Site Visit Saturday: The Bushong Farm, New Market, Virginia

    On May 15, 1864, the battle of New Market raged across the farmland of the Bushong family while they hid in the cellar of their home. It must have been an incredible and horrific scene the family observed.

   In 1791, Henry Bushong obtained a 260-acre tract in Shenandoah County. His son Henry built a Federal-style home in 1825, and it was expanded in 1852. Also constructed were typical outbuildings for a farm of that time period – a blacksmith’s shop, hen house, summer kitchen, etc. The family grew wheat and oats and raised cattle, hogs, and horses.

   As part of the overall Federal campaign strategy for 1864, a Federal army under the command of Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel moved up the Shenandoah Valley that spring. Their orders were to destroy railroads and other Confederate industries in the area, while at the same time, denying the local people the opportunity to plan crops that supported not only themselves, but the Confederate soldiers in the field. Confederate Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge assembled a small force, which included cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute. On the morning of May 13, Breckinridge moved north, taking the battle to the Federals. The Federals were discovered near New Market the next day, and at 1:00 am on May 15, Breckinridge moved his small command forward. Fighting lasted much of the day, with the Confederates slowly pushing the Federals back. At one point in the battle, two Virginia regiments broke under Federal artillery fire, forcing Breckinridge to plug the gap in his line with the VMI cadets. The Federals would eventually abandon the field.  

 Confederate causalities included 43 killed and 474 wounded. The Federals lost 96 killed and 520 wounded. The Bushong farmhouse and outbuildings were turned into a hospital for both sides for the following week, and bloodstained floors survive as witnesses to the battle. The farmhouse survived the battle, and surprisingly, survived the war. The property remained in the family until 1942, when it was deeded to the Virginia Military Institute in 1964. Today, it is the centerpiece of the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.

   I last visited the Bushong Farm in November 2011.