2026-04-15T03:31:51-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer http://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories http://shenandoahstories.org 2016-06-02T11:09:37-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 http://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/83 Shenandoah County Library As part of his 1864 campaign, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Federal forces under General Franz Sigel to march through the Shenandoah Valley and destroy the railroad and Confederate Army’s base of supplies. This 9,000 man force began to move toward Staunton in early May of that year. Confederate General John C. Breckenridge assembled approximately 5,000 men and met the main Federal force, number around 6,300 men at New Market Virginia on May 15th. The Confederate forces attacked the Federals just west of town early that morning. Heavy fighting occurred around the Bushong Farm which is located in the core of the battlefield. Later in the afternoon, after his attack had stalled, Breckenridge ordered the Virginia Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets to attack the Union line. This force, which had originally been held in reserve, consisted of 247 college and high school aged boys. Their advance, and that of regular Confederate troops, broke the Union line and forced them to retreat north. Casualties at the battle numbered over 1300 men, including 139 killed. Among these were ten cadets who are still revered by the academy. The Confederate victory delayed the Union advance down the Valley and allowed the southern forces to harvest and use the valley’s crops, thereby preventing a major food shortage. In 1944 a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) acquired 160 acres of land in New Market Virginia that had been the site of the Battle of New Market. Twenty years later he willed the land and a 3 million dollar endowment fund to VMI to open a battlefield park on the site. Today the site hosts the Virginia Museum of the Civil War and the Bushong Farm House which interprets the history of area farmers and the role the house played in the battle. An annual reenactment has been held here since the 1960s. For more (including 11 images), view the original article. 2016-05-10T15:34:43-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 http://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/36 Hupps Hill Civil War Park Sometime after occupying Hupp’s Hill on October 20, 1864, Federal troops belong to the second division, VI Corps of General Phillip Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah began work on a series of fortifications to protect themselves from Confederate forces. Their efforts cumulated in the construction of almost a mile of trenches and lunettes which are semi-circular shaped earthworks designed to protect artillery pieces and their crews. This unit, and others on both sides, had just been through the Battle of Cedar Creek. There the Armies of Jubal Early, CAS, and Sheridan had battled on property stretching from Strasburg to Middletown in the north. This Confederate defeat marked the end of any major organized resistance to Union forces and was one of the largest and most influential battles in the Valley. The Hupp’s Hill site had been an important site since the beginning of the war. Its heights dominated the town of Strasburg and the Valley Pike. Any troops placed there could easily repulse any attack from the south. The decision of the Federal commanders to place entrenchments there was a strategically sound, though unneeded decision since the Confederate Army would never again sortie in this area. In the 150 years since the Civil War ended, much has changed in the Valley. However the trenches these soldiers created still exist. Today you can explore them, and a series of interpretive panels, at the Hupps Hill Civil War Park and Visitor Center. For more, view the original article. 2016-05-10T12:51:59-04:00 2022-04-01T10:11:54-04:00 http://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/35 Hupp's Hill Civil War Park and Museum This land was settled by the George F. Hupp, Sr. family in the 1750’s. Hupp, and his descendants, became successful farmers and local leaders. During the Civil War, this position was important strategic point. Both Union and Confederate forces fought to control it during the 1862 and 1864 Valley Campaigns. In late October 1864 Major General Philip Sheridan’s Army built trenches on the property that are still visible. After the war, the land became a tourist attraction. Various owners marketed it in different ways, and added numerous attractions. During the 1920s a miniature golf course was operated here. In the 1950s an open air dance pavilion was added. The Hill is also home to Crystal Caverns. This cavern, names for the presence if Ordovician limestone which causes the rock formations to be exceptionally white and shiny. It was used by Native Americans, the Hupp Family, and Civil War Soldiers. Starting in 1922 it became a tourist attraction open to the public. Beginning in the 1960s Hupps Hill and the Caverns were owned and operated by philanthropist and Washington Banker Leo Bernstein. His support ensured both sites remained opened to the public. After his death in 2010, both sites closed. Two years later a partnership between the Town of Strasburg and the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation allowed the museum, now called the Hupps Hill Civil War Park, to reopen. The caverns remain closed. Today, the Civil War Park which also houses the Strasburg Visitor Center is open seven days a week, from 9:00AM-5:00PM. Admission to the visitor center is free, but there is a $10 charge for the museum which houses a large collection of Civil War relics from the Shenandoah Valley battlefields. For more (including 3 images), view the original article.