59th Virginia Infantry
The 59th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia's western counties for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia, and in the Carolinas.
59th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment 26th Battalion, Virginia Volunteer Infantry | |
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Flag of Virginia, 1861 | |
Active | As the 59th: Aug. 1861 – Feb. 1862 As the 26th: April 29, 1862 – April 1865 |
Disbanded | April 1865 |
Country | |
Allegiance | |
Branch | |
Role | Infantry |
Engagements | American Civil War: Battle of Roanoke Island-Seven Days' Battles-Second Battle of Bull Run-Battle of Antietam-Battle of Fredericksburg-Siege of Suffolk-Battle of Gettysburg-Siege of Charleston-Battle of Legareville-Overland Campaign-Siege of Petersburg-Battle of Sayler's Creek-Appomattox Campaign |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | William Barksdale Tabb |
The 59th Virginia (also called 2nd Regiment, Wise Legion) was organized in August 1861. Part of this unit was captured at Roanoke Island in February 1862. Four of the companies were not captured and reorganized into the 26th Virginia Infantry Battalion.[1]
As the 26th Battalion, Virginia Volunteer Infantry, it was attached to the Department of Richmond, assigned to Wise's Brigade, and saw action during the Seven Days' Battles. The men came primarily from the counties of Kanawha, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, and Pulaski.[2] Later the regiment was transferred to the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and participated in various conflicts around Charleston. Returning to Virginia in the spring of 1864 it was placed in the Petersburg trenches, then fought in the Appomattox Campaign. Many were disabled at Sayler's Creek, and none of its members were present at the surrender.
The field officers were Colonels Charles F. Henningsen and William B. Tabb, Lieutenant Colonels Frank P. Anderson and Joseph Jones, and Majors John Lawson and Robert G. Mosby. As the 26th Battalion its field officers were Lieutenant Colonel George M. Edgar, William W. Finney, Andrew R. Barbee, with Majors Edmund S. Reed and Richard Woodram.[3]
Companies
The four companies of the 59th Virginia that also formed part of the 26th Virginia Infantry Battalion were:.[4]
- Company A: Charleston Sharpshooters, Captain John S. Swann
- Company E: Scouts and Guides, Captain William D. Hefner
- Company F: Red Sulphur Yankee Hunters, Captain Richard Woodrum
- Company G: White Sulphur Rifles, Captain Z.F. Morris
References
- Dickinson, Jack L. Tattered Uniforms and Bright Bayonets: West Virginia's Confederate Soldiers. Huntington: Marshall University Library Associates, 1995
- Mountaineers of the Blue and Gray, The Civil War and West Virginia, George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, Shepherd Univ., 2008, CD-Rom
- Dickinson, Jack L. Tattered Uniforms and Bright Bayonets: West Virginia's Confederate Soldiers. Huntington: Marshall University Library Associates, 1995
- Dickinson, Jack L. Tattered Uniforms and Bright Bayonets: West Virginia's Confederate Soldiers. Huntington: Marshall University Library Associates, 1995
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service".