The 22nd 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 ...
from the
western
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*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
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 ...
that served 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 ...
. Its commander was
George S. Patton Sr.
Colonel George Patton Sr. (June 26, 1833 – September 25, 1864) was a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. He was the grandfather of World War II general George S. Patton. George Patton was also the great-grandfather of Major G ...
, the grandfather of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
General
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
.
Organization
22nd Infantry Regiment, formerly known as the 1st Kanawha Regiment, was organized and accepted into Confederate service in July 1861. Its members were from the counties of
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Q ...
,
Kanawha,
Putnam,
Fayette,
Monroe,
Craig,
Nicholas
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...
,
Alleghany,
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
,
Greenbrier,
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
,
Putnam,
Roane Roane is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Anthony Roane (died 1583), English politician
*Archibald Roane (1769–1819), 2nd Governor of Tennessee
*John Roane (1766–1838), American politician
*John Roane (1794–1869), America ...
,
Greene
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**Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene
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and
Boone.
Companies and officers
Also, three other units were reassigned and did not really fight with this unit. The Charleston Sharpshooters (also referred to as Swann's Company) was organized by Charleston lawyer John Sterling Swann in December 1859 and worked together with the Kanawha Riflemen before secession. After being mustered into service on April 25, 1861, they were transferred and mustered into the Confederate States Army as Company K of the
59th Virginia Infantry in July, then detached and made Company A of the
26th Virginia Infantry.
The Bruce Rifles (also referred to as Taylor's Company or the Greenbrier Rifles) was organized in Greenbrier County by Col. Jacob N. Taylor, and mustered into Virginia service in June 1861. Transferred to the Wise Legion on July 10 with the consent of Col. Charles Q. Tompkins, they became Company F of the
46th Virginia Infantry and in August 1861 were transferred again and became Company E of the
60th Virginia Infantry
The 60th 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 and in Tennessee.
The 60th Virginia (als ...
The Kanawha Artillery (also referred to as Hale's Battery) was organized in Charleston by Dr. John Peter Hale, who also financed it at the suggestion of then-Col.
John McCausland
John McCausland, Jr. (September 13, 1836 – January 22, 1927) was a brigadier general in the Confederate army, famous for the ransom of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the razing of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War.
Early ...
. Mustered into Virginia service in June 1861, their new cannon cast at the Kanawha Salines purportedly changed the
Battle of Scary Creek
The Battle of Scary Creek was a minor battle fought during the American Civil War across the Kanawha River from present day Nitro in Putnam County, West Virginia on July 17, 1861.
Background
The battle occurred three months after the beginni ...
on June 3, although Lt. James Clark Welch would become the unit's first casualty (and possibly of the South). By July it became Capt. Thomas E. Jackson's Company Virginia Light Artillery.
Service
The 22nd saw action at
Carnifex Ferry and later lost twenty-one percent of the 550 engaged at
Droop Mountain Droop Mountain is a small mountain in the Allegheny Mountains on the border of Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties in southeastern West Virginia. It was the scene of one of West Virginia's most important battles during the American Civil War—t ...
. It was assigned to Echols' and Patton's Brigade, participated in the Shenandoah Valley operations, and disbanded during the spring of 1865.
In 1859 the Militia unit changed its name permanently to the Kanawha Riflemen. As the Civil War began in western Virginia the 22nd was known as the 1st Kanawha Riflemen upon entering into service of the Confederacy in June 1861. The 22nd Virginia was formed under Captain Patton. Captain Patton later commissioned to be Colonel of the 22nd Virginia in the Army of Kanawha under Generals Henry Wise, who was a former Governor of Virginia.
The first Baptism of Fire came on July 17, 1861, at the Battle of Scary Creek. Captain George Patton won a major victory for the Confederates, and he was wounded in the shoulder, he was left at Charleston, West Virginia. During his absence, the 22nd Virginia was placed under the command of Colonel Christopher Q. Tompkins.
The infighting between Wise and
John B. Floyd
John Buchanan Floyd (June 1, 1806 – August 26, 1863) was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.
Early family life
John Buchan ...
(also a former Governor of Virginia himself who had been sent to the Kanawha Valley) and the disorder of the Confederate forces caused President Jefferson Davis to send General Robert E. Lee to the region to supervise. Following the unsuccessful attack to take Cheat Mountain to the north, Lee moved south to take command of the Army of the Kanawha Valley District after Floyd's defeat at Carnifex Ferry on September 10, 1861. Prior to Carnifex Ferry, Floyd sent a dispatch to General Wise stating he needed support in order to keep his position. General Wise denied the arrival of part of his army until another dispatch came, this time begging for support. General Wise detached the 22nd Virginia to aid Floyd. By the time the 22nd Virginia arrived on the scene it was too late and Floyd was forced to retreat. General Lee went to settle the differences of these two generals. General Lee's objective was to push the Union Army back into Ohio.
