4,100 Confederates under Breckenridge

and 5,300 Federals under Sigel.* Though superior in numbers

and artillery the Federal force was so badly handled as to

invite the defeat that followed. Breckenridge formed his

line of battle to the south of the town and on both sides of

the Valley Turnpike. The 62d Virginia was present, having

been temporarily attached to Wharton's brigade, which was

placed in the lead. The 51st was on Wharton's left and the

62d on the Shirley hill at the right, thus placing it a little

west of the turnpike. McClenahan's batterry was 150 yards

to the rear. In echelon to the right of Wharton was the sec-

ond line, the 22d being on its right and somewhat to the rear

of the 62d and Derrick's battalion being on the right. In

reserve was the cadet corps from the Virginia Military Insti-

tute, and on the right of the Cadets was Edgar's battalion.

The 18th and 23d were east of the turnpike and formed the

extreme right of the Southern army.

The engagement opened with an artillery duel between

McClenahan's battery and a Federal battery stationed in the

north of the village, the Confederate guns firing over the posi-

tion of the 62d. After a cannonade of half an hour the South-

ern army advanced, the 62d moving down the Shirley hill into

the hollow through which now now runs the road to the rail-

road.depot. This movement was executed under a heavy fire

from the Federal guns, the regiment coming into line from

east of the Stirewalt house west to Indian hollow. A con-

tinued advance drove back the battery upon Sigel's main line,

which extended from near the Federal monument to the river

bluff north of the Bushong house. The 62d had advanced

through open ground and more rapidly than the 51st, which

had to press forward through underbrush and along a rocky

slope. The lead of the former regiment concentrated upon

itself a murderous fire which was rapidly thinning its num-

bers. To await the arrival of the 51st, Colonel Smith of the

62d drew back his men to the ravine running east from the

Bushong house to the turnpike, reforming along the line of

the orchard fence at the rear of Bushhong's yard.

Attached to the regiment for this day was a company of

Missourians under Captain C. H. Woodson. During the retro-

grade movement the Federals pushed forward a four gun

battery whose fire infiladed the position of the 62d. Wood-

son, whose company was at the left and 100 yards east of the

house, moved forward his men to the northeast corner of the

orchard and almost silenced the battery, though with the loss

of nearly all his command.

The second Confederate line, under Echols, was now ordered

to move 400 yards in the rear of Wharton and come to his

support. Edgar's battalion was thus brought to the left of

the 51st, while the Cadets, moving more rapidly, came in on

the left of the 62d, this bringing them in front of Kleiser's

battery, the fire of which inflicted considerable damage and

caused a momentary faltering. But in the final charge of

the Confederates, the lead of the 62d caused this regiment to

outflank the battery and predetermine its seizure by the Ca-

dets. Sigel's line was thrown into confusion and he retreated

across the river burning the bridge behind him.

The total loss of the 62d in this bloody hour and a half was

241 men out of a total of about 500. A detail of 60 men under

Captain C. D. Boggs had been stationed at Timberville, and did

not reach the battlefield until the action was about over. The

Missourians lost 6 killed and 54 wounded out of a total of 65.

The participation of the youthful Cadets was a spectacular

event, calculated to enlist the sympathy and admiration of the

people of the Valley, and to cause these boys to stand very

prominent in the lime light of subsequent narratives of the

battle. As soldiers in ther first action the Cadets acquitted

themselves nobly, and they lost about 50 of their number.

Yet their good behaviour should not be allowed to dim the

luster of a veteran regiment which moved in advance of them

and persisted in the victorious advance, notwithstanding a

loss of half its numbers. Its casualties in fact were much

larger than those of any other command in the Southern force."

KIA = killed in action

DOW = died of wounds