08/12/2014
New Market Park Shows Body Armor Given In ‘62
NEW MARKET, Va. – A rare piece of Civil War body armor is on permanent display at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.
The park is owned and operated by Virginia Military Institute (VMI). The steel armor, which protected only the wearer’s torso, has been in the VMI Museum’s possession since 1862, making it one of the oldest items in the collection.
It had not been shown for decades. The armor was never displayed at New Market until it was added to the exhibits there in April. It was donated to VMI by Capt. Joseph Carpenter, Class of 1856, who cut it off the body of a dead Union soldier at the Battle of Port Republic, near Harrisonburg, on June 9, 1862.
The Virginia Museum of the Civil War at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park tells the story of the war through exhibits, artifacts and dioramas, with a special emphasis on the war in Virginia. A recent addition is the Emmy Award-winning film, “Field of Lost Shoes,” an account of the VMI cadets who fought at the May 15, 1864, Battle of New Market.
Park visitors can also see the 19th-century farmhouse and outbuildings of the Bushong family who owned the land in 1864.
For information call or visit (866) 515-1864, www.vmi.edu/vmcw
