Recently shes presented her research at civil war roundtables and historical groups in california and across the nation including the National Museum of civil war medicine. Her first nonfiction history book released in spring 2019 call out the cadets takes a fresh look at the battle of new mark. In previous years shes published three historical Fiction Books in order to make details more accessible to audiences outside the history field, currently working on several Civil War Research projects including the citizens and armies in the virginia Shenandoah Valley. As you heard last night shes a crucial part of our team. She manages our website, she provides a lot of the content, she edits our work, edits some of our box and she has a fulltime job and she lives in california. We are grateful to sarah. [ applause ] good morning. I just want to say thank you to rob and dee an for inviting me to share this presentation. We kind of had a back room discussion about a year ago in how does new market qualify or does it qualify as a less lesserknown battle. We came to the conclusion that it has name recognition. Well talk about that in just a moment. But the campaign is not as well understood. Theres facets of the campaign that we can dig a little deeper and they definitely qualify as lesser known. So i invite you to take a Little Journey with me beyond the fields at the town of new market. Were going to see this campaign in a bigger perspective. First off, lets address the traditional interpretation that the battle of new market has had. Because of this interpretation on the battle, this also reflected on the campaign. How many here know the history or have heard the story of the Virginia Military institute cadets and the battle of new market . Yay. We have an audience that knows that story well or i hope you do. So the focus on new market has often come from that charge made by the cadets. That comes from the cadets who survived the battle they go on and play a big role in the memory of the fight. Because of this, we tend to think of the battle as being the point, the finish, the goal of the new Market Campaign. But there was some more things going on. So were going to shift our focus just a little bit, and we intend to disrespect to the vmi cadets. What they did is a wonderful history and id be happy to talk with you at length about it over lunch or in the evening. Well take an expanded view. We want to see this new Market Campaign as a dawning, a sunrise, if you will, of coming Union Successes in the Shenandoah Valley. They are not successful in the new Market Campaign, but the new Market Campaign is this turning point. The new Market Campaign is also the sunset, if we can call it that, of confederate successes in the Shenandoah Valley. Today we want to answer some questions. How did the armies actually get to the new market battleground . How did the may 15th battle of new market fit into this entire campaign and into Union General grants overall strategy . There was more happening than just the fight on may 15th in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. Its time to see the new Market Campaign in connection with other military movements and strategy. If youre like me and you want to know where this talk is going, here is our marching orders for about the next 40 minutes. If youre doing an outline, this is your chance to get a look at where were going. Were going to talk about the strategic situation in the spring of 1864. Sigels orders, what he was supposed to do. John c. Breckenridges problems, the forgotten raid. Movements in the Shenandoah Valley itself. Robert e. Lees request and the battle outcomes. Lets start off talking about general grants plans. Im going to go ahead and use the pointer. It looks like some of the arrows on that map might not be showing up real well. Well try to make this work as easy as possible so youll see what were talking about. Euless sis s. Grant promoted to general on march 2nd, 1864. He begins developing a strategy which many of you are probably familiar with. His goal is to put pressure on multiple points of the confederacy, threaten their supply routes and supply centers. He wants no reenforcements to be shifted from Confederate Army to con ffederate army. Well narrow in on virginia. Of course there were pressure and campaigns happening on other areas. Lets focus on virginia for this talk. In virginia itself, there were three campaigns that grant wanted to see happen. The first one is going to have right in the area where were standing right now. We call it now the Overland Campaign. Thats going to be general meade taking the army of the pa tom mack and driving toward richm d richmond. Grant will accompany meades army. Benjamin butler is supposed to attack richmond from the south, right in here. We now call that the Bermuda Hundred campaign. Meanwhile, to prevent c confederate troops to help lee or defend richmond, frans sigel is supposed to tie up the confederates in that region. That was the plan. How did that work out . That will be the discussion of the next few minutes. One of the ways that i approach history is from the premise that history is about real people and the real things they did. With that premise, you have to understand a little background. Lets start off with franz sigel, born in germany and attended a military academy. He has a European Military training. In the 1848 european revolutions, he joins up with the revolutionary militia and