George Right Smith
Encyclopedia
George Right Smith elevated from Private to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Confederate Army
during the American Civil War
, later farmer and notable citizen of Georgia.
's at Cartersville". John, with only the help of those 22 children (most of whom did not survive to adulthood) and his wife, raised cotton, corn, hay, wheat and oats, and owned a cotton gin, and a mill to grind wheat and corn that they farmed. His place was fenced to keep in the hogs and cattle that were driven down on his place by what was known then as the Old Federal Road. As the 9th of 22 children, and with such a large place, George was one busy young man.
, a businessman, raised a confederate company in Cass County, Ga. (now Bartow County) northwest of Atlanta on April 10, 1861. George enlisted just before his 24th birthday into Company H of what soon became Wofford's 18th Georgia Regiment on June 13, 1861. Later they also became known as the "Rowland Highlanders." The company was assigned to the 18th Georgia Regiment
on April 26, only two months before George Smith signed on. At this time, W.T. Wofford was elevated to the rank of Commissioned Colonel and given command of the regiment. Shortly thereafter, the 18th was assigned to the 4th Brigade of Georgia Volunteers and moved to Camp McDonald at Big Shanty, Ga. (now Kennesaw) for training.
On July 31, 1861, just six weeks after George enlisted, a public "Grand Review" of the brigade was held in Big Shanty. This parade of the troops, in fresh uniforms and good shoes, full of fanfare and bravado was shortly followed by the 4th Brigade being assigned to the command of General W. Philips on September 9, 1861. The brigade moved to Lynchburg, Va. to set up camp, awaiting orders to defend the honor of Dixie.
After two long, dull months of patrolling in the Lynchburg area that fall season, the Georgia Volunteers moved to Goldsboro, NC in anticipation of an attack on the North Carolina coast. The attack, however, never came...
November 18, 1861, the 18th Georgia Regiment reported to General W.C. Whiting
at Dumfries, VA, north of Fredericksburg
, to guard against a possible attack on Richmond
. While here on bivouac, the 18th was reassigned to the now infamous Texas Brigade
under the command of General Wigfall
on Jan 14, 1862. The Texas Brigade at that time consisted of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas Regiments, the 5th Alabama Regiment, and now the 18th Georgia Regiment. For the remainder of the winter of 1861 the 18th patrolled and scouted the Dumfries area.
Then, coincidentally the same day as the great Naval battle between the Monitor
and the Virginia
, March 9, 1862, Whiting's command joined Holmes's command at Fredericksburg. This was part of a general withdrawal of troops to south of the Rappahannock River
. In April, Gen. John B. Hood succeeded Gen. Wigfall as Commander of the Texas Brigade at Dumfries. The unit's official designation was now Company H, 18th Georgia Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, Whiting's Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
Little known to anyone, the war was about to heat up significantly for everyone. Company H, along with the rest of Hood's Texas brigade, would become one of the most engaged units in the war.
article)
Battle of Seven Pines (See also Wikipedia's Seven Pines
) – From May 7 through June 11, 1862, the Texas Brigade received their first real test in battle around the Richmond area. Their first taste of action was in a small engagement around West Point
, VA on May 7. This small holding action was considered a success as a newly landed Union division under General William Franklin
was held in check by only three Confederate brigades, including the Texas Brigade and a young Private George R Smith.
Then, on May 24, 1862, there were several skirmishes at Seven Pines
, Savage Station
, and Chickahominy. These led up to the battle May 31 at Seven Pines
, also known as Fair Oaks to the Union soldiers. Seven Pines is the name of an intersection seven miles (11 km) east of Richmond where the Williamsburg "old stage" road intersected with the Nine-mile road. About one mile (1.6 km) from Seven Pines, where the Nine-mile road crossed the Richmond and York River Railroad, there is a station called Fair Oaks.
It was in this area that confederate General Gustavus Smith
said:
It was indeed one of the bloodiest to that day.
The Texas Brigade, and the 18th Georgia Regiment, with George Smith was now assigned to General Daniel H. Hill's
Division. They were stationed on the Williamsburg road awaiting support troops from Generals Longstreet
, Whiting and Huger. However, for many reasons support did not arrive at the appointed time or place.
The night before, a terrific storm lashed the entire area badly. Prior to the battle, General Hill, seeing the rough terrain of the area as a hazard, had his men place a white cloth around their hats as a precaution to serve as a battle-badge. As it turned out, this was a great idea that may have aided immensely in the outcome... All were in dense marshy woods, or on the terribly muddy road wading through water two to three feet deep and through thick underbrush.
At the beginning of the battle, George Smith found himself positioned about 1000 yards (914.4 m) west and in front of the Federal picket-line. The federals, novices of Silas Casey's
division, were hunkered down in flooded rifle pits. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the impatient General Hill's signal guns were fired to begin the attack, and Hill's division immediately moved forward unsupported. The union line shuddered under Hill's initial blow. Some units broke and ran... On seeing this, the union put forward one regiment to support the picket-line.
After two hours of close and bloody fighting, Hill's division, unaided, had overrun the entire Federal first line of defense and was closely pressing upon their second line. However, the next day, all of the land gained in the first day's battle was lost. 6100 Confederate and 5000 Federals were killed, wounded, or missing during the 2 day battle.
Of note, here, it was during the Battle of Seven Pines that General Robert E. Lee
took command of the Army of Northern Virginia
after General Joseph Johnston
fell wounded on June 1,. Lee officially assumed command June 1, 1862.
Gaines Mill and the Battle of Cold Harbor – On June 11, 1862, the Texas Brigade left the Richmond area near Seven Pines to join Stonewall Jackson's
command in the Blue Ridge Gap east of Port Republic. Lee knew that, in order to defend Richmond he MUST attack. Jackson's command was ordered immediately back to Richmond to join in the Peninsula Campaign
and what came to be known as the Seven Days Battle
, June 25 to July 1.
