LET field trip teaches Civil War history
The final LET field trip is the trip to the New Market Battlefield Military Museum and the Luray Caverns. During this field trip, cadets are given the opportunity to learn about the Civil War firsthand and put themselves in the shoes of the Union and Confederate commanders of the Battle of New Market.
The cadets performed a cadet battle staff ride, and part of this experience is to walk through the actual battlefield and walk on the terrain where the battle was fought and discuss the actions of both sides.
Upon arriving at the New Market Battlefield Military Museum, the cadets are introduced to their tour guide: Major Troy Marshall of the Virginia Military Institute. They are then brought to the museum exhibits, which contain actual artifacts from the Battle of New Market and the Civil War including rifles, cannon, several Confederate and Union uniforms, rifle and artillery ammunition, a collection of contemporary art depicting the Civil War and many other objects of great interest.
After the exhibits, the group leaves the museum in order to get a more hands-on explanation of the Battle of New Market. The cadets march through the battlefield, following the path that the VMI cadets took during the Battle. As they go they are given a detailed description of the conditions and of what was going on during the battle. This is meant to give them a more in-depth perspective of what the battle was like for the cadets.
At the end, they run through the various decisions made by the commanders of both sides. They are asked to think about what they would have done in the position of the commanders in order to help them understand the leaders’ thought processes behind the decisions made on the battlefield. This is especially relevant to LET because its intention as a program is to prepare cadets to assume responsibility in leadership positions.
The cadets also get to visit Luray Caverns. The caverns are special because they are exceptionally well preserved, especially considering that the caverns are open to visitors. Formations like those in the caverns take millions of years to form under ideal conditions and are very sensitive environments. Here the cadets learn about the various types of formations and how to identify and distinguish them. We were given free admission because LTC Hunt and Luray Caverns President John Graves served together in the military.