actually becomes a leader of their army, about 4,000 men hes leading. Hes defeated in a battle, but he gets this reputation and the revolutionaries fleeing europe pursued by the police of these various countries and are making their way to america, they carry with them this idea that franz sigel was their leader, he was their hero. He could have led them to victory but things didnt really work out. He has this building, charismatic influence which is fascinating it plays into his role in American History. Franz sigel stays one step ahead of the Police Forces that dont like his revolutionary ideas. He decides hes going to go to the land of freedom, the land of washington and jefferson, as he hears it described. In 1852 franz sigel lands in new york city. He arrives, steps foot on american shores on may 15th, 1852. He didnt know that 12 years later to the day would be the defining moment in the Shenandoah Valley and unfortunately how he would be remembered in most of American History or at least in American Military history. Sigel has success in america. He goes into the educational field. He also moves out into the western areas. He moves to st. Louis. By 1857 hes serving as the director of st. Louis public schools. When the civil war comes, sigel is republican, staunchly union and uses his influence in the german American Community. Hell fight and take part in the battles of carthage and Wilsons Creek. A wonderful introduction and study on Wilsons Creek last evening. He transfers east and hell be present at second bull run. Then sigel kind of gets into trouble. Hes not really involved in army command. That makes the german American Community upset. By 1864, theyre petitioning to have their favorite backing command of an army. President lincoln is looking to secure german american votes for the 1864 election. It seems like sigel with his influence might be a way to get that. So sigel is going to come back into army command for the spring campaigns of 1864. Franz sigel is a good organizer. He can put an army together fantastically. My colleague, kristen pollack and i were talking last night. Sigel was really good at retreats. He manages to get armies from battlefields in pretty good order, and maybe thats something to his credit. We could discuss that at lengthy suppo suppose. You have to understand the society of the day. German americans were not always held in great respect. You coming out of a time of nationalism, the no knownothing movement. Sigel faces criticism along with the adoration he gets from his german american press. Seei sigel had one job, get to stanton. Well show you that in a moment. Stanton is going to sit at the center of the Shenandoah Valley, about halfway. Maybe farther south than half y halfway. Its a rail hub. It has the connection from richmond and the Central Virginia area. It was a hospital town for the confederacy by 1864. They had some War Industries going on there. Its one of the major transportation links that the confederacy still has to move troops quickly. Grant wants sigel to get to stanton. He just needs to march up the valley, take stanton. March b up the valley means marching south. Thats how their elevation goes. Who is going to be opposing franz sigel in this movement . Meet john c. Breckenridge who will act as defender of the Shenandoah Valley and the transallegheny department. Breckinridge was born in 1821, attempted to serve in the Mexican American war. Although he was with a military movement, he saw no active combat. Returning to the home state of kentucky, hell eventually serve in both houses of the u. S. Congress. He becomes the youngest Vice President in American History serving under james buchanan. In 1860 breckinridge runs for president. Hes going to be one of the four candidates. We have lincoln, john bell, breckinridge breckinridge. His managers come up with a platform he doesnt necessarily agree with. Breckinridge loses the president ial election as we know. Lincoln takes office. The day he steps down from being the Vice President , he takes his oath to be senator for kentucky. In the senate hes not on fire for suss session. Hes more interested in keeping kentucky neutral. That seems to be what his state wants. Things start spiraling out of his control. By late summer 1861, his son has run off and joined the Confederate Army. Through a series of events, breckinridge ends up running the the confederacy and hell find with confederacy as an able officer during the remainder of the war. Prior to new market he fought at shiloh, baton rouge, stones river, jackson. The opening messages that start off the campaign are very interesting. Here is the one that robert e. Lee sends to breckinridge on may 1st, 1864. General, i gather from the reports of scouts recently from the valley that averill, a union guy well talk about in a minute, has set out on an expedition trying to reach the Virginia Tennessee Railroad or effect the capture of stanton. I think it would be well to have everything prepared to meet him. And in conjunction with the general to destroy him if possible. The enemy will probably make a diversion from the khan gnaw valley to keep forces occupied while he accomplishes his main design. Im inclined to think his object is to move on stanton. If so, you might move against his lun of communications while bowden holds him in front or concoct a plan of defeating him. These moves will probably be simultaneous with the attack by grant here who has been