Fishburne LET trip to New Market battlefield and Luray Caverns

Fishburne Military school Leadership Education Training 1 and 2 students went to visit the site of the New Market battlefield on July 8.

This program is the JROTC main curriculum of inspiring young people to become better citizens. The trip gave the students a chance to admire the battlefield where the VMI cadets fought and died for a cause that was only supposed to keep them in the reserves. The museum is ran and owned by the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington.

On May 15, 1864, at the Battle of New Market, Confederate forces kept the VMI cadets in reserve until the line broke. Gen. John C. Breckinridge called the cadets into action after some hesitation. His response to his own order was, “Send the boys in, and may God forgive me for the order.” The 257 cadets marched into battle and ended up turning the tide of the battle by charging the Union artillery battery. The cadets fought valiantly. Ten cadets died from battle, 47 others were wounded.

The trip gave the Fishburne cadets a chance to study the Civil War’s leadership decisions and the tactics, clothing, morale at the battle of new market. LTC. Hunt presented one of the 500 coins Fishburne had made the museum battle staff director Troy Marshall. The FMS cadets in the present however marched in the same footsteps across the field listening to the history the battle staff ride director gave them.

After the New Market Battlefield the cadets visited the naturally made Lurray Caverns.

The cadets will be required also to write a short paper on the experiences they had during the course of the day.