Emerging Civil War is pleased to host its 2nd Annual Fundraiser to benefit Wreaths Across America at Winchester National Cemetery.

On Sunday, October 1, 2023, from 2-4pm join historians Sarah Kay Bierle and Jon Tracey at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park for a fundraiser battlefield tour to support Wreaths Across America. The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, and the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets took a pivotal role in the fight as they joined the Confederate battle line and clashed with Union soldiers from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. The walking tour will cover approximately 1.5 miles of sloping terrain, and Tracey and Bierle will share about the Battle of New Market fought on May 15, 1864, stories of soldiers and cadets, and the lengthy process of laying the fallen to rest—many in Winchester National Cemetery. Tickets are required for the fundraiser tour and are $25 per person.

The ticket also includes all-day access to Virginia Museum of the Civil War and New Market Battlefield State Historical Park’s grounds.

A virtual-only history fundraiser program is also offered for those unable to attend the battlefield tour in-person. For a $17 donation, virtual donors will receive a link on Saturday, October 7 to a recorded history program and discussion of some of Bierle and Tracey’s new research about the Battle of New Market and Winchester National Cemetery.

Wreaths Across America is the prominent non-profit coordinating these memorial efforts during the holiday. In the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester National Cemetery takes part in this ceremony. At this location, more than 5,500 service members are buried—many United States volunteers from the American Civil War. This year Emerging Civil War historians are hosting a battlefield tour fundraiser to help purchase and place more wreaths in Winchester National Cemetery, and proceeds will be used for that purpose.

Bierle and Tracey are donating their research time and battlefield guiding skills with the goal of fundraising $3,000 through the battlefield walk and virtual program to assist Wreaths Across America in placing more wreaths at Winchester National Cemetery. They both work in the history field and hold volunteer positions as editors and board members at Emerging Civil War, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation that hosts a public history-oriented platform for sharing original articles related to the American Civil War and connecting with a supportive group of up-and-coming researchers and historians.

For more information, please view the Press Release.

If you have questions about this event, please Contact Us.