Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-24
CADETS ATNEWMARKE1
BRAVE STUDENTS OF VIRGINIA
MILITARY INSTITUTE
Behave as Veterans In Desperate Bat
tle-Nonument in Communication
Dedicated at Lexington.

teroAy. Win appropriate ceremonies. AZ
Lexington. Va by former cadets Of the
Virginia Military Institute 10 commemora-
tive of the valor OF the corps of cadets who
fought side by side with the confederate
veteran soldiers at the battle OF New
market May L. 1894. The surviving rep
resentatives of the organisation which SO
valiantly entered the fray on that bright
| May day over thirty -nine years ago are
now past middle life, but the stirring ex-
perience is still young ia their memory.
According to the records of the institute
| the federal forces engaged in the fight num-
bered from 10000 to Il 600 men, command
ed by Gen. Franz Sigel. The confederate
commander. Gen. John c. Breckenridge had
less than 1900 men. including the corps of
cadets. The confederates were victorious,
suffering loss of Is killed and 337 wound
| ed. The federal loss was 242 killed, $50
wounded and 240 missing.
The cadets went into the fight with 225
| men. Their loss was 52-killed. s; wound
ed, ~ Among the wounded was Lieut..
Col Scott Ship, commanding the bat
TALON. Former Representative John s.
Wise. who was seventeen years OF age
| when he, with his companion cadets, was
| called into action at Newmarket, describes
how the boys We're awakened by the long
roll, which resounded and echoed through
the college buildings at midnight of May
IL, 1854. As the cadets hurried to the pa
rade ground to take their places in line
they found a group of Officers intently
scanning by the light OF lantern paper
held by the adjutant. who stood near the
statue of George Washington.
THE companies were in line said Mr..
Wise. THE adjutant commanded atten-
| ton. and proceeded to read the orders.
which announced that the enemy in heavy
force was advancing up the Shenandoah
valley: that General Lee could not spare
any force to meet them; that General
Breckenridge had been ordered to assem-
| BILE troops from southwestern Virginia and
LII AA.t
| diets should join him there at the earliest
practicable moment. The corps was or
dered to march with four companies OF in
fantry and a section of artillery at break
| of day.
las company after company broke ranks
| the air was rent with wild cheering at the
thought that our hour was come at last.
Elsewhere in the confederacy DEATH dis
aster, disappointment may have by this
| time chilled the ardor of our people. but
| here in this little band of fiedglings the
| hope of battle famed as brightly as on the
| morning of Manassas"
Cadets Arrive at Stanton.
The cadets marched into Staunton the
afternoon OF the second day. their drum
| mers and fifers playing THE Girl I Left
| Behind Me-" The town was filled with
| grim confederate soldiers. some of whom
| were inclined to poke fun at the trim boy
| soldiers '"The band belonging to a regi-
ment Of grfmy veterans struck up the air
| 'Rock-a-bye Baby when the cadets march
ed BY said Mr.. Wise. "and the men took
| up the air, accompanying II by rocking
their guns in their arms il putting them
| to sleep" 1t was not long before this regt-
| ment was among the first to congratulate
| the lads on their gallant conduct in the
| fight that followed.
| After describing the incidents Of the
march, the enthusiastic reception OF the
| boy soldiers by the ladies OF Staunton, Har-
| risonburg and elsewhere. Mr.. Wise says
| the lads marched with the steadlness of
| veterans through the rain that had set in
| and the miry mud, and there were but few
lame ducks"
The cadet battalion first came under fire
| about IL o'clock Sunday morning. May IS.
| 1884, from a six-gun battery which was
posted in a picturesque little Lutheran
| cemetery under the very shadow of the vii
| lage spires and among the white tomb
stones. Firing over the heads of the Union
| troops In line of battle. the battery opened
on the cadets the moment they came in
| sight. Skirmishers from Echors confed-
crate brigade were thrown forward at a
run and engaged the Union forces. Cadet
| Corporal Wise. with three privates. Red
wood, Stanard and Woodlief, had been
| placed in charge of the baggage wagon.
| When 1t was clear that the battle was i'm
| inent the boys left the team in charge of
the negro driver and Joined their comrades
| lowed one of the four was killed and two
| wounded
| The fighting around the town was fierce
and bloody. The federal infantry fell back
to the second line. The cadets had cap
tured over one hundred prisoners. Cadet
| Charles ]. Faulkner. afterward senator
from West Virginia, came back radiant, in
| charge of twenty-three big brawny fell
lows, and insisted that he and winder
| Garrett had captured them.
A Trying Moment.
Again an advance was ordered, and tho
wit had
| already been put upon their mettle in two
assaults. ExhaH|ted, wet to the skin.
| muddy to their eyebrows. some OF them
shoeless. they Notwithstanding advanced
| vanced with a dash they were met by a
| murderous fire of shrapnel and canister,
| while the federal infantry, lying behind
fence rails piled upon the ground, poured
| in a steady, deadly volley At one dis
| charge Cabell, first sergeant of ID Com
| pany, fell dead. and with him fell Crockett
and Jones: A blanket would have covered
the three bodies closely were they lying
together. They were badly mangled by
| canister. A few steps further on Nc
Dowell sank to his knees with bullet
through his heart. Atwill, Jefferson and
Wheelwright were also shot at this point.
Sam Shriver. cadet captain of Company c.
had his sword arm broken by mimic ball.
The cadets were falling right and left
For the first time the boys appeared ir-
resoiute as the veterans on their right
seemed to waiver. Some one cried out.
Lie down., ana al ODcycu. hiitiB iioh LILO
knee-all but Evans the color bearer, who
was standing bolt upright waving the nag.
some one exclaimed, Fall back and rally
on Edgar's battalion" Several boys
moved as IL to obey.
p,zzini. first sergeant of B Company.
and a Richmond boy, with his Corsican
blood at the boiling point. cooked his r1ne
and proclaimed that he would shoot the
f3rst bow that ran. Suddenly Henry Wise.
known as "Old Shinook' and beloved by
every cadet. sprang to his feet and gave
the command to charge. and moving in ad-
vance of the line led the cadet corps for
ward to the federal battery in a farm yard
on the plateau at the head of a cedar-skirt.
ed ravine. The battery was being served
superbly. The musketry fairly rolled but
the cadets never faltered- They reached
the firm greensward of the farm yard in
which the guns were planted Before the
order to timber up could be obeyed by the
federal artillerymen the cadets disabled the
teams and were close upon the guns. The
gunners dropped their sponges and sought
safety in flight. Little Lieutenant Hanna
hammered a gunner over the head with his
cadet sword. Winder Garrett outran an
other and lunged his bayonet into him. The
boys leaped upon the cannon and the bat