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The Battle of New
Market is remembered as the first and only time in history that the entire
student body of an American college marched into battle. The 257 brave cadets
from the Virginia Military Institute joined General John Breckinridge's
troops. Together they won the last Confederate victory in the Shenandoah
Valley.
This 280-acre
battlefield park is dedicated "to valor on the part of all young Americans in
defense of their country." Most Virginia battlefields belong to state or
federal governments, but New Market was purchased by a 1911 VMI graduate and
given to the college. The Hall of Valor, which should be your first stop at
the park, has a movie, New Market---A Field of Honor, that tells the
story of the VMI soldiers. Their four-day march from the classroom to the
battlefield was made in a torrential downpour. Their strategy classes had
never dealt with the problem of advancing across a field so sodden that it
sucked the shoes off soldiers' feet. Forever after, the land around the
Bushong Farm has been called "The Field of Lost Shoes."
The young soldiers
become more than statistics when you read the penciled note from Cadet Merritt
to this father: "Dear Pa, I write you a few lines to let you know that I was
wounded. I was in the battle here yesterday..." Cadet Merritt was one of 47
cadets wounded during the battle. Ten young boys lost their lives. You'll
empathize with the grief another father must have felt as you read the
telegram informing him of his son's death. There is a life-size portrait of
Thomas Garland Jefferson, 17-year-old cousin of President Thomas Jefferson,
who died from a fatal chest wound.
A dramatic
stained-glass window includes, among the symbols of war, names of the ten cadets
who died at New Market. Diaries, photo murals and models illustrating the
variety of uniforms worn during the Civil War as well as battlefield mementos
provide a glimpse of the war’s full scope. All of the major campaigns in the
state are covered in the museum’s Virginia Room. The Hall of Valor salutes the
brave of both North and South and tells more than the story of New Market. A
second film covers Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Before the war Jackson
was an instructor at VMI (see Stonewall Jackson House and Stonewall Jackson's
Headquarters selections) and along with the fallen cadets, he is enshrined in
the pantheon of Civil War heroes at VMI.
From the Hall of Valor
you move outside. The Bushong Farm around which the battle raged has
been preserved to give you a look at 19th century farm life. The original
farmhouse was built about 1825 on land the family acquired on June 22, 1791.
During the summer months you can tour two rooms of the house. Throughout the
year you can see seven restored outbuildings including a wheelwright and
blacksmith shop, a bake oven and summer kitchen. A trail leads from the house
across the fatal field to the hilltops from which the Union forces made their
last stand. A second trail takes you along the high bluffs above the North Fork
of the Shenandoah River.
New Market Battlefield
Historical Park is open daily 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. except Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is charged. The Battle of New Market
Reenactment is presented each year on the Sunday closest to May 15.
Directions: From I-95
in the Richmond area, take I-64 west to Staunton and I-81 north to New Market.
The battlefield is directly off I-81 at Exit 264. Turn onto Route 211 west,
make an immediate right onto Route 305, the George Collins Parkway. Travel to
the end of the parkway, 1 1/4 miles to reach the Hall of Valor Civil War Museum,
which is part of New Market Battlefield Historical Park. This is the third
museum on the parkway.
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Once you have explored nature's handiwork
beneath the hills of Luray, you can well imagine the awe Andrew Campbell
and Benton Stebbins felt in 1878 when they discovered the labyrinth. With two
helpers, young Billy Campbell, Andrew's nephew, and Trent Lilliard, they had
been searching for a month for a cave in the hills outside this sleepy Virginia
community in the Shenandoah Valley. They searched so long they became the
butt of good-natured jokes around town. Being called a "cave rat" and
"phantom chaser" discouraged young Trent and he gave up the quest. On
August 13 the remaining searchers found a sinkhole on Cave Hill that looked
promising. Digging all morning in the August heat they were cooled by air
welling up from below. When they finally had an opening large enough
Andrew Campbell was lowered into the cave. What he saw was beyond the
trio's wildest dreams: a cavernous palace with columns of stalagmites meeting
hanging stalactites, crystals
that glistened like diamonds and pristine white formations that gave dramatic
contrast to the onyx-colored walls. There is even a formation that resembles a
plate of fried eggs.
At Luray you see the caverns just as they
looked when discovered. Only the walks and lights have been added.
There is no artifice, no colored lights nor special effects; none is needed to
enhance the natural beauty of this subterranean fantasy world. The
dripping stalactites continue forming just as they have for millions of years.
The limestone base rock in the caverns was formed during the Paleozoic age over
400 million years ago.
The caverns opened several months after
they were discovered and have been open every day since. One addition made in
1954 is worth noting: the Great Stalacpipe Organ in what is called the
"Cathedral" room. Ripley's Believe It Or Not television crew filmed this
one-of-a-kind organ. The stalactite formations have been tuned by reshaping and
are played from a large organ console.
This is not the only musical attraction at
Luray. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00 P.M. you can hear
a free 45-minute recital on the 47 bells of "The Luray Singing Tower," an
outstanding carillon built on the grounds above the caverns.
While at Luray Caverns you can also explore
the Historic Car and Carriage Caravan. The 75 vehicles in this
collection are all polished and ready to go. There are some sporty models to
see, including a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1927 Bugatti, a 1927 Rolls Royce that
belonged to Rudolph Valentino, a 1930 Cord and a 1935 Hispano Suiza. You can
also decide whether you would have preferred a Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge when you
view all three manufacturers' models for 1915.
Admission covers both the caverns, a U.S.
Registered Natural Landmark, and the historic vehicle museum. The first tour of
the caverns is at 9:00 A.M. every day and the last tour is given at 7:00 P.M.
from mid-June until Labor Day. From Labor Day to November the last tour is at
6:00 P.M. From November until mid-March the late tour on weekdays is at 4:00
P.M. and on weekends at 5:00 P.M. From mid-March until mid-June the last tour
is at 6:00 P.M.
Directions: From I-95 take the
Fredericksburg exit, Route 3 west to Culpeper. Then continue west on Route 522
to Sperryville and Route 211 to Luray. From the Washington Beltway I-495/95, it
is a 90-minute drive; take I-66 west to Route 522 at Front Royal and pick up
Skyline Drive, or Route 340 south. Then head west on Route 211 to Luray. From
I-81 take Exit 264 at New Market and head east on Route 211. Luray Caverns is
15 minutes from the central entrance to the Shenandoah National Park.
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TRAVELERS TALK BACK
If you've visited
the New Market Battlefield
Historical Park, tell us what you
think about it - good and bad. And
share your discoveries: economical
lodging and restaurants, or other
attractions nearby.
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WRITERS WANTED
FREE
trial lesson in new
"WRITING TO
PUBLISH WORKSHOP."
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former president of the Society of
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