Virginia Military Institute Alumni in the Civil War by Richard M. McMurry

Cadet barracks in ruin following General Hunter’s raid in June 1864.

In Hunter’s own words, “On the 12 th I also burned the Virginia Military Institute and all the buildings connected with it.” The Institute’s Board of Visitors quickly began making plans to rebuild, but the defeat of the Confederacy one year later left VMI uncertain of its very existence. Abandoned without mounting a significant defense, the Virginia Military Institute was left at the mercy of General Hunter and his guns. Union General David Hunter arrived in Lexington, VA after a march up the Shenandoah Valley. The story begins in June 1864, two months after Confederate forces achieved victory at the Battle of New Market with the help of VMI’s Corps of Cadets.

My hope is to explore the challenges the Institute faced following the Civil War, examine how the Institute’s story reflects greater movements in the nation, and assess how the Institute functions and influences today. While thinking about the Civil War history of VMI for an academic course, I was struck by a most obvious question: Why was Virginia allowed to rebuild the Institute, described by some as a factory for the mass production of Confederates, after its destruction in 1864? I considered the challenge an opportunity for engaging research, and I offer this as the first in a series of three posts focusing on the literal reconstruction of the Virginia Military Institute. I actually have a vintage gridiron-inspired VMI bobble head doll, an inheritance from my great grandmother who was proud to see both her sons graduate from the Institute. MAIN E581.My family-driven fondness for the Virginia Military Institute is not a secret. 10th and 19th Battalions of Heavy Artillery. Brunswick Rebel, Johnston, Southside, United, James City, Lunenburg Rebel, Pamunkey Heavy Artillery, and Young’s Harborguard. The Nelson Artillery Lamkin and Rives Batteries. The Brooke, Fauquier, Loudoun and Alexandria Artillery. 1st Battalion Virginia Infantry, 39th Battalion Virginia Cavalry, 24th Battalion Virginia Partisan Rangers.

Service Records of Confederate Enlisted Marines. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books, 2001. Biographical Sketches of the Commissioned Officers of the Confederate States Marine Corps.

Virginia Military Institute Alumni in the Civil War by Richard M. McMurry