The gallant young Lieutenant Colonel who led the cadets of the Virginia Military Institute at the battle of New Market, Va. in May 1864 where Shipp was struck by an artillery shell and knocked unconscious!

Commandant of Cadets at V.M.I.

(1839-1917) Born in Warrenton, Virginia, he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1859, standing 4th in a class of 29, and holding the rank of cadet 1st lieutenant. He accompanied the cadets to Charlestown, Va., in December 1859, to witness and serve at the execution of John Brown. Shipp was a member of the VMI faculty from 1859-88, and also was a professor of Latin, Mathematics, Military History, Strategy, and Tactics. After Virginia seceded from the Union, he was sent with the cadets to Richmond for instruction. He was then sent to Rockbridge County, Virginia with the task of recruiting a company of soldiers. Afterwards, he was sent to Camp Lee, Va., to serve as assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain in the Provisional Army of Virginia. He was appointed major in the 21st Virginia Infantry in June 1861, and was with the cadets, serving under General William W. Loring during Stonewall Jackson’s 1861 Romney Expedition. He was detailed to VMI on January 20, 1862, where he served as Commandant of Cadets from 1862-64, earning promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was very well liked and respected by the cadets because of his strait-laced, solemn, yet amiable disposition. His cadets affectionately called him, "Old Billy," for the "billy goat" goatee beard he sported. Shipp commanded the VMI Cadet Battalion at the battle of New Market, Va., under the command of General John C. Breckenridge, on May 15, 1864, against the Union forces led by General Franz Sigel. Just as the cadets moved past the Bushong Farmhouse and into the Bushong Orchard, Shipp was struck in the shoulder and face by a spent artillery shell, briefly knocking him unconscious, his cadets fearing him mortally wounded. He said in his battle report that the enemy fire was so fierce when he led the cadets into the battle at the Bushong Orchard that, "it seemed impossible that any living creature could escape." One cadet commenting on Shipp’s serious demeanor and physical presence said he was "a large man with close trimmed black hair and beard, with a solemn bearing and a deep voice. Although he was then but 24 years old, I thought he was 40." After the battle at New Market, Union General David Hunter took over command of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and burned VMI. Shipp was then sent to Lynchburg, to aid General Jubal A. Early in defense of that city, then to Richmond with the VMI cadets where they served in the defensive trenches around the capital until the Corps disbanded in 1865. Shipp was a close friend and colleague of George Washington "Custis" Lee, the eldest son of General Robert E. Lee. They both served together as professors at VMI before G.W.C. Lee left to become the President of Washington and Lee College after his father's death. Shipp became only the second Superintendent in VMI history, taking over for the retiring Francis H. Smith. Shipp served with the rank of brigadier general from 1890-1907 when he retired. He remained in Lexington with his daughter Lucy Scott Huger, and her family, and died at home in Lexington, on December 4, 1917, at the age of 78. He is buried in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington.

Bank Check Endorsed: 8 1/4 x 2 7/8, imprinted bank check filled out in ink, and endorsed by Shipp on the verso. No. 25598. New York, Feb. 6th, 1892. National Bank of Commerce In New York. In the amount of $40.00. Signed by the Crocker Brothers, on their imprinted bank check. Their name is imprinted at the left edge of the check. Endorsed on the verso by Scott Shipp, and Theo W. Kry., and deposited to the official acct. of Scott Shipp. Typical cut cancellation which has been repaired with archival document tale. Very nice example. Extremely desirable and historic Confederate signature of the gallant Colonel Scott Shipp of the Virginia Military Institute!

WBTS Trivia: Ten V.M.I. cadets were killed in battle at New Market, Virginia, on that fateful spring day in May 1864, when these teenage soldiers were called upon to give their last full measure of devotion defending their native state. Six of the ten cadets who fought and died at the battle are buried at V.M.I., at the site of their monument named, "Virginia Mourning Her Dead," a memorial to the corps of cadets. The names of all of the cadets from 1864 are inscribed on the monument. A ceremony is held every year on the 15th of May to mark the anniversary of the battle, and the deaths of these brave young boys. The ceremony features the roll call of the names of the cadets who lost their lives at New Market, a custom that began in 1887. The name of each cadet who died is called, and a representative from the same company in today's Corps answers, "Died on the Field of Honor, Sir."