The Corps of Cadets from Virginia Military Institute took an important role in the Battle of New Market. In fact, this battle is the only time in U.S. History that a college student body fought together as a unit and they helped secured the outcome for General Breckinridge and the Confederates.

Through the decades after the battle, they helped to collect and write about the fight, ensuring their place in history and memory. To understand what the cadets did on May 15, 1864, it’s important to understand a little about the Institute’s history and the cadets of the 1860’s. In today’s video, you’ll find scenes filmed on location at Virginia Military Institute in 2018 and a discussion of this background history.

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