The 16th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

raised in 1861 in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

for service in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The regiment fought almost exclusively with the Confederate

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. The 16th Virginia completed its organization in May 1861 with ten companies. However, because of various reorganizations and transfers, the unit contained only seven companies after 1 November 1862. The men were from Suffolk and Portsmouth, and the counties of Nansemond, Isle of Wight, Sussex, and Chesterfield. The regiment initially served in the Department of Norfolk, and in June 1862 had 516 effectives. Assigned to General John Weisiger's Brigade, General William Mahone's Division, and eventually General A.P. Hill's Third Corps of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, it fought in many conflicts: from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor. Later in the War, it was involved in the Siege of Petersburg (south of the James River) and in the Appomattox Campaign. The regiment reported 91 casualties at Malvern Hill, 154 at Second Manassas, 5 in the Maryland Campaign, and 18 at Chancellorsville. Of the 270 engaged at Gettysburg, about five percent were disabled. The regiment eventually surrendered with 10 officers and 114 men. The field officers were Colonels

Raleigh E. Colston Raleigh Edward Colston (October 1, 1825 – July 29, 1896) was a France, French-born United States, American professor, soldier, cartographer, and writer. He was a controversial Brigadier General (CSA), brigadier general in the Confederate S ...

, Charles A. Crump, Stapleton Crutchfield, Joseph H. Ham, and Henry T. Parrish; Lieutenant Colonels John C. Page and Richard O. Whitehead; and Majors Francis D. Holladay, Francis M. Ironmonger, and John T. Woodhouse.

References

* Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia 1861 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1861 1865 disestablishments in Virginia Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

See also

References