The Texas Brigade, arriving well ahead of Jackson but a day later than planned, was used as a shock troop unit to break the Federal center at Cold Harbor, northeast of Richmond near the Chickahominy River. It was the second day of battle when General John Hood reported to General Longstreet who was already engaged in battle. With the 18th Georgia Regiment leading the charge, George Smith's unit broke the line.
The 18th was the first unit through the gap, and suffered 146 killed or wounded. George R. Smith was hit in the knee, wounded by a Minié ball
. Together, the two armies lost 15,000 men in a single afternoon. According to an article written later by General Longstreet, the Confederates "...captured many thousand stand of arms, 52 pieces of artillery, large quantities of supplies, and General Reynolds." Lee's men continued to pursue the Union soldiers southward.
From June 28 to the 30th, the 18th Georgia Regiment found itself once again engaged in skirmishes and movements around the White Oak Swamp near Fair Oaks and Seven Pines. When they arrived at the swamp, finding the bridge they were to cross destroyed and federal troops on the south bank, Jackson deployed his artillery. They opened fire on the south bank in a terrific bombardment, the sudden furosity of which wreaked havoc on the Union forces there. A Vermont soldier wrote: "It was as if a nest of earthquakes had suddenly exploded under our feet." An artillery duel ensued, and continued through the day.
Battle of Malvern Hill – A Union "victory" finally came on July 1 after a successful general withdrawal of Union forces to Malvern Hill
. General McClellan was forced to settle his union soldiers into a battle at Malvern instead of his choice of Harrison's Landing to "give the enemy a blow that would check his further pursuit." He deployed his forces in a U-shaped defense on the hill with more than two dozen cannon overlooking wheat fields to the front. Hood's men, with George Smith, was deployed to the extreme left of the Confederate lines, east of Willis Church Road near Poindexter.
Lee's men were forced to advance across open fields and climb steep slopes to reach the federal positions. The federal cannons rained terror on the advancing Confederates with cruel efficiency. They were further supported by fire from the gunboats Galena and Mahaska in the James River, which lobbed huge shells toward the battlefield. Still, wave after wave of Confederates moved onto the field, "...grim and silent as death itself" mused one federal.
The killing stopped only after the sun fell below the horizon, revealing a horrific sight; hundreds of dead, and thousands of wounded. A Union cavalry officer remarked that the sight gave the field "a gruesome crawling appearance." Even with its sublime position, the federals lost 3000 men at Malvern Hill, while the Confederates lost 5000.
Total losses during the Seven Days Battle included 15,849 Union losses killed, wounded, or missing compared to the Confederate's 19,749 killed, wounded, or missing. At a cost of nearly 20,000 lives, Lee had defended Richmond, pushing the Union Army of the Potomac back to the James River. Later, in August, the Army of the Potomac withdrew from the Peninsula, ending the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Seven Days.
) After July 1, 1862 the Texas Brigade remained encamped on Mechanicsville Road, just three miles (5 km) above Richmond until mid-August, giving George Smith time to mend his wounded knee. On August 13, the brigade marched about 50 miles (80.5 km) northwest to Gordonsville to join General Longstreet's Corps. On August 22, 1862, the brigade was held in reserve during a series of skirmishes that drove the Union forces back across the Rappahannock River, and resulted in the capture of General Bohlen, a union general.
Four days later, on August 26, Hood's Texas Brigade in the center of General Longstreet's attack at Second Manassas, went to the relief of Stonewall Jackson. The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 19 killed and 114 wounded in the battle, also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run, which lasted until August 30. Longstreet's flank assault, combined with Jackson's counterattacks, drove the northerners back in a rout to Washington, D.C.. The northerners lost a total of 16,054 men out of a force of 70,000, while the Confederates lost only 9,197 out of a total 55,000.
The next day, September 15, the 1,862 confederate troops left fell back to a cramped position along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. By this time, Hood's troops were subsisting on green corn picked right out of the local corn fields and most of his force was barefoot. On the morning of September 17, the entire division went into reserve status to cook their first hot meal in four days. But, at sunrise, they were thrown back into the front line to assist General D.H. Hill again in the Battle of Dunker Church (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg) against General Meade supporting Hill's left flank. It was the bloodiest single-day of battle in the entire war. The battle lasted until the evening when "an eerie silence fell on the battlefield."
Total casualties at Sharpsburg; Confederates 13,609 men, Union 12,410 men. The 18th Georgia Regiment earned the dubious honor of having the highest proportion of casualties of any civil war unit at any major engagement. They went into battle with 176 men and lost 101 of those killed, wounded, or missing. General Lee had won a tactical victory, but strategically was compelled to move quickly back to Virginia. General McClellan's forces were so beaten, he was unable to pursue.
General Burnside replaced McClellan on the Union side, and delayed for a number of weeks near Warrenton, Va. waiting for pontoon builders before marching his reinforced army of 120,281 men to Falmouth, across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Va.. General Lee had massed his troops in and around the Fredericksburg area. What followed was not so much a battle as a military tragedy for the Union.
On December 11, 1862 construction began of pontoon bridges to help in the Federal crossing. While they were placing the pontoons, William Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade, heavily barricaded in buildings on the shore, inflicted heavy damage on the engineers. When the engineers would no longer work, Burnside ordered a brigade to float across the river on loose pontoons, and attack the Confederate positions. This plan eventually worked, but stalled Burnside's movement across the river to his great consternation. The bulk of his force moved across the completed pontoons on December 12 during a punishing river crossing. Once across, they marched through Fredericksburg under heavy fire taking many more losses from hidden sharpshooters.
Once the city was cleared, Burnside took time to consult and plan with his officers. That evening, the officers lost control of their men as they looted homes and stores. They smashed mirrors, broke furniture, and dragged pianos into the street. "The soldiers seemed to delight in destroying everything," wrote one witness. Virtually every home and business saw Yankee looters who stuffed their bags and knapsacks with anything worth a dollar. Burnside's provost marshall finally arrived later, lashing at troops with his riding crop. He arrested platoons of prisoners as well as some mounted officers, plunder still hanging from their saddles.