After his weak assault on Sewell Mountain General Lee had General Wise removed from Western Virginia and transferred to North Carolina. General Lee then decided to have the 22nd transferred to General Floyd's Army of Southwestern Virginia.
In the early part of 1862, after the Romney Campaign, Floyd transferred to Tennessee and General Henry Heth took over as the commanding officer of the Army of New River under General William W. Loring's Department of Southwestern Virginia. The small force won at the Battle of Giles Court House on May 10, 1862, but were quickly overrun at the
Battle of Lewisburg on May 23, 1862. General Heth was very disliked by the members of the 22nd Virginia. Reasons behind this disliking started at Lewisburg. General Heth misjudged the numbers of the Union Army under General Crook, which led to ultimate disaster. During the battle the Union Army managed to take possession of a Confederate cannon, which dated back to the Revolutionary War and was the cannon that the British has surrendered at Yorktown. It finally boiled over when General Heth's army started to disobey orders. In September, the regiment fought in Major General
William W. Loring
William Wing Loring (December 4, 1818 – December 30, 1886) was an American soldier who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt.
Biography
Early life
William was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Reuben a ...
's
Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862
The Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862 was Confederate Major General William W. Loring's military campaign to drive the Union Army out of the Kanawha River Valley during the American Civil War. The campaign took place from September 6 through Sep ...
as part of a brigade commanded by Brigadier General
John S. Williams or detached to a brigade commanded by Colonel
Gabriel C. Wharton
Gabriel Colvin Wharton (July 23, 1824 – May 12, 1906) was an American civil engineer and soldier who served as a General officer, general in the Confederate States Army, Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war he was a ...
.
General
John Echols
John Echols (March 20, 1823 – May 24, 1896) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Early and family life
John Echols was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He joined the Virginia Military Institute in 1840 ...
reformed the Army of South Western Virginia in the spring of 1863. The 22nd Virginia spent the spring on a series of raids called the Jones and Imboden Raid. The raid went completely around West Virginia and entered Oakland, Maryland. The purpose of the raid was to destroy the over hangs where the B&O Railroad was vital. On April 24, the raid carried over to Beverly, West Virginia. Once settled in Beverly, the 22nd Virginia was engaged in a skirmish that captured several Union troops and supplies. During the month of August, the 22nd Virginia was stationed near Lewisburg. White Sulphur Springs was the place of a famous health spa and a scene of a huge battle (the
Battle of White Sulphur Springs) between The 22nd Virginia and Federal forces under the command of General Averell. The federal objective was to seize the law books at the Virginia State Law Library at Lewisburg. These books contained information on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals for the convenience of lawyers and judges. Colonel Patton marched his army down Anthony's Creek Road and the Union army went by way of James River Pike. The two forces met at the intersection of where these two roads met. Colonel Patton deployed his men at once, blocking the road. The battle lasted all day and carried over to the following day. Both armies were running low on supplies, and the Federal army was forced to withdraw from the field. Colonel Patton had a decisive victory for the Confederates.
The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred on November 6, 1863. At dawn the Union Army under the command of General Averell, sent out skirmishers to test the Confederate line. The Confederates there, held the ground and this forced General Averell to send a detachment of troops to the west where they were ordered to attack the Confederate left. Echols was aware of the situation even though the center and the right were heavily engaged, and ordered the left flank to be reinforced. Sending out the 23rd Virginia Battalion to support the Confederate left. Seeing the Confederate right and center falling back, Echols sent three companies of the 22nd Virginia to support the left flank. Patton informed Echols that the left flank was on the verge of collapse. As the order of retreat was called to the Confederates, Colonel Jackson held the center for another half hour until the artillery was removed from the field. The Confederates retreated into the woods and disappeared from sight. Even though the battle of Droop Mountain was a Confederate defeat, Echols managed to survive from the main thrust of the Union Army and prevented Averell from completing their raid on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
After the battle of Droop Mountain, (West) Virginia in November 1863 the Army of South Western Virginia was almost destroyed. In 1864 the 22nd Virginia was transferred to General
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...
to protect the Shenandoah Valley from the invading Federals. In May at New Market, Virginia the 22nd made a stand next to the V.M.I.'s, which was the 22nd's biggest victory. By late spring the 22nd Virginia was called to Richmond, Virginia to take part in protecting the Confederate Capital at Cold Harbor, as Grant's Army was invading the state once again, this time not retreating as previous generals have done in the past. Western Virginia would never be claimed by her mother state of Virginia again and General Lee needed men desperately. This led to the 22nd Virginia Infantry being pulled from West Virginia.