reinforced by burn sides army from annapolis. It will be impossible to send any reenforcements to the valley from this army. I have instructed the general communicate with you. A late report from the citizen places general sigel at martinsburg but this conflicts with warmer reports. I am very respectfully your obedient servant. Youll notice the emphasis on the western part. West virginia is the area hes concerned about t. Union has been attempting cavalry raids on the railroad which is a vital link connecting richmond into knoxville. The union knows that strategic importance and continues threatening it. Lee gives brkd choices. He doesnt tell him exactly how to go about it. He gives him suggestions, tools, commanders he should coordinate with. Its almost similar to the way lee would delegate tasks to some of his other commanders such as stonewall jackson. Now sigel also sent a report on may 1st. He writes from bunker hill, virginia, may 1st, 1864 to Lieutenant General grant. First off, he forwards a dispatch from general cook with details of the cavalrys progress and then says sigel, i have no positive information yet whether a large force of the enemy is in the Shenandoah Valley. From all reports ive received, i believe there is not. Mcneil and em bowden with a thousand men and rosser with 2,000 men are near front royal and woodstock. Their scouts are at winchester. The general has probably moved from stanton to woodstock with about 3,000 or 4,000 infantry and artillery. Well occupy winchester today with all our forces consisting of 4,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry and three batteries and push our advance towards cedar creek. Franz sigel. Hes moving in the blind, doesnt know who hes up against and doesnt realize breckinridge will be coming the fight him in the Shenandoah Valley itself. Were going to put the happening in the Shenandoah Valley on hold for just a moment and talk about crook and averill who are going to be the Union Officers leading this raid toward the rail lines. In a nutshell, george cook was a west point graduate, class of 1852. Prior to the war he served with the fourth u. S. Infantry and was stationed in oregon and california. At the beginning of the civil war he serves as colonel of the 36th ohio infantry and hell see action and campaigning in western virginia at second bull run and antetum. William averill is also a west point graduate, class of 1855 though. He participates with the Army Mounted Rifles in the southwest prior to the war and he takes the message of recall for his unit to new mexico telling them theyre going to need to come back east because this war is starting up in 1861. He fights at first bull run. Hes the colonel of the third pennsylvania cavalry during the Peninsula Campaign and seven days fight. He gets a reputation chasing jeb stewart around parts of virginia. Hell find at kellys ford, chancellorsville. He also has a history of raiding or attempting to raid the virginia and Tennessee Railroads. Crook and averill will come up against two confederate commanders in particular. Well start with Albert Jenkins who is going to be on your left there. Jenkins attended a private school and marshall academy, graduated from Jefferson College in 1848 and studied at harvard claw school, graduating from there in 1850, served as a lawyer and democratic representative in Congress Prior to the war. When the civil war begins, hes going to form a partisan band which will become the eighth virginia cavalry. Experience fighting in kentucky, West Virginia and consistently attempted raids on the baltimore and ohio railroad. In 1862 he transfers into the Shenandoah Valley department. Not officially called that. Hell take part in the Gettysburg Campaign and then by 1864 hes helping as commander of the Confederate Department of western virginia. John mccauslang grd graduated f the Virginia Military institute in 1857. The following year he returns to vmi where he taught. He witnesses john browns hanging. During the civil war hell be at fort donaldson. Hell take command after jenkins is killed. Mccausland is often remembered in the burning of chambersburg, pennsylvania which will occur later in 1864. Now, what happens with the Union Cavalry raid. They this is almost a microcosm of grants strategy happening on a very small scale. Theyre going to be targeting places like saltville where the salt of the confederacy was produced, leadville, looed is mined and of course the virginia and Tennessee Railroad road. That vital link. It starts off on may 2nd. George crook leaves the river and takes with him the second infantry division. He sends averill to a separate starting location. Crook is going to have a skirmish at calligan station. Averill will leave logan courthouse on may 5th. Theyre actually moving on separate roads. Lets see if the map is coming up next. It is. I had all intentions to make this easier to see, but due to some technical difficulties, were going to have to work with a modern roadmap here. Lets try to give you a little perspective of where we are. Whitville is going to be down here. Saltville dublin is here, saltville off in the mountains, over in this area, i believe. Maybe a little farther south. Thats going to be a lot of where were talking about in the next couple minutes. The shenandoah 8164, stan towto here. Lynchburg. Well focus our attention here. The guys are moving from West Virginia down into this region of southWest Virginia. On ma