Burnside rose early the morning of the 13th and ordered a series of 16 hopelessly piecemeal frontal assaults across open ground. Lee's 78,513 troops were drawn up in an impregnable position atop high ground and behind a stone wall west of the city. McLaws' division was on Marye's Heights immediately back of the city. Cobb's Georgia brigade, with the 18th Georgia Regiment, was in a sunken road during this battle hidden from view until the attackers were surprised. The main Federal attack was directed at Cobb's brigade. General Lafayette McLaws had this to say in an article written after the war about the battle:
From the beginning of the battle through the end not a single Union soldier made it to within 100 feet (30.5 m) of the wall on the sunken road. General Cobb bled to death from a hip wound within sight of the house where his parents had married, and was succeeded by General Kershaw. The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 58 of its 160 soldiers and, on the night of December 15, was relieved. That same night, the Federals withdrew with staggering losses, and Kershaw's Brigade, with George Smith, reoccupied the city. Burnside's entire 6 miles (9.7 km) long front was riddled with appalling failure. He lost 12,653 Union men, compared to Lee's total loss of only 5,309 men. Both armies went into winter quarters around Fredericksburg during the winter of '62–'63. George Right Smith was elected to the rank of Junior Second Lieutenant in January 1863 shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Battle of Chancellorsville – April 29, 1863, General Hooker (who replaced Burnside on 25 Jan 1863) moved the bulk of his force up the Rappahannock, west of Fredericksburg, in an attempt to flank Lee's army. He was astonished on May 1 when the Confederate commander suddenly moved most of his army directly against Hooker in what came to be known as the Battle of Chancellorsville.
May 1, W.T. Wofford assumed command of the Texas Brigade. Jackson's Corps, with McLaws' Division on the left flank, remained on the Fredericksburg front until the night of May 1. On that night, Jackson's force left Fredericksburg to outflank the outflanking Federal army. May 2, McLaws' Division joined with Lee's forces on Plank Road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The rest of Jackson's force started the flanking movement against Hooker's exposed right flank in the wilderness around Chancellorsville. Jackson crushed the Union's 11th Corps late in the afternoon. However, while continuing his advance, Jackson was accidentally wounded fatally by the fire of his own men when he crossed in front of the firing line of General Pender's North Carolina Brigade.
As he knelt to help a recruit load his rifle during the Battle of Chancellorsville on Plank Road, George Right Smith was also struck in the back by a mini-ball. He sat down and leaned back against a tree thinking he "would surely die." But, after a few minutes he found that the bullet had been spent after passing through his bed-roll leaving only a minor wound.
Lee continued to press the attack on May 3, and Hooker gave up the contest on May 5, retreating to his old position north of the Rappahannock. The Federal soldiers suffered 17,278 casualties at Chancellorsville, while the Confederates suffered 12,764. The 18th Georgia Regiment's casualties totaled 86; 14 killed and 72 wounded, including George Smith. Shortly thereafter, during May 1863, George R. Smith was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
Learning to his surprise that General George Meade (who replaced Hooker) had moved Union forces north of the Potomac River, General Lee hastened to concentrate his far-flung forces. The two hostile armies came together unexpectedly at the important crossroads town of Gettysburg.
Attacking from the north and west into the city of Gettysburg, on July 1, 1863, over 28,000 Confederate soldiers finally prevailed after nine hours of desperate fighting with 18,000 union soldiers. The weight of the Confederates forced General Abner Doubleday's Union troops back through the streets of Gettysburg, to the strategic Cemetery Ridge south of town. Here, General Meade assembled the rest of his force that night.
On the second day of the battle Meade's 88,000 troops were heavily shored up in a strong fish-hook shaped defensive position. Union lines ran north from the Round Tops hills, along Cemetery Ridge, turning eastward to Culp's Hill. Lee ordered Longstreet's Corps to attack diagonally from Little Round Top northward, while General Ewell's units attacked Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. The Confederate attack, coming late in the afternoon, saw Longstreet capture the positions west of Little Round Top known as Peach Orchard, Wheat Field, and Devil's Den on the Federal left. But, he failed to seize the vital Little Round Top. General Kershaw had the following to say about the actions of W.T. Wofford's men of the Texas Brigade in the thick of battle:
The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee ordered General Pickett to lead a heroic frontal assault on the center line of Cemetery Ridge with some 15,000 soldiers. After a terrible two hour artillery battle, and the heroic uphill charge of thousands, only a few hundred temporarily broke the Union lines. They were thrown back suffering nearly sixty percent casualties.
The Confederates suffered 28,063 dead or wounded, and the Union forces suffered 23,049 at Gettysburg. Meade was unable to counterattack, and Lee conducted an adroit retreat into Northern Virginia. George Smith's 18th Georgia Regiment retreated to an area near Manassas Gap, in Virginia. They fought a skirmish at Snicker's Gap, Virginia on July 23, 1863, and did not see action again until October.
October 28 and 29, 1863 found the 18th Georgia Regiment engaged in battles around Wauhatchie, Tennessee.
Siege of Knoxville – Bragg sent Longstreet's Corps off in a futile attempt to capture Knoxville on November 5. The 18th Georgia Regiment found itself in a small skirmish on November 15 at Little River, Tennessee. On November 27 and 28, 1863, two brigades of cavalry from Virginia joined Longstreet and 3500 men from Bragg's Army. On the 29th, Longstreet attacked Fort Loudon, but his troops were slaughtered in the ditches around the fort. He withdrew, and on December 3 started northward. By December 12, his forces arrived at Rogersville, and on the 15th he attempted to capture three brigades of Federal cavalry at Beans Station. The attempt failed.
January 16 and 17, the 18th Georgia was engaged in operations around Dandridge, Tennessee, east of Knoxville.