By the summer of 1864 the 22nd Virginia went with the Army of the Valley to rid the Yankees, under General Franz Sigel, from Lynchburg, Virginia. They also went into the Shenandoah Valley to relieve some of the pressure off of General Lee's lines and force Grant to send troops away from Petersburg. Therefore, the 22nd Virginia would soon be part of a raid that would attack Washington (DC). The 22nd Virginia left Petersburg during June 1864 to attack the Federals there and relieve pressure of Federal occupation of the town. The first task was completed with the liberation of Lynchburg. General
Jubal Early
Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his U.S. Army commissio ...
then traveled up the Shenandoah Valley and entered Maryland at Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Once there the raid carried over to Hagerstown with the demand of 20, 000 dollars from the town. The officer in charge misunderstood the order and accidentally forgot to add an extra zero to that number. On July 8 at Turners Gap, near Middletown MD, the 22nd Virginia engaged in a series of skirmishes that finally ended at Frederick, Maryland in the late evening. On July 9 the 22nd Virginia served as reserves during the battle of Monocacy. July 11, the 22nd Virginia was called out at Fort Stevens, three miles from the White House. The battle was called off the following day. Early retreated to White's Ford and entered Leesburg, Virginia. Once Early entered the Shenandoah Valley, the 22nd Virginia participated in the battles of Cool Springs,
Kernstown, and
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. On September 16, during the retreat from Winchester, Colonel George Patton was wounded and taken prisoner. By September 25, Colonel Patton died refusing amputation to his leg.
At the
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...
, the 22nd Virginia had almost been wiped out, as they had about 140 soldiers left in the ranks. After Cedar Creek, Early was removed from command along with Breckinridge. General John Echols was given command of what was left of the Army of South Western Virginia and the Army of the Valley. Both armies made a last attempt to regain control of West Virginia and failed. By 1865 the armies did not have enough manpower and started for Lynchburg to rejoin General Lee. On April 15 a telegram was sent to the 22nd Virginia Infantry telling them that General Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. By that time the 22nd Virginia had already started to disband. Other members of the 22nd Virginia, who still wanted to fight, were marching off for Tennessee. The last company to disband was Company H, when they received word that General Johnston had surrendered in North Carolina at the Bennett Place.
By 1864, the influence of peace party and pro-Union organizations, particularly the
Red Strings
The Red Strings, also known as the Heroes of America, were a group active primarily in the Southern United States during the American Civil War. They favored peace, an end to the Confederacy, and a restoration of the Union. They began early in th ...
, into the 22nd Virginia Infantry and the 54th Virginia Infantry was unknown. Secretary of War
James Seddon
James Alexander Seddon (July 13, 1815 – August 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a Representative in the U.S. Congress, as a member of the Democratic Party. He was appointed Confederate States Secretar ...
investigated the allegations.
[United States]
War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
eneral Index and Additions and Corrections. Washington, DC: .n. 1901. Series IV, Volume 3, pages 84-816.
See also
*
List of Virginia Civil War units
Virginia provided the following units to the Virginia Militia and the Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS) during the American Civil War. Despite the state's secession from the Union it would supply them with third most troops from a ...
*
List of West Virginia Civil War Confederate units
The following is a list of West Virginia Confederate Units which were composed mostly or notably by citizens of the 50 counties of western Virginia which eventually became West Virginia. These units, with the exception of the Kentucky units, are d ...
References
*
* http://www.wolvesdenpro.com/22nd/jh.html {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029221859/http://www.wolvesdenpro.com/22nd/jh.html , date=2016-10-29
Bibliography
* Brown, Joseph Alleine, and Samuel Hunter Austin
The Memoirs of a Confederate Soldier Abingdon, Va: Forum Press, 1940.
*
aptain Joel Houghton Abbott of Co. K, 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment, and Co. H, 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment Ambrotype/Tintype Filing Series (Library of Congress). 1861. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/806193315
* Confederate States of America. General Orders.
indings and Sentence of a Military Court at Which Private Granville S. McCutchen, Company C, 22d Va. Volunteers, Was Arraigned and Tried No. 52 No. 52.
ichmond he Office 1863. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/686733757
* Lowry, Terry
22nd Virginia Infantry Lynchburg, Va: H.E. Howard, 1991.
* Smith, Isaac Noyes. 1966.
A Virginian's Dilemma (the Civil War Diary of Isaac Noyes Smith, in Which He Describes the Activities of the 22nd Regiment of Virginia Volunteers, Sept. to Nov. 1861). West Virginia History. 27, no. 3: 173–200.
* Swann, John S
Reminiscences of John S. Swann n.d.
* Tompkins family, John Patterson, Christopher Tompkins, and Christopher Quarles Tompkins
Papers: Of the Tompkins Family 1800.
Military units and formations established in 1861
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia
1861 establishments in Virginia