Help Save Battery Heights at New Market

Help Preserve a Battlefield – And Receive a Copy of “They Were Ready For Us”

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) is working to preserve the 52-acre Battery Heights tract on the New Market Battlefield, which includes the ground where a VMI Cadet battery helped to turn back 1,000 Union cavalry during the climax of the battle on May 15, 1864.  (For more details on the campaign and the property, click here.)

And this preservation campaign features a special reward – a unique thank you gift.  Donors who give $500 or more will receive a limited-edition canvas giclee of Keith Rocco’s remarkable new painting, “They Were Ready For Us":  The VMI Guns and the Union Cavalry Charge at the Battle of New Market, which depicts the dramatic action on Battery Heights.  Donors will have their choice of two sizes, 16” x 26” and 20 x 33.”

The stunning large-scale (72 inches x 44 inches) artwork was wholly funded by the generosity of SVBF supporter Brian Mattingly, who said that: "This painting is dedicated to my parents, Alfred and Joan Mattingly, who instilled in me a passion for America's history."  The original work, beautifully framed (also funded by Brian Mattingly), will be displayed in the Strayer House, the SVBF’s headquarters in New Market.

The painting depicts the Union cavalry charge on the Battery Heights position during the Battle of New Market, fought on May 15, 1864.  At a pivotal moment during the battle, Union cavalry under Gen. Julius Stahel made an ill-advised charge on the right side of the Confederate line, along and east of the Valley Turnpike.  The repulse of the charge was a pivotal turning in the battle, which would end as a decisive victory for the Confederates.

Keith Rocco is one of the premiere painters of military scenes in the nation.  His previous works include scenes from Valley battles such as Cedar Creek, First Kernstown, and Port Republic – works that are unmatched in their ability to bring the battles to life.

And by donating $500 or more to the campaign to preserve Battery Heights, you can receive a remarkably precise reproduction of the work to display in your own home.

To donate to the campaign fill out the form below, or for more information about the campaign, click here.  If you donate $500 or more, you’ll be contacted by SVBF to ask which size of print you’d prefer.  (And you’ll help save a critical piece of the New Market battlefield.)

If you have any questions, please call the SVBF at 540-740-4545.

The Cavalry Charge: “They were ready for us”

With the Confederates staggered, the chance for victory was in Sigel’s grasp. He ordered a counterattack – including an assault by Union Gen. Julius Stahel’s 1,000-strong cavalry east of the Valley Pike.

Unfortunately for the Federal horsemen, the conditions were terrible for a mounted charge. Hard rain had turned the ground into a muddy morass. To their front was a ravine with broken ground, and on their right was the Valley Pike, where stone walls would funnel the horsemen into a compact front, making them easy targets. For the attackers, it was nightmarish ground.

And the Confederates [many of them positioned on the target property] were ready, formed into a large “V”, with infantry on both sides and artillery in the center. The 22nd Virginia Infantry, led by Col. George S. Patton, was on the left, and the 23rd Virginia Infantry, commanded by Col. Clarence Derrick, was on the right. In the center rested the artillery – double shotted [sic] with canister, per Breckinridge’s orders – including two VMI guns commanded by Cadet Capt. Collier Minge. In front of the VMI guns [on the target property] were the remnants of a partially demolished rock fence, providing additional protection.

For the Federal horsemen, it was a recipe for disaster…

Click here to learn more about the battle and the actions on the target property

“Fridays at the Front” is a collaboration between Civil War Digital Digest and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. In our first episode, we stand on the actual ground where some less well known VMI cadets supported the Confederate side at the Battle of New Market. Click below to hear the story!

To donate to our mission to preserve critical land on the New Market Battlefield, fill out the form below or

Text BATTERY to 41444 (Message & data rates may apply)

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is a registered Section 503(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and contributions are tax-deductible.