Mar 25, 1864, George Right Smith was promoted to the grade of 1st Lieutenant. On April 11, Longstreet received orders to return to the Army of Northern Virginia just before the violent Atlanta Campaign by the Union began. By the 5th of May he was back in the lines with the Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
He attempted to hasten southeast to the crossroads at Spotsylvania Courthouse just southwest of Fredericksburg, but found the confederates, including the 18th Georgia, had arrived first. In extremely savage action, including hand-to-hand fighting at the famous "Bloody Angle" with Longstreet's men in the left flank, May 8 to May 19, Grant was thrown back. He lost over 17,000 men compared to only 8,000 Confederate losses at the Battle of the Wilderness. And he lost another 18,000 at Spotsylvania compared to Lee's 9,000 man loss.
Again, at North Anna River, May 22 – May 26, the Pamunky River, May 26–28, and at the Totopotomy Creek, May 28–31, he found Lee too much to handle. Finally, at Cold Harbor, June 1–12, northeast of Richmond, Grant launched several very heavy attacks against Lee's Army, which included the 18th Georgia Regiment. All of these attacks, including a near suicidal one on June 3, were repelled with grievous losses totalling over 17,000 Union soldiers. Lee's losses, although unknown, were much lighter.
After the battles east of Richmond, Lee moved his forces into Richmond and Petersburg. June 16, 1863, the Union forces, under Grant, lay siege on Petersburg in an attempt to gain control of the vital railways to Richmond. The 18th Georgia Regiment is listed as being engaged in the assault on Petersburg, June 18, 1864. The siege only lasted until July.
Siege of Petersburg and Richmond – November 30, the unit was reassigned to the Army of Northern Virginia, and moved back to Richmond where Grant's forces lay siege to the city. Conditions were intolerably poor in Richmond and disease was rampant. On December 26, George was again hospitalized and moved to Stuart Hospital in Richmond due to continuing diarrhea, and again in January, 1865 for the same problem. By January, Tennessee and Georgia were firmly in federal hands. February 27, George Smith was placed on medical disability furlough in Richmond for 20 days, and is shown in the records back on duty March 23, 1865.
The siege on Petersburg and Richmond continued until Lee's lines were pierced, and he was forced to evacuate both cities April 2 and 3rd. An eighty-eight mile chase ensued down the Appomattox River to the southwest. Confederate forces were detained at Amelia Courthouse, waiting for delayed food supplies, and were badly cut up at Sayler's Creek (where the 18th Georgia Regiment was stationed) and Five Forks.
George Smith was furloughed sometime immediately before war's end due to continued illness, and returned home to Georgia. After Lee's surrender at Appomattox, April 9, 1865, Smith surrendered at Kingston, Georgia. His unit, Company H, "The Rowland Highlanders", of the 18th Georgia Regiment, assigned to General Kershaw's Division, under the command of Brigadier General Dudley M. DuBose, of General Longstreet's I Corps was represented at the surrender of Confederate Forces at Appomattox by five privates. The entire 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment surrendered with less than 60 members, the highest ranking of which was one Lieutenant.
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...
, later farmer and notable citizen of Georgia.
Early life
George grew up with his 21 brothers and sisters on his daddy's farm in Georgia. John J. Smith, his father, owned a farm on "411 highway near Mrs Rebecca Latimer FeltonRebecca Latimer Felton
Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton was an American writer, lecturer, reformer, and politician who became the first woman to serve in the United States Senate...
's at Cartersville". John, with only the help of those 22 children (most of whom did not survive to adulthood) and his wife, raised cotton, corn, hay, wheat and oats, and owned a cotton gin, and a mill to grind wheat and corn that they farmed. His place was fenced to keep in the hogs and cattle that were driven down on his place by what was known then as the Old Federal Road. As the 9th of 22 children, and with such a large place, George was one busy young man.
The Rowland Highlanders
After tensions had heightened between the north and south, and news of secession had spread, W.T. WoffordWilliam T. Wofford
William Tatum Wofford was an officer during the Mexican-American War and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, a businessman, raised a confederate company in Cass County, Ga. (now Bartow County) northwest of Atlanta on April 10, 1861. George enlisted just before his 24th birthday into Company H of what soon became Wofford's 18th Georgia Regiment on June 13, 1861. Later they also became known as the "Rowland Highlanders." The company was assigned to the 18th Georgia Regiment
18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
The 18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally brigaded with the three Texas regiments of John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade, it was transferred to Thomas R.R. Cobb's Georgia Brigade after the Battle of Antietam in...
on April 26, only two months before George Smith signed on. At this time, W.T. Wofford was elevated to the rank of Commissioned Colonel and given command of the regiment. Shortly thereafter, the 18th was assigned to the 4th Brigade of Georgia Volunteers and moved to Camp McDonald at Big Shanty, Ga. (now Kennesaw) for training.
On July 31, 1861, just six weeks after George enlisted, a public "Grand Review" of the brigade was held in Big Shanty. This parade of the troops, in fresh uniforms and good shoes, full of fanfare and bravado was shortly followed by the 4th Brigade being assigned to the command of General W. Philips on September 9, 1861. The brigade moved to Lynchburg, Va. to set up camp, awaiting orders to defend the honor of Dixie.
After two long, dull months of patrolling in the Lynchburg area that fall season, the Georgia Volunteers moved to Goldsboro, NC in anticipation of an attack on the North Carolina coast. The attack, however, never came...
November 18, 1861, the 18th Georgia Regiment reported to General W.C. Whiting
William H. C. Whiting
William Henry Chase Whiting was an United States Army officer who resigned after 16 years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers to serve in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
at Dumfries, VA, north of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, to guard against a possible attack on Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. While here on bivouac, the 18th was reassigned to the now infamous Texas Brigade
Texas Brigade
The Texas Brigade, also often referred to as Hood's Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Confederate States Army that distinguished itself for its fierce tenacity and fighting capability during the American Civil War.-Organization:...
under the command of General Wigfall
Louis Wigfall
Louis Trezevant Wigfall was an American politician from Texas who served as a member of the Texas Legislature, United States Senate, and Confederate Senate. Wigfall was among a group of leading secessionists known as Fire-Eaters, advocating the preservation and expansion of an aristocratic...
on Jan 14, 1862. The Texas Brigade at that time consisted of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas Regiments, the 5th Alabama Regiment, and now the 18th Georgia Regiment. For the remainder of the winter of 1861 the 18th patrolled and scouted the Dumfries area.
