15th Virginia Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 15th Virginia Volunteer 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
.
15th Virginia was organized in May 1861, with men from Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties. The regiment was brigaded under McLaws, Semmes, and Corse, Army of Northern Virginia.
It fought with the army from the Seven Days' Battles to Fredericksburg, then was involved in Longstreet's Suffolk Expedition. During the Gettysburg Campaign the 15th was on detached duty and after serving in Tennessee and North Carolina participated in the battles at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. Later it took its place in the Petersburg trenches north and south of the James River and ended the war at Appomattox.
This unit contained 476 effectives in April, 1862, reported 1 killed and 8 wounded at Malvern Hill, and lost fifty-nine percent of the 128 engaged at Sharpsburg. Many were captured at Sayler's Creek, and on April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 69 officers and men.
The field officers were Colonel Thomas P. August; Lieutenant Colonels James R. Crenshaw, Emmett M. Morrison, Thomas G. Peyton, and St. George Tucker; and Majors C.H. Clarke and John S. Walker.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
raised in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for service in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia
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, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
.
15th Virginia was organized in May 1861, with men from Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties. The regiment was brigaded under McLaws, Semmes, and Corse, Army of Northern Virginia.
It fought with the army from the Seven Days' Battles to Fredericksburg, then was involved in Longstreet's Suffolk Expedition. During the Gettysburg Campaign the 15th was on detached duty and after serving in Tennessee and North Carolina participated in the battles at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. Later it took its place in the Petersburg trenches north and south of the James River and ended the war at Appomattox.
This unit contained 476 effectives in April, 1862, reported 1 killed and 8 wounded at Malvern Hill, and lost fifty-nine percent of the 128 engaged at Sharpsburg. Many were captured at Sayler's Creek, and on April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 69 officers and men.
The field officers were Colonel Thomas P. August; Lieutenant Colonels James R. Crenshaw, Emmett M. Morrison, Thomas G. Peyton, and St. George Tucker; and Majors C.H. Clarke and John S. Walker.