New Market Confederate order of battle facts for kids

The Battle of New Market was an important fight during the American Civil War. This article tells you about the different groups, called units, and their leaders from the Confederate States Army who fought in this battle. It's like a list showing who was where and who was in charge on the Confederate side. The list for the Union army is in a separate article.

Confederate Army Leaders at New Market

The main leader for the Confederate forces at the Battle of New Market was Major General John C. Breckinridge. He was in charge of the Department of Western Virginia. Think of him as the top commander for this area.

Infantry Division

The infantry division was made up of soldiers who fought on foot. It had two main groups called brigades.

First Brigade

This brigade was led by Brigadier General John Echols. His soldiers included:

• The 22nd Virginia led by Colonel George S. Patton, Sr..
• The 23rd Virginia Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Derrick.
• The 26th Virginia Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel George M. Edgar.

Second Brigade

The Second Brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton. His troops were:

• The 51st Virginia, led by Lieutenant Colonel John P. Wolfe.
• The 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry (who fought on foot in this battle), led by Colonel George H. Smith.
• The 30th Virginia Battalion Sharpshooters, led by Lieutenant Colonel J. Lyle Clark.
• Company A of the 1st Missouri Cavalry, who also fought on foot, led by Captain Charles H. Woodson.

Other Important Units

Some units were not part of the main infantry divisions but still played a big role.

Special Commands

These groups helped with different tasks:

• Hart's Engineer Company, led by Captain William T. Hart, likely helped with building or destroying things.
• The Augusta-Rockingham Reserves, led by Colonel William Harman, were local soldiers.
• Davis' Company Maryland Cavalry, led by Captain T. Sturgis Davis, were horse-mounted soldiers.
• The V.M.I. Cadets, led by Lieutenant Colonel Scott Ship, were young students from a military school who bravely joined the fight.

Cavalry Units

The cavalry were soldiers who fought on horseback. They were led by Brigadier General John D. Imboden. His cavalry units included:

• The 18th Virginia Cavalry, led by Colonel George W. Imboden.
• The 23rd Virginia Cavalry, led by Colonel Robert White.
• The 43rd Virginia Battalion Partisans, led by Lieutenant Colonel John S. Mosby. These were special forces who often worked behind enemy lines.
• The 2nd Maryland Battalion, led by Major Harry W. Gilmor.
• McNeill's Company, Partisans, led by Captain John H. McNeill, another group of special partisan fighters.

Artillery Units

The artillery units used cannons and were led by Major William McLaughlin. They included:

• Chapman’s (Virginia) Battery, led by Captain George B. Chapman.
• Jackson’s (Virginia) Battery, led by First Lieutenant Randolph H. Blain.
• McClanahan’s (Virginia) Battery, led by Captain John McClanahan.
• A section from the V.M.I., led by Cadet Captain C. H. Minge, showing that even the cadets helped with the cannons.