Then, coincidentally the same day as the great Naval battle between the Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
and the Virginia
USS Virginia (1776)
The first USS Virginia was a 28-gun sailing frigate of the Continental Navy, a ship with a short and unfortunate career.She was one of 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on 13 December 1775, laid down in 1776 at Fells Point, Maryland, by George Wells, launched that August, and...
, March 9, 1862, Whiting's command joined Holmes's command at Fredericksburg. This was part of a general withdrawal of troops to south of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
. In April, Gen. John B. Hood succeeded Gen. Wigfall as Commander of the Texas Brigade at Dumfries. The unit's official designation was now Company H, 18th Georgia Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, Whiting's Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
Little known to anyone, the war was about to heat up significantly for everyone. Company H, along with the rest of Hood's Texas brigade, would become one of the most engaged units in the war.
The Peninsula Campaign
(See also Wikipedia's Peninsula CampaignPeninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
article)
Battle of Seven Pines (See also Wikipedia's Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
) – From May 7 through June 11, 1862, the Texas Brigade received their first real test in battle around the Richmond area. Their first taste of action was in a small engagement around West Point
Battle of Eltham's Landing
The Battle of Eltham's Landing, also known as the Battle of Barhamsville, or West Point, took place on May 7, 1862, in New Kent County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Brig. Gen. William B. Franklin's Union division landed at Eltham's Landing and was attacked...
, VA on May 7. This small holding action was considered a success as a newly landed Union division under General William Franklin
William B. Franklin
William Buel Franklin was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable early battles in the Eastern Theater.-Early life:William B. Franklin was born in York,...
was held in check by only three Confederate brigades, including the Texas Brigade and a young Private George R Smith.
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, Savage Station
Battle of Savage's Station
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general withdrawal toward the James River. Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder pursued...
, and Chickahominy. These led up to the battle May 31 at Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, also known as Fair Oaks to the Union soldiers. Seven Pines is the name of an intersection seven miles (11 km) east of Richmond where the Williamsburg "old stage" road intersected with the Nine-mile road. About one mile (1.6 km) from Seven Pines, where the Nine-mile road crossed the Richmond and York River Railroad, there is a station called Fair Oaks.
It was in this area that confederate General Gustavus Smith
Gustavus Woodson Smith
Gustavus Woodson Smith , more commonly known as G.W. Smith, was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, a civil engineer, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and Mexico:Smith was born in Georgetown,...
said:
It was indeed one of the bloodiest to that day.
The Texas Brigade, and the 18th Georgia Regiment, with George Smith was now assigned to General Daniel H. Hill's
Daniel Harvey Hill
On July 22, 1862, Hill and Union Maj. Gen. John A. Dix concluded an agreement for the general exchange of prisoners between the Union and Confederate armies. This agreement became known as the Dix-Hill Cartel....
Division. They were stationed on the Williamsburg road awaiting support troops from Generals Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
, Whiting and Huger. However, for many reasons support did not arrive at the appointed time or place.
The night before, a terrific storm lashed the entire area badly. Prior to the battle, General Hill, seeing the rough terrain of the area as a hazard, had his men place a white cloth around their hats as a precaution to serve as a battle-badge. As it turned out, this was a great idea that may have aided immensely in the outcome... All were in dense marshy woods, or on the terribly muddy road wading through water two to three feet deep and through thick underbrush.
At the beginning of the battle, George Smith found himself positioned about 1000 yards (914.4 m) west and in front of the Federal picket-line. The federals, novices of Silas Casey's
Silas Casey
Silas Casey was a career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of Major General during the American Civil War.-Early life and military career:...
division, were hunkered down in flooded rifle pits. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the impatient General Hill's signal guns were fired to begin the attack, and Hill's division immediately moved forward unsupported. The union line shuddered under Hill's initial blow. Some units broke and ran... On seeing this, the union put forward one regiment to support the picket-line.
After two hours of close and bloody fighting, Hill's division, unaided, had overrun the entire Federal first line of defense and was closely pressing upon their second line. However, the next day, all of the land gained in the first day's battle was lost. 6100 Confederate and 5000 Federals were killed, wounded, or missing during the 2 day battle.
Of note, here, it was during the Battle of Seven Pines that General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
took command of 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...
after General Joseph Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
fell wounded on June 1,. Lee officially assumed command June 1, 1862.
Gaines Mill and the Battle of Cold Harbor – On June 11, 1862, the Texas Brigade left the Richmond area near Seven Pines to join Stonewall Jackson's
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
command in the Blue Ridge Gap east of Port Republic. Lee knew that, in order to defend Richmond he MUST attack. Jackson's command was ordered immediately back to Richmond to join in the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
and what came to be known as the Seven Days Battle
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the 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, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, June 25 to July 1.
The Texas Brigade, arriving well ahead of Jackson but a day later than planned, was used as a shock troop unit to break the Federal center at Cold Harbor, northeast of Richmond near the Chickahominy River. It was the second day of battle when General John Hood reported to General Longstreet who was already engaged in battle. With the 18th Georgia Regiment leading the charge, George Smith's unit broke the line.
The 18th was the first unit through the gap, and suffered 146 killed or wounded. George R. Smith was hit in the knee, wounded by a Minié ball
Minié ball
The Minié ball is a type of muzzle-loading spin-stabilising rifle bullet named after its co-developer, Claude-Étienne Minié, inventor of the Minié rifle...
. Together, the two armies lost 15,000 men in a single afternoon. According to an article written later by General Longstreet, the Confederates "...captured many thousand stand of arms, 52 pieces of artillery, large quantities of supplies, and General Reynolds." Lee's men continued to pursue the Union soldiers southward.
