Soldiers from Richmond Grays at execution of abolitionist John Brown in Charles Town, West Virginia LCCN2016650150

The 1st 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 the Commonwealth of Virginia 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 1st Virginia completed its organization at

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, in May, 1861. At the outbreak of the war it had ten companies, but in April three were detached. Thus the unit contained seven companies from Richmond and in mid-July a company from Washington, D.C. was added. Its first colonel,

Patrick T. Moore Patrick Theodore Moore (September 22, 1821 – February 19, 1883) was an Irish-born Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. As colonel leading the 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment, he was severely wounded at the B ...

, was severely wounded on July 18, 1861, in the skirmish at

Blackburn's Ford Blackburn's Ford was the crossing of Bull Run by Centreville Road between Manassas and Centreville, Virginia, in the United States. It was named after the original owner of the Yorkshire Plantation (McLean's Farm), Col. Richard Blackburn, forme ...

, and Lt. Col. W.H. Fry commanded at the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas). The companies (with original commanders) were: *Co. A (Richmond Grays): Capt. W.M. Elliott – Detached to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, during April, 1861 and assigned to the

12th Virginia Infantry The 12th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment mostly raised in Petersburg, Virginia, for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, but with units from the cities of Norfolk and Richmond, and Greensville ...

as Co. G, August 31, 1861. *Co. B (Richmond City Guard): Capt. R. Harrison – Captain J.K. Lee was killed at Blackburn's Ford on July 18, 1861. *Co. C (Montgomery Guard): Capt. J. Dooley *Co. D (Old Dominion Guard): Capt. J. Griswold *Co. E (1st) (Richmond Light Infantry Blues): Capt. O.J. Wise – Sent to

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

and later assigned to the

46th Virginia Infantry The 46th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in Virginia and the Carolinas. 46th Infantry Regiment (also called 1st or ...

, prior to the

Battle of First Manassas The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

. *Co. E (2nd) (Washington Volunteers): Capt. C.K. Sherman – Temporarily attached to the regiment during the middle of July and transferred to the

7th Virginia Infantry The 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The 7th Virginia was organized in May, ...

as Company F in April 1862. *Co. F (1st) (Cary's Company): Capt. R.M. Cary – Sent to Fredericksburg and assigned to the

21st Virginia Infantry The 21st Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The 21st Virginia was organized in ...

, under the command of Capt. R.H. Cunningham, Jr., prior to First Manassas. *Co. F (2nd) (Beauregard Rifles): Capt. F.B. Schaeffer – Served in a provisional battalion (Schaeffer's Battalion) during First Bull Run and was subsequently assigned to the regiment on July 23, 1861. The company was relieved from duty on September 7 and redesignated as Company C, 1st Regiment Virginia Artillery. On November 13, 1861, the company was mustered out of service. *Co. G (Gordan's Company): Capt. W.H. Gordan *Co. H (1st) (Howitzer Battery): Capt G.W. Randolph – In early May, the company left the regiment and was expanded into a battalion of three companies under then-Maj. G. W. Randolph. *Co. H (2nd) (Richmond Greys, Company B): Capt. F.J. Boggs *Co. I (Taylor's' Company): Capt. W.O. Taylor *Co. K (Virginia Rifles, at one time German Rifles): Capt. F. Miller – Disbanded when the regiment was reorganised in April 1862. *Fayette Artillery: Capt. H.C. Cabell – Detached and assigned to John Magruder's command on the

Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the ...

. *Floyd Guard: Capt. G.W. Chambers – Assigned as Co. K,

2nd Virginia Infantry The 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in today's western Virginia and what became West Virginia during the American Civil War for service in the Confederate States Army. It would combine with the 4th, 5th, 27th, an ...

, prior to June 30, 1861. *Band: Capt. J.B. Smith – Mustered in as Co. I and detached to form the a 13 piece regimental band. *Drum Corps: Drum Major C.R.M. Pohle – 14 drummers including the drummer on duty with the Richmond Greys in Norfolk. The Drum Corps was mustered in as a body. It fought at the

Battle of First Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

(First Manassas) in a brigade under

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

and in August totaled 570 men. During April, 1862, when the regiment was reorganized, it contained only six companies. The 1st Virginia Infantry was assigned to A. P. Hill's, Kemper's, and W. R. Terry's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It was active from the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

to the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, except when it was with Longstreet at the Siege of Suffolk, Virginia. Later the unit was involved in the capture of Plymouth, the conflicts at

Drewry's Bluff Drewry's Bluff is located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the United States. It was the site of Confederate Fort Darling during the American Civil War. It was named for a local landowner, Confederate Captain Augustus H. Drewry, w ...

and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, the Siege of Petersburg south and north of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

, and the Appomattox Campaign. This regiment lost twenty-two percent of the 140 engaged at the

Battle of Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

(Second Manassas), had 9 wounded at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, and had more than half of the 209 at Gettysburg disabled. Its casualties were 12 killed and 25 wounded at Drewry's Bluff, 1 killed and 77 wounded at the Battle of Five Forks, and 40 captured at the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Only 17 surrendered at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. The field officers were Colonels

, Franklin G. Skinner, and Lewis B. Williams, Jr; Lieutenant Colonels William H. Fry and Frank H. Langley; and Majors John Dooley, William P. Mumford, George F. Norton, and William H. Palmer.

References

External links

* * {{Internet Archive, 05382282.3420.emory.edu, Record of the Richmond city and Henrico Co., Virginia troops, Confederate States Army (1879) * Curran, Robert Emmett
John Dooley's Civil War An Irish American's Journey in the First Virginia Infantry Regiment
' University of Tennessee Press, 2011. 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

See also

References

External links