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The battle of New Market, Va. From the Confederate veteran, Dec., 1907.
Account of the famous engagement by the
Captain who witnessed It—Took note of the Cadets—Never saw Veterans show greater courage or do better fighting.
Having seen a few articles about the
battle of New Market,
Va., fought in May, 1864, written by those who claim to have seen it, some of which I believe to be erroneous, I give my version as I saw it, believing that history should be correct.
As the captain of an infantry company—A, Fifty-first Virginia—I could not see all the field of battle, of course, and can give only part of it.
We were stationed about the centre of the line of battle on the left of the pike and some little distance from it. When we got our lines formed after our regiment had run in the rain through a field freshly planted in corn and tramped it into a ‘loblolly’ of mud, we were on level land in a wheat field, where the growing grain was about knee-high.
The
Yankees were in a meadow, from seventy-five to one hundred yards off, without protection to either side.
Our regiment was in or near the centre.
Next to us on our right was the Cadet Corps from the
Virginia Military Academy; on their right was
Imboden's Brigade.
On our left I recall
Edgar's,
Clark's, and
Derrick's Battalions.
There were others, but I cannot recall them.
Our regiment lay down and the
Yankees stood up. We were facing down the valley to the east, and we stayed in that position and fired as fast as we could load for one hour and fifteen minutes, according to a man who was not in the battle and noted the time.