From June 28 to the 30th, the 18th Georgia Regiment found itself once again engaged in skirmishes and movements around the White Oak Swamp near Fair Oaks and Seven Pines. When they arrived at the swamp, finding the bridge they were to cross destroyed and federal troops on the south bank, Jackson deployed his artillery. They opened fire on the south bank in a terrific bombardment, the sudden furosity of which wreaked havoc on the Union forces there. A Vermont soldier wrote: "It was as if a nest of earthquakes had suddenly exploded under our feet." An artillery duel ensued, and continued through the day.
Battle of Malvern Hill – A Union "victory" finally came on July 1 after a successful general withdrawal of Union forces to Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
. General McClellan was forced to settle his union soldiers into a battle at Malvern instead of his choice of Harrison's Landing to "give the enemy a blow that would check his further pursuit." He deployed his forces in a U-shaped defense on the hill with more than two dozen cannon overlooking wheat fields to the front. Hood's men, with George Smith, was deployed to the extreme left of the Confederate lines, east of Willis Church Road near Poindexter.
Lee's men were forced to advance across open fields and climb steep slopes to reach the federal positions. The federal cannons rained terror on the advancing Confederates with cruel efficiency. They were further supported by fire from the gunboats Galena and Mahaska in the James River, which lobbed huge shells toward the battlefield. Still, wave after wave of Confederates moved onto the field, "...grim and silent as death itself" mused one federal.
The killing stopped only after the sun fell below the horizon, revealing a horrific sight; hundreds of dead, and thousands of wounded. A Union cavalry officer remarked that the sight gave the field "a gruesome crawling appearance." Even with its sublime position, the federals lost 3000 men at Malvern Hill, while the Confederates lost 5000.
Total losses during the Seven Days Battle included 15,849 Union losses killed, wounded, or missing compared to the Confederate's 19,749 killed, wounded, or missing. At a cost of nearly 20,000 lives, Lee had defended Richmond, pushing the Union Army of the Potomac back to the James River. Later, in August, the Army of the Potomac withdrew from the Peninsula, ending the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Seven Days.
Campaign of Northern Virginia
Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) – (See also Wikipedia's 2nd Battle of Bull RunSecond Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
) After July 1, 1862 the Texas Brigade remained encamped on Mechanicsville Road, just three miles (5 km) above Richmond until mid-August, giving George Smith time to mend his wounded knee. On August 13, the brigade marched about 50 miles (80.5 km) northwest to Gordonsville to join General Longstreet's Corps. On August 22, 1862, the brigade was held in reserve during a series of skirmishes that drove the Union forces back across the Rappahannock River, and resulted in the capture of General Bohlen, a union general.
Four days later, on August 26, Hood's Texas Brigade in the center of General Longstreet's attack at Second Manassas, went to the relief of Stonewall Jackson. The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 19 killed and 114 wounded in the battle, also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run, which lasted until August 30. Longstreet's flank assault, combined with Jackson's counterattacks, drove the northerners back in a rout to Washington, D.C.. The northerners lost a total of 16,054 men out of a force of 70,000, while the Confederates lost only 9,197 out of a total 55,000.
The Maryland Campaign
Battles of South Mountain and Antietam – Lee's forces surged northward into Maryland after the resounding defeat of the Union soldiers at Manassas. On September 14, 1862, General Hood led his division under General Longstreet's Corps into the Battle of South Mountain, in central Maryland, between Frederick and Hagerstown. He was sent to assist General D.H. Hill who was heavily outnumbered. After intercepting an order from General Lee to General Hill, the union soldiers under General McClellan inflicted 2,863 casualties upon the Confederates while there were only 1,831 Union casualties.The next day, September 15, the 1,862 confederate troops left fell back to a cramped position along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. By this time, Hood's troops were subsisting on green corn picked right out of the local corn fields and most of his force was barefoot. On the morning of September 17, the entire division went into reserve status to cook their first hot meal in four days. But, at sunrise, they were thrown back into the front line to assist General D.H. Hill again in the Battle of Dunker Church (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg) against General Meade supporting Hill's left flank. It was the bloodiest single-day of battle in the entire war. The battle lasted until the evening when "an eerie silence fell on the battlefield."
Total casualties at Sharpsburg; Confederates 13,609 men, Union 12,410 men. The 18th Georgia Regiment earned the dubious honor of having the highest proportion of casualties of any civil war unit at any major engagement. They went into battle with 176 men and lost 101 of those killed, wounded, or missing. General Lee had won a tactical victory, but strategically was compelled to move quickly back to Virginia. General McClellan's forces were so beaten, he was unable to pursue.
The Chancellorsville Campaign
Battle of Fredericksburg – Because of his action at Antietam (also known as The Battle of Sharpsburg), General Hood was given command of his own division. He maintained command of his Texas Brigade as well until November 26, 1862. Now consisting of 160 barefoot men the 18th Georgia Regiment was transferred to Cobb's Brigade, McLaws' Division, remaining in Longstreet's Corps. Cobb's brigade was composed of the 16th, 24th, and 18th Georgia Regiments, Cobb's Legion, and Phillips' Legion. The 18th Georgia Regiment remained assigned to Longstreet's Corps until the end of the war. From October 26 to November 10, 1862, George Smith's unit was involved in patrols of the region around Loudon, Faquier, and Rappahannock counties in Virginia.General Burnside replaced McClellan on the Union side, and delayed for a number of weeks near Warrenton, Va. waiting for pontoon builders before marching his reinforced army of 120,281 men to Falmouth, across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Va.. General Lee had massed his troops in and around the Fredericksburg area. What followed was not so much a battle as a military tragedy for the Union.
On December 11, 1862 construction began of pontoon bridges to help in the Federal crossing. While they were placing the pontoons, William Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade, heavily barricaded in buildings on the shore, inflicted heavy damage on the engineers. When the engineers would no longer work, Burnside ordered a brigade to float across the river on loose pontoons, and attack the Confederate positions. This plan eventually worked, but stalled Burnside's movement across the river to his great consternation. The bulk of his force moved across the completed pontoons on December 12 during a punishing river crossing. Once across, they marched through Fredericksburg under heavy fire taking many more losses from hidden sharpshooters.
