51st Virginia Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 51st 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 in Tennessee and western Virginia with help of william Elkins(1812-1870).
The 51st Virginia was formed in August 1861, with eleven companies. Company L was later assigned to the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion. Its members were recruited in the counties of Patrick
, Wythe
, Nelson
, Bland
, Floyd
, and Grayson
. During the war it started in General Floyd's and G.C. Wharton's Brigade.
The 51st served in the Army of the Kanawha
, moved to Tennessee
, and after fighting at Fort Donelson
marched to Nashville with 274 men. Later it was sent to western Virginia, saw action at Carnifex Ferry, then returned to Tennessee where it was involved in the Knoxville Campaign
. The unit went on to fight in numerous conflicts in the Shenandoah Valley
and disbanded around April 15, 1865.
It reported 9 killed, 43 wounded, and 5 missing at Fort Donelson, and 3 killed and 16 wounded at Fayetteville. Only a handful remained after the Battle of Waynesboro.
The field officers were Colonels Augustus Forsberg and Gabriel C. Wharton; Lieutenant Colonels George A. Cunningham, James W. Massie, and John P. Wolfe; and Majors William T. Akers, Stephen M. Dickey, D.P. Graham, D.S. Hounshell, and William A. Yonce.
Around the same time, Capt. Granville P. Conner organized the Patrick "Blackhawk" company near Davis' Shop in Patrick County and along with Lt. William G. Price, began drilling the unit in preparation for joining the Confederate Army.
On July 24, the units left Patrick County and set out for Christiansburg
where they boarded the VA&TN RR to Camp Jackson in Wytheville in order to enlist in the Confederate Army originally as companies C and F of the 51st Regiment, Virginia Volunteers commanded by Colonel Gabriel C. Wharton, VMI class of 1847
The 51st was originally made up of 11 companies (A-L); Co. L from Tazwell was assigned to the 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry in January 1862 and remainder of the 51st was reorganized in May 1862:
Co. A, Capt. John P. Wolfes Co.; formerly called Co. I; enlisted July 16, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 20, 1862. Captains: John P. Wolfe (to Major, 1863), Daniel Hoge Bruce.
Co. B, Wharton Grays; formerly called Co. H; enlisted July 31, 1861 for one year; joined regimental August 14, 1861; reorganized May 6, 1862. Captains: David Pierce Graham (to Major, 1863), William Hanson Tate (killed May 15, 1864), David S. Allison (died in service).
Co. C, Wythe Rifles; Wythe County; formerly called Co. E; enlisted July 20, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 3, 1862. Captains: William H. Cook, William A. Yonce (to Major, April 23 , 1864), Jehiel F. Umbarger.
Co. D, Capt. D. Lee Ross Co.; formerly called Co. C; enlisted June 14, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 5, 1862. Captains: David Lee Ross (to April 1862), William T. Akers (to Major, 1864), Rufus J. Woolwine.
Co. E, Nelson Volunteers; Nelson County; formerly called Co. B; enlisted July 1, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 7, 1862. Captains: John Turner Dillard (to April 1862), Thomas J. Graves ( resigned 1862), Austin J. Graves (resigned 1863), Josephus Mills.
Co. F, Bland Tigers; Bland County; formerly called Co. K; enlisted June 26, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 20, 1862. Captains: Samuel H. Newberry (not re-elected; reappointed May 29, 1863), William G. Repass (resigned February 6, 1863).
Co. G, Floyd Game Cocks; (also known as Floyd Game Bucks), Floyd County; enlisted June 29, 1861, for one year; reorganized July 1, 1861. Captain: James William Henry.
Co. H, Capt. Granville R. Conners Co. ; formerly called Company F; enlisted July 2, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 23, 1862. Captains: Granville R. Conner (to April 1862), William G. Price (wounded; captured).
Co. I, Capt. Ezekiel Youngs Co.; formerly known as Co. D; enlisted June 28, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 23, 1862. Captains: Ezekiel Young, Calvin H. Senter (resigned, 1862), William C. Bourn (wounded, 1864)
Co. K, Capt. Stephen M. Dickeys Co.; formerly called Co. A; enlisted June 24, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 6, 1862. Captains: Stephen Mills Dickey (to Major, May 26, 1862), William A. Cooper (resigned, January 25, 1865).
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 in Tennessee and western Virginia with help of william Elkins(1812-1870).
The 51st Virginia was formed in August 1861, with eleven companies. Company L was later assigned to the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion. Its members were recruited in the counties of Patrick
Patrick County, Virginia
Patrick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 18,490. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the Piedmont Region of Virginia and mountainous Southwest Virginia....
