The 25th 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 the Northwest and

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 ...

. Its soldiers saw action from the battle of

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colon ...

until the Appomattox.

Service

The 25th Virginia was organized during the early summer of 1861. Its members were raised in Upshur, Augusta, Highland, Bath, Pendleton, and Rockbridge counties. The unit participated in Lee's

Cheat Mountain Cheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long (north to south) and more than five miles (8 km) wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its sou ...

Campaign and Jackson's Valley Campaign. In the spring of 1862 the 9th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, four companies from Taylor County under the command of Lt. Colonel George W. Hansbrough that had fought in the Army of the Northwest and fought at

Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long,McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. . in southeastern West Virginia ...

and

Camp Allegheny The Battle of Camp Allegheny, also known as the Battle of Allegheny Mountain, took place on December 13, 1861, in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia), about 3 miles from the mountainous border of Highland County, Virginia, as par ...

were merged into the 25th Virginia. After the July 11, 1861,

Battle of Rich Mountain The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. Background Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan assumed com ...

, the regiment was severely depleted due to Col. Pegram's surrender of Camp Garnett, as discussed below. Members of 1st Co. A (Upshur Grays) and 1st Co. B (Rockbridge Guards) were dispatched to Hart's Farm under command of Capt. Julius A. DeLagnel to ward off an expected Federal assault. Men of the 20th VA and 25th VA, along with a lone cannon took position in the stable yard of the Hart farm and awaited the Federal assault. As the Federals appeared on the hillside, the long-awaited battle began. The small (310 men) force of Confederates held back the initial attacks, but overwhelming numbers, along with a final charge of the 19th Ohio forced the surviving members of the Confederate outpost to flee. The following morning, being cut off and surrounded, Col. Pegram surrendered the balance of his command at Camp Garnett, including the majority of the 25th VA. The 25th lost 5 killed, 11 wounded, and 2 captured at Hart's farm. Included in the dead were Upshur Gray privates Henry Clay Jackson and Oscar Sherwood, whose names can be seen engraved in the rock that they defended to this day. After Jackson's campaign finished, the regiment was assigned to General Early's, J.R. Jones', and W. Terry's Brigade,

. The order to merge the 9th Battalion was rescinded in November 1862, and its men were divided among other commands. The 25th Virginia participated in the Jones-Imboden Raid during the spring of 1863, as Confederates sought to discourage West Virginia statehood, but failed. While depleted, the 25th Virginia took an active part in the campaigns of the army from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then fought with Early in the Shenandoah Valley and in various conflicts around Appomattox.

Casualties

This regiment reported 18 casualties at Camp Alleghany, 72 at McDowell, and 29 at

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and Port Republic. It lost 1 killed and 24 wounded at Cedar Mountain, had 3 killed and 20 wounded at Sharpsburg, and reported 1 killed and 13 wounded at Fredericksburg. Of the 280 engaged at Gettysburg, twenty-five percent were disabled. There were 15 members (1 officer, 14 enlisted) of the 25th at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.

Officers

The field officers were: Brigadier General John C. Higginbotham (Posthumous), Colonels

George A. Porterfield George Alexander Porterfield (November 24, 1822 – February 27, 1919) was a junior officer of United States forces in the Mexican–American War, colonel, in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War and longtim ...

, and

George H. Smith George Hamilton Smith (February 10, 1949 – April 8, 2022) was an American author, editor, educator, and speaker, known for his writings on atheism and libertarianism. Biography Smith grew up mostly in Tucson, Arizona, and attended the Unive ...

; Lieutenant Colonels Patrick B. Duffy, Jonathan McGee Heck, Robert D. Lilley, and John A. Robinson; and Majors Wilson Harper, Albert G. Reger, and William T. Thompson.

Companies

*Company A, Upshur Grays, Col. John C. Higginbotham *Company B, Rockbridge Guards, Capt. David P. Curry *Company C, Augusta Lee Rifles, Capt. Robert D. Lilley *Company D, Highland Rangers, Capt. George M. Kiracofe *Company E, Pendleton Rifles, Capt. George H. Smith *Company F, Franklin Guards, Capt. John B. Moomau *Company G, Bath Grays/Bath Rifles, Capt. William D. Ervin *Company H, Hardy Blues, Capt. J.C.B. Mullin *Company I, Mt. Crawford Cavalry, formerly Valley Rifles, Capt. William N. Jordan *Company K, South Branch Riflemen, Capt. John H. Everly When the regiment was reorganized in 1862 to bring it back to full strength the following companies were added from the 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry *Company A, Letcher Guards, Capt. John A. Robinson *Company C, Braxton Blues, Capt. Patrick B. Duffy *Company E, Fighting Company E (composed from several parts of depleted companies) *Company F, Highland County, Capt. George Madison Karicofe *Company G, Mollohan's Company, Capt. William H. Mollohan *Company I, Pocahontas Rescuers, Capt. Daniel A. Stofer *Company K, Pendleton Minute Men, Capt. D.C. Anderson (company transferred from the 31st Virginia Infantry to the 25th)

John B. Salling

The man who was recognized as Virginia's last surviving Confederate veteran, John B. Salling, claimed to work as a peter monkey and saltpeter miner after enlisting as a private in Company D, 25th Virginia Infantry, in

Scott County, Virginia Scott County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,576. Its county seat is Gate City. Scott County was formed by an act of the General Assembly on November 24, ...

, during the Civil War."General" John Salling: Virginia’s Last Confederate Veteran?
''Library of Virginia'', October 6, 2010

References

*{{USGovernment, url=http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm, title=Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, agency=National Park Service