Once the city was cleared, Burnside took time to consult and plan with his officers. That evening, the officers lost control of their men as they looted homes and stores. They smashed mirrors, broke furniture, and dragged pianos into the street. "The soldiers seemed to delight in destroying everything," wrote one witness. Virtually every home and business saw Yankee looters who stuffed their bags and knapsacks with anything worth a dollar. Burnside's provost marshall finally arrived later, lashing at troops with his riding crop. He arrested platoons of prisoners as well as some mounted officers, plunder still hanging from their saddles.
Burnside rose early the morning of the 13th and ordered a series of 16 hopelessly piecemeal frontal assaults across open ground. Lee's 78,513 troops were drawn up in an impregnable position atop high ground and behind a stone wall west of the city. McLaws' division was on Marye's Heights immediately back of the city. Cobb's Georgia brigade, with the 18th Georgia Regiment, was in a sunken road during this battle hidden from view until the attackers were surprised. The main Federal attack was directed at Cobb's brigade. General Lafayette McLaws had this to say in an article written after the war about the battle:
From the beginning of the battle through the end not a single Union soldier made it to within 100 feet (30.5 m) of the wall on the sunken road. General Cobb bled to death from a hip wound within sight of the house where his parents had married, and was succeeded by General Kershaw. The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 58 of its 160 soldiers and, on the night of December 15, was relieved. That same night, the Federals withdrew with staggering losses, and Kershaw's Brigade, with George Smith, reoccupied the city. Burnside's entire 6 miles (9.7 km) long front was riddled with appalling failure. He lost 12,653 Union men, compared to Lee's total loss of only 5,309 men. Both armies went into winter quarters around Fredericksburg during the winter of '62–'63. George Right Smith was elected to the rank of Junior Second Lieutenant in January 1863 shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Battle of Chancellorsville – April 29, 1863, General Hooker (who replaced Burnside on 25 Jan 1863) moved the bulk of his force up the Rappahannock, west of Fredericksburg, in an attempt to flank Lee's army. He was astonished on May 1 when the Confederate commander suddenly moved most of his army directly against Hooker in what came to be known as the Battle of Chancellorsville.
May 1, W.T. Wofford assumed command of the Texas Brigade. Jackson's Corps, with McLaws' Division on the left flank, remained on the Fredericksburg front until the night of May 1. On that night, Jackson's force left Fredericksburg to outflank the outflanking Federal army. May 2, McLaws' Division joined with Lee's forces on Plank Road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The rest of Jackson's force started the flanking movement against Hooker's exposed right flank in the wilderness around Chancellorsville. Jackson crushed the Union's 11th Corps late in the afternoon. However, while continuing his advance, Jackson was accidentally wounded fatally by the fire of his own men when he crossed in front of the firing line of General Pender's North Carolina Brigade.
As he knelt to help a recruit load his rifle during the Battle of Chancellorsville on Plank Road, George Right Smith was also struck in the back by a mini-ball. He sat down and leaned back against a tree thinking he "would surely die." But, after a few minutes he found that the bullet had been spent after passing through his bed-roll leaving only a minor wound.
Lee continued to press the attack on May 3, and Hooker gave up the contest on May 5, retreating to his old position north of the Rappahannock. The Federal soldiers suffered 17,278 casualties at Chancellorsville, while the Confederates suffered 12,764. The 18th Georgia Regiment's casualties totaled 86; 14 killed and 72 wounded, including George Smith. Shortly thereafter, during May 1863, George R. Smith was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
The Gettysburg Campaign
In June, 1863, General Lee launched his second invasion of the north. He advanced down the Shenandoah Valley toward Harper's Ferry, brushing aside smaller union forces near Winchester June 13 and 14. Marching through Maryland into Pennsylvania, the Confederates reached Chambersburg and turned east. They occupied York, east of Gettysburg near the Susquehanna River, and harassed Carlisle and Harrisburg to the north.Learning to his surprise that General George Meade (who replaced Hooker) had moved Union forces north of the Potomac River, General Lee hastened to concentrate his far-flung forces. The two hostile armies came together unexpectedly at the important crossroads town of Gettysburg.
Attacking from the north and west into the city of Gettysburg, on July 1, 1863, over 28,000 Confederate soldiers finally prevailed after nine hours of desperate fighting with 18,000 union soldiers. The weight of the Confederates forced General Abner Doubleday's Union troops back through the streets of Gettysburg, to the strategic Cemetery Ridge south of town. Here, General Meade assembled the rest of his force that night.
On the second day of the battle Meade's 88,000 troops were heavily shored up in a strong fish-hook shaped defensive position. Union lines ran north from the Round Tops hills, along Cemetery Ridge, turning eastward to Culp's Hill. Lee ordered Longstreet's Corps to attack diagonally from Little Round Top northward, while General Ewell's units attacked Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. The Confederate attack, coming late in the afternoon, saw Longstreet capture the positions west of Little Round Top known as Peach Orchard, Wheat Field, and Devil's Den on the Federal left. But, he failed to seize the vital Little Round Top. General Kershaw had the following to say about the actions of W.T. Wofford's men of the Texas Brigade in the thick of battle:
The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee ordered General Pickett to lead a heroic frontal assault on the center line of Cemetery Ridge with some 15,000 soldiers. After a terrible two hour artillery battle, and the heroic uphill charge of thousands, only a few hundred temporarily broke the Union lines. They were thrown back suffering nearly sixty percent casualties.
The Confederates suffered 28,063 dead or wounded, and the Union forces suffered 23,049 at Gettysburg. Meade was unable to counterattack, and Lee conducted an adroit retreat into Northern Virginia. George Smith's 18th Georgia Regiment retreated to an area near Manassas Gap, in Virginia. They fought a skirmish at Snicker's Gap, Virginia on July 23, 1863, and did not see action again until October.