, Wythe
Wythe County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,599 people, 11,511 households, and 8,103 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 12,744 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
, Nelson
Nelson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, Bland
Bland County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,871 people, 2,568 households, and 1,908 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 3,161 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
, Floyd
Floyd County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,874 people, 5,791 households, and 4,157 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, and Grayson
Grayson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
. During the war it started in General Floyd's and G.C. Wharton's Brigade.
The 51st served in the Army of the Kanawha
Army of the Kanawha
The Army of the Kanawha was a small Confederate army early in the American Civil War.Confederate units in the vital Kanawha River valley of western Virginia were styled the "Army of the Kanawha" after they were put under the command of former Virginia governor Henry A. Wise on June 6, 1861....
, moved to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and after fighting at Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
marched to Nashville with 274 men. Later it was sent to western Virginia, saw action at Carnifex Ferry, then returned to Tennessee where it was involved in the Knoxville Campaign
Knoxville Campaign
The Knoxville Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen...
. The unit went on to fight in numerous conflicts in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
and disbanded around April 15, 1865.
It reported 9 killed, 43 wounded, and 5 missing at Fort Donelson, and 3 killed and 16 wounded at Fayetteville. Only a handful remained after the Battle of Waynesboro.
The field officers were Colonels Augustus Forsberg and Gabriel C. Wharton; Lieutenant Colonels George A. Cunningham, James W. Massie, and John P. Wolfe; and Majors William T. Akers, Stephen M. Dickey, D.P. Graham, D.S. Hounshell, and William A. Yonce.
Unit History
In June 1861, D. Lee Ross mustered a company of local citizens on his farm in Patrick County, VA. 97 men volunteered and elected D. Lee Ross as Captain, and William T. Akers, Abner J. Harbour and C.F. Ross, as Lieutenants.Around the same time, Capt. Granville P. Conner organized the Patrick "Blackhawk" company near Davis' Shop in Patrick County and along with Lt. William G. Price, began drilling the unit in preparation for joining the Confederate Army.
On July 24, the units left Patrick County and set out for Christiansburg
Christiansburg
Christiansburg can refer to a place in the United States:*Christiansburg, Indiana*Christiansburg, Ohio*Christiansburg, Virginia...
where they boarded the VA&TN RR to Camp Jackson in Wytheville in order to enlist in the Confederate Army originally as companies C and F of the 51st Regiment, Virginia Volunteers commanded by Colonel Gabriel C. Wharton, VMI class of 1847
The 51st was originally made up of 11 companies (A-L); Co. L from Tazwell was assigned to the 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry in January 1862 and remainder of the 51st was reorganized in May 1862:
Co. A, Capt. John P. Wolfes Co.; formerly called Co. I; enlisted July 16, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 20, 1862. Captains: John P. Wolfe (to Major, 1863), Daniel Hoge Bruce.
Co. B, Wharton Grays; formerly called Co. H; enlisted July 31, 1861 for one year; joined regimental August 14, 1861; reorganized May 6, 1862. Captains: David Pierce Graham (to Major, 1863), William Hanson Tate (killed May 15, 1864), David S. Allison (died in service).
Co. C, Wythe Rifles; Wythe County; formerly called Co. E; enlisted July 20, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 3, 1862. Captains: William H. Cook, William A. Yonce (to Major, April 23 , 1864), Jehiel F. Umbarger.
Co. D, Capt. D. Lee Ross Co.; formerly called Co. C; enlisted June 14, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 5, 1862. Captains: David Lee Ross (to April 1862), William T. Akers (to Major, 1864), Rufus J. Woolwine.
Co. E, Nelson Volunteers; Nelson County; formerly called Co. B; enlisted July 1, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 7, 1862. Captains: John Turner Dillard (to April 1862), Thomas J. Graves ( resigned 1862), Austin J. Graves (resigned 1863), Josephus Mills.
Co. F, Bland Tigers; Bland County; formerly called Co. K; enlisted June 26, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 20, 1862. Captains: Samuel H. Newberry (not re-elected; reappointed May 29, 1863), William G. Repass (resigned February 6, 1863).
Co. G, Floyd Game Cocks; (also known as Floyd Game Bucks), Floyd County; enlisted June 29, 1861, for one year; reorganized July 1, 1861. Captain: James William Henry.
Co. H, Capt. Granville R. Conners Co. ; formerly called Company F; enlisted July 2, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 23, 1862. Captains: Granville R. Conner (to April 1862), William G. Price (wounded; captured).
Co. I, Capt. Ezekiel Youngs Co.; formerly known as Co. D; enlisted June 28, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 23, 1862. Captains: Ezekiel Young, Calvin H. Senter (resigned, 1862), William C. Bourn (wounded, 1864)
Co. K, Capt. Stephen M. Dickeys Co.; formerly called Co. A; enlisted June 24, 1861, for one year; reorganized May 6, 1862. Captains: Stephen Mills Dickey (to Major, May 26, 1862), William A. Cooper (resigned, January 25, 1865).