Ramsey’s 1st Regiment Georgia Volunteers

The 1st Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry was not the only unit to bear that name in the American Civil War, but it was among the first to stand up in service to its state. Raised by Colonel James Newton Ramsey (1821-1870) and mustered into service for a period of one year in March 1861, Ramsey’s Georgia infantry played a central role in the opening months of the war in Virginia.

The 1st Georgia (Ramsey’s) consisted of ten companies, many of which predated the war by several years, though in a ceremonial capacity. Their first wartime assignment was to garrison Pensacola, Florida, after which they were sent to Richmond, Virginia to be sworn into Confederate service. They then proceeded to northwestern Virginia to join Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett’s Army of the Northwest at Laurel Hill.

The regiment never failed to impress, with black-trimmed gray uniforms, fine cutlery, a regimental band, and a retinue of slaves, leading it to be called a “crack regiment,” though it had no more combat experience than any other. It fought at Laurel Hill and Corrick’s Ford, where it became divided during the retreat and several companies wandered through the mountains, nearly starving to death before being rescued. Col. Ramsey briefly took command of the army after Garnett was killed.

Historian George Winston Martin wrote a well-researched account of the regiment’s history in his book “I Will Give Them One More Shot”: Ramsey’s First Regiment Georgia Volunteers (2011), which also contains the most detailed account of the Battle of Belington/Laurel Hill I have ever read. The unit roster is also published in Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865, Vol. I.

Several members of the unit changed positions or were promoted out of their company into the regimental staff, but based on my analysis of the unit roster, I believe the following is an accurate account of its unit strength upon reaching the Confederate camp at Laurel Hill. This number would fluctuate as a few recruits joined at Laurel Hill and others were discharged or died.

Company	Commander	Strength (officers, NCOs, & enlisted)
Headquarters	Col. James N. Ramsey	19
A “Newnan Guards”	Capt. George M. Hanvey	119
B “Southern Guards”	Capt. Francis G. Wilkins	83
C “Southern Rights Guards”	Capt. John Andrew Houser	85
D “Oglethorpe Infantry”	Capt. H.B. Adams	106
E “Washington Rifles”	Capt. Seaborn A.H. Jones	119
F “Gate City Guards”	Capt. William L. Ezzard	82
G “Bainbridge Independents”	Capt. John W. Evans	91
H “Dahlonega Volunteers”	Capt. Thomas B. Cabaniss	62
I “Walker Light Infantry”	Capt. Samuel H. Crump	76
K “Quitman Guards”	Capt. James S. Pinkard	105
Total		947

In the opening months of the Civil War, Ramsey’s 1st Georgia did more than its share of hard marching and fighting. Though it seemed more equipped for a parade than a war when it arrived at Laurel Hill at the end of June 1861, its men soon earned a reputation as fighters and survivors. The unit officially disbanded the following spring, but its men gained valuable experience they would take with them into other regiments.