The Tennessee Campaign
Battle of Chickamauga – In September 1863, Longstreet's Corps left the armies of northern Virginia by rail to join the Battle of Chickamauga in northwest Georgia, near Dalton. The corps bolstered the forces of General Bragg's Army of Tennessee. He used these reinforcements in a vicious two day battle, September 19 and 20, gaining one of the few confederate victories in the southwest. But, the 18th Georgia Regiment did not participate since they only arrived on the field the day after the battle. The Union forces, under the command of General Rosencrans, fell back into Chattanooga, Tennessee. Instead of vigorously pursuing Rosencrans and pressing the siege of Chattanooga, General Bragg encircled the city hoping to starve the Union commander into surrendering. But, by Oct 23rd, General Grant had arrived and the river route to Bridgeport was opened, the threat of starvation ended. Longstreet wrote after the war, "Our last opportunity was lost when we failed to follow the success at Chickamauga and capture or disperse the Union army."October 28 and 29, 1863 found the 18th Georgia Regiment engaged in battles around Wauhatchie, Tennessee.
Siege of Knoxville – Bragg sent Longstreet's Corps off in a futile attempt to capture Knoxville on November 5. The 18th Georgia Regiment found itself in a small skirmish on November 15 at Little River, Tennessee. On November 27 and 28, 1863, two brigades of cavalry from Virginia joined Longstreet and 3500 men from Bragg's Army. On the 29th, Longstreet attacked Fort Loudon, but his troops were slaughtered in the ditches around the fort. He withdrew, and on December 3 started northward. By December 12, his forces arrived at Rogersville, and on the 15th he attempted to capture three brigades of Federal cavalry at Beans Station. The attempt failed.
January 16 and 17, the 18th Georgia was engaged in operations around Dandridge, Tennessee, east of Knoxville.
Mar 25, 1864, George Right Smith was promoted to the grade of 1st Lieutenant. On April 11, Longstreet received orders to return to the Army of Northern Virginia just before the violent Atlanta Campaign by the Union began. By the 5th of May he was back in the lines with the Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
The Wilderness Campaign
Battle of the Wilderness – On May 5, General Longstreet's corps was hit by the Federals on Old Turnpike and Orange Plank Road in the Battle of the Wilderness. But, Lee reacted immediately, attacking from the west, and two days of bitter, indecisive fighting ensued. General Grant (who had replaced General Halleck as General in Chief of the Union Armies) found both of his flanks endangered, and quickly retreated from the wilderness battlefield.He attempted to hasten southeast to the crossroads at Spotsylvania Courthouse just southwest of Fredericksburg, but found the confederates, including the 18th Georgia, had arrived first. In extremely savage action, including hand-to-hand fighting at the famous "Bloody Angle" with Longstreet's men in the left flank, May 8 to May 19, Grant was thrown back. He lost over 17,000 men compared to only 8,000 Confederate losses at the Battle of the Wilderness. And he lost another 18,000 at Spotsylvania compared to Lee's 9,000 man loss.
Again, at North Anna River, May 22 – May 26, the Pamunky River, May 26–28, and at the Totopotomy Creek, May 28–31, he found Lee too much to handle. Finally, at Cold Harbor, June 1–12, northeast of Richmond, Grant launched several very heavy attacks against Lee's Army, which included the 18th Georgia Regiment. All of these attacks, including a near suicidal one on June 3, were repelled with grievous losses totalling over 17,000 Union soldiers. Lee's losses, although unknown, were much lighter.
After the battles east of Richmond, Lee moved his forces into Richmond and Petersburg. June 16, 1863, the Union forces, under Grant, lay siege on Petersburg in an attempt to gain control of the vital railways to Richmond. The 18th Georgia Regiment is listed as being engaged in the assault on Petersburg, June 18, 1864. The siege only lasted until July.
War's End
The Shenandoah Battles – 1st Lt George Right Smith was hospitalized August 1864 in Petersburg for serious diarrhea combined with high fever. However, August 7, was in the unit once again as they were reassigned to operations against Sheridan's Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley where the 18th Georgia saw many small battles. August 16, they were engaged at Cedarville, and Guard Hill (Front Royal), Virginia. They next saw action at Bunker Hill, West Virginia September 2 and 3rd. On September 19, they saw action in the battles of Opequan and Winchester, Virginia. Three days later, on the 22nd, George Smith's unit saw action at the battles of Fisher's Hill and Woodstock, Virginia. And lastly, on October 19, 1864, the unit saw action in the battles of Cedar Creek, Middletown, and Belle Grove, Virginia.Siege of Petersburg and Richmond – November 30, the unit was reassigned to the Army of Northern Virginia, and moved back to Richmond where Grant's forces lay siege to the city. Conditions were intolerably poor in Richmond and disease was rampant. On December 26, George was again hospitalized and moved to Stuart Hospital in Richmond due to continuing diarrhea, and again in January, 1865 for the same problem. By January, Tennessee and Georgia were firmly in federal hands. February 27, George Smith was placed on medical disability furlough in Richmond for 20 days, and is shown in the records back on duty March 23, 1865.
The siege on Petersburg and Richmond continued until Lee's lines were pierced, and he was forced to evacuate both cities April 2 and 3rd. An eighty-eight mile chase ensued down the Appomattox River to the southwest. Confederate forces were detained at Amelia Courthouse, waiting for delayed food supplies, and were badly cut up at Sayler's Creek (where the 18th Georgia Regiment was stationed) and Five Forks.
George Smith was furloughed sometime immediately before war's end due to continued illness, and returned home to Georgia. After Lee's surrender at Appomattox, April 9, 1865, Smith surrendered at Kingston, Georgia. His unit, Company H, "The Rowland Highlanders", of the 18th Georgia Regiment, assigned to General Kershaw's Division, under the command of Brigadier General Dudley M. DuBose, of General Longstreet's I Corps was represented at the surrender of Confederate Forces at Appomattox by five privates. The entire 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment surrendered with less than 60 members, the highest ranking of which was one Lieutenant.