An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Occurring on Friday, July 5, 1861, the Skirmish at Smith's Farm was significant because Louisianan Lt. Col. Charles Dreux became the first field grade Confederate officer killed during the Civil War. Yet few people, even Civil War historians, have ever heard of it. Sometimes inaccurately called Young's Mill, I refer to it as Smith's Farm…
Continue reading ➞ Illuminating the Skirmish at Smith’s Farm
William "Billy" Davis was born in 1838 on a farm in Franklin Township, Johnson County, Indiana. At the outbreak of the Civil War, on April 18, 1861 at the age of 23, he enlisted for three months in Company H, 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. He served in that unit throughout its entire campaign in northwestern…
Continue reading ➞ Where was Billy Davis on the Morning of July 8, 1861?
When sources are lacking, historians attempt to fill in the blanks, but we can use deduction to arrive at the most likely answer. The 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry, otherwise known as Hansbrough's Battalion, was a small unit consisting of four companies led by Lt. Col. George W. Hansbrough. It formed shortly after the Action at…
Continuing our exploration of Virginia militia raised in the early months of the American Civil War, today we're examining Artillery companies (batteries) enrolled in April 1861. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Paymaster General’s Office tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861, fifteen artillery companies were enrolled in April. Precisely determining which…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia Artillery Units Enrolled in April 1861
Recently, we posted Statement Showing the Number, by Companies, of the Virginia Volunteers who Entered Service Prior to July 1, 1861, highlighting the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Paymaster General’s Office tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861. It contains valuable information that, when compared to other sources, can help piece together the…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia Cavalry Units Enrolled in April 1861
In January 1862, the Commonwealth of Virginia's Paymaster General’s Office published a tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861. It tabulated 402 infantry companies, 78 cavalry companies, and 55 artillery batteries. This did not include the Wise Legion and Floyd’s Brigade, which were commissioned by the Confederate government. The purpose of…
The Skirmish at Glenville was fought on July 7-8, 1861 in present-day Gilmer County, West Virginia. The dramatic episode proved to be a sideshow in the larger campaign of Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan to wrest control of Northwestern Virginia from the Confederacy. It's often forgotten against the backdrop of the Battle of Rich…
Continue reading ➞ What Confederate Unit was Engaged in the Skirmish at Glenville?
Robert Seldon Garnett (1819–1861) was a Mexican War veteran and regular Army officer from Virginia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1841 and later served as an assistant instructor of infantry tactics. It's rumored that one of his students was a young George B. McClellan, who attended West Point…
Trick question -- none of the Virginia militia at Philippi on June 3, 1861 had been sworn into Confederate service. Technicalities aside, the issue of what units were involved in the "Philippi Races," among the first land actions of the Civil War, is not just a matter of trivia. Most authors, however, only name units…
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.
Spirit of '61 