Battle flag of the 8th Virginia Infantry

The 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment was a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

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 by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Eppa Hunton Eppa Hunton II (September 24, 1822October 11, 1908) was a Virginia lawyer and soldier who rose to become a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a Democrat in both the United States ...

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northea ...

on May 8, 1861. The unit comprised six companies from

Loudoun Loudoun ( gd, Lughdan) is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston Parish (which encompasses the ...

, two companies from Fauquier, one company from Fairfax and one company from

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

. Initial regimental officers included: Lt. Colonel Charles B. Tebbs, Major Norborne Berkeley, John M. Orr - Quartermaster, Dr. Richard H. Edwards - Surgeon, Charles F. Linthicum - Chaplain. After Eppa Hunton's promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in August 1863, in part based on his valor during 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 ...

, particularly during

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the B ...

(although the regiment suffered 90% casualties, either wounded like Hunton, killed or missing), Norborne Berkeley was promoted to command the 8th Virginia, and his brother Edmund became the Lieut. Colonel, his brother William Berkeley, Major, and Charles Berkeley became the senior Captain of what then became known as the "Berkeley Regiment." Nonetheless, Norborne, William and Charles Berkeley were all in Union prisoner of war camps and their brother Edmund still recovering from his Gettysburg wound on August 9.

History

In May 1861, the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ...

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

, granted Eppa Hunton the commission of

and ordered him to raise an infantry regiment from the northern Virginia area. Before 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

, the newly raised 8th Virginia was assigned to guard the numerous

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

crossings in Loudoun County, from which it had drawn four companies. The regiment fought in that battle to particular acclaim (suffering 30 casualties out of 450 effectives) and then returned to Leesburg, where they were engaged in the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation was ...

in October 1861 (suffering 43 wounded of the 375 engaged). In March 1862 the 8th was ordered to leave Loudoun to participate in the Peninsula Campaign as part of Pickett's Brigade. Lt. Col. Tebbs, who had been Loudoun's Commonwealth Attorney before the war and captain of the Loudoun Guards and secession advocate, relinquished his commission in April and took a civilian job with the Confederate States government in Richmond. After a valiant charge at the

Battle of Gaines' Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. Following the inconc ...

in June (one of the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

in which the unit lost a total of 10 killed and 66 wounded), Col. Hunton referred to his men, who he felt would go against any odds seemingly without counting the cost, as The Bloody Eighth, a term he would use from then on. In September 1862, the 8th briefly returned to Leesburg, following 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 ...

, in which they participated although initially in reserve status, on their way to the Maryland Campaign. The following year, they took part in Pickett's Charge during the

—they sustained 90% casualties, and only one officer (Charles Berkeley) and eleven men remained uninjured. Col. Hunton was promoted to Brigadier General the following month, and the regiment became known as the "Berkeley Regiment," since Norborne Berkeley was promoted to command it, his brother Edmund became the Lieut. Colonel, with his brother William Berkeley as regimental Major, and brother Charles Berkeley as the senior Captain. The 8th Virginia remained 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 ...

throughout the remainder of the war, taking part (although in decreasing numbers) in the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

Richmond-Petersburg Campaign The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

and the Appomattox Campaign. It reported 53 casualties between June 1 and December 31, 1864, including the popular former chaplain turned adjutant, Charles Linthicum, a Methodist minister from Frederick County, Maryland who initially joined to substitute for a member of his congregation who had a large family. On April 6, 1865, the majority of the regiment was killed or surrendered 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, ...

, including Gen. Hunton. The surgeon and eleven privates who escaped that battle were paroled 3 days later following Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

Companies

*A - Loudoun County - "Hillsboro Border Guards"; accepted into state service 19 Apr 1861; Captain N. R. Heaton *B - Fauquier County - "Piedmont Rifles"; enlisted 17 May 1861, at Rectortown; Captain Richard H Carter *C - "Evergreen Guards" — Prince William County: Formed May 8, 1861; commanded by Captain Edmund Berkeley (1861–1863), Captain Robert H. Tyler (1863–1865) *D - Loudoun County - "Champe Rifles"; enlisted 13 May 1861, at Haymarket; Captain William N Berkeley *E - Loudoun County - "Hampton's Company"; enlisted 29 May 1861, at Philomont; Captain Mandley Hampton *F - "Blue Mountain Boys" — Loudoun County; enlisted 19 Jun 1861, at Bloomfield; Captain Alex Grayson *G - Fairfax County - "Thrift's Company"; enlisted 22 Jun 1861, at Dranesville; mustered into service 16 Jul 1861; Captain James Thrift *H - Loudoun County - "Potomac Grays"; enlisted 13 Jul 1861, at Leesburg; Captain J. Morris Wampler *I - Loudoun County - "Simpson's Company"; enlisted 13 Jul 1861, at Mt. Gilead-North Fork; Captain James Simpson *K - Fauquier County - "Scott's Company": Formed July 30, 1861; 109 men, Captain Robert T. Scott commanding

References

{{Fairfax County in the American Civil War Loudoun County in the American Civil War Fauquier County in the American Civil War Prince William County in the American Civil War Fairfax County in the American Civil War 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

History

Companies

See also

References