The 18th 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

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 ...

. It fought mostly with the

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 18th Virginia completed its organization in May, 1861. Its members were recruited at Danville and Farmville, and in the counties of Nottoway, Cumberland, Prince Edward, Appomattox, Pittsylvania, and Charlotte. Company A (Danville Blues) - many men from Danville Virginia Company B (Danville Grays) - many men from Danville, Virginia Company C (Nottoway Rifle Guards) - many men from Nottoway County Company D (Prospect Rifle Grays) - many men from Prince Edward County Company E (Black Eagle Rifles) - many men from Cumberland County Company F (Farmville Guard) - many men from Farmville, Virginia (Prince Edward and Cumberland Counties) Company G (Nottoway Grays) - many men from Nottoway County Company H (Appomattox Grays) - many men from Appomattox County Company I (Spring Garden Blues) - many men from Pittsylvania County Company K (Charlotte Rifles) - many men from Charlotte County, mustered in February 1861. Reorganized April 1862 with Captains Thomas J. Spencer, Mathew Lyle, Robert Morton Shepperson, Martin Luther Covington, William Henry Smith. 18th Virginia Infantry, by James I. Robertson The unit fought at First Manassas under General Cocke, then was assigned to General Pickett's, Garnett's, and Hunton's Brigade. It participated in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was detached to Suffolk with Longstreet. Later it served in North Carolina, returned to Virginia, and took an active part in the battles of Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. The 18th endured the hardships of the Petersburg trenches north of the James River and saw action around Appomattox. It lost 6 killed and 13 wounded at First Manassas and in April, 1862, had 700 men fit for duty. The unit reported 206 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles, and of the 120 engaged in the Maryland Campaign, thirty-six percent of the 312 in action were killed, wounded, or missing. Many were captured at Sayler's Creek and only 2 officers and 32 men surrendered. The field officers were Colonels Henry A. Carrington and

Robert E. Withers Robert Enoch Withers (September 18, 1821September 21, 1907) was an American physician, officer (armed forces), military officer, newspaperman, politician diplomat, and Freemason. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and represented Virgin ...

, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Cabell, and Major Edwin G. Wall.

Robert Lewis Dabney Robert Lewis Dabney (March 5, 1820 – January 3, 1898) was an American Christian theologian, Southern Presbyterian pastor, Confederate States Army chaplain, and architect. He was also chief of staff and biographer to Stonewall Jackson. His b ...

briefly served as chaplain for the regiment, before becoming chief of staff for

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

. File:18VAflag.jpg, The 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment battle flag at the Appomattox museum. File:Robert E. Withers - Brady-Handy.jpg, Colonel Robert E. Withers File:Portrait of Robert Lewis Dabney.jpg, Chaplain Robert Lewis Dabney File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 08 Page 117.jpg, Two Officers of Company "G" 18th Va Infantry; the officer at bottom Captain Arch. Campbell was killed in April 1865 at the

Battle of Sayler's Creek The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought on April 6, 1865, near Farmville, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, near the end of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, ...

-ironically next to Nottoway County in Prince Edward County File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 08 Page 119.jpg, Nine more officers of Company "G" 18th Va Infantry File:Private John G. Lee of Company H, 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment, with bayoneted musket, large Bowie knife, and percussion pistol LCCN2011661455.jpg, Private John G. Lee of Company H, 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment

References

*{{USGovernment, url=http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm, title=Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, agency=National Park Service Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia 1861 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1861

See also

References