Seed corn of the Confederacy

by James Gindlesperger

The battle was similar to many others, with one notable exception: The corps of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute was among the regiments on the field that fateful day. Confederate President Jefferson Davis affectionately referred to those boys, as young as 15, as the "Seed Corn of the Confederacy." With only a few individual exceptions they had never been in battle. By day's end they had stepped into the pages of history. Their gallantry gained the respect of veteran soldiers on both sides. Their day culminated with the capture of a Union battery. The victory had a price, however. Ten of their number would die a New Market; more than fifty others would be wounded. This is the first known account of the Battle of New Market written from the perspective of the cadets from Virginia Military Institute. They had never seen battle before, but by day's end they had earned the admiration of both sides for their valor in action.