30th Virginia Sharpshooters Battalion

Last updated
30th Battalion Virginia Sharpshooters
Flag of Virginia (1861).png
Flag of Virginia, 1861
ActiveSeptember 1, 1862 March 2, 1865
DisbandedMarch 1865
Allegiance Flag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg Confederate States of America
BranchBattle flag of the Confederate States of America.svg  Confederate States Army
Type Battalion
Role Infantry / Sharpshooters
Engagements American Civil War

The 30th Virginia Sharpshooters Battalion was a unit of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Contents

Predecessors

The 30th Battalion, Virginia Sharpshooters was created in 1862 from the remains of three artillery batteries with the addition of three further companies made up of transfers. Companies A and B were composed of men from Captain Stephen Adams' Gauley Artillery and Captain Napoleon B. French's Battery. [1] Both units served under General John B. Floyd from the beginning of the war until surrendering at Battle of Fort Donelson.

Battalion Formation to Surrender

Both batteries were exchanged and formed in August 1862 before becoming part of the 30th Battalion, Virginia Sharpshooters in September of that year. The men were recruited primarily from the counties of Roane, Raleigh, Mercer, Monroe, Washington, and Carroll. [2] They spent the next several years in the Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia moving between those locations as a part of General G.C. Wharton's brigade. [3] Sent as reinforcements to General John C. Breckinridge the battalion fought at New Market. Wharton's brigade was again moved east, fighting at Cold Harbor before returning west with General Jubal Early's Second Corps to stop Maj. Gen. David Hunter from destroying the vital supply center at Lynchburg, Virginia.

The battalion was part of General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley for the rest of its service fighting in all major battles during the raid on Washington, DC and the retreat from it. Survivors of the 30th Battalion, Virginia Sharpshooters surrendered with almost all of Early's remaining army after the Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia on March 2, 1865.

Officers

During the battalion's service its field officers included Lieutenant Colonel John Lyle Clark and Major Peter J. Otey. Company commanders included Captain Stephen Adams, Captain Napoleon B. French, Captain Lewis A. Vawter, Captain Charles E. Vawter, Captain R.C. Hoffman, and Captain L.C. Armstrong. Most if not all the officers and men were from counties that became part of West Virginia.

See also

Notes

  1. Dickinson, Jack L. Tattered Uniforms and Bright Bayonets: West Virginia's Confederate Soldiers. Huntington: Marshall University Library Associates, 1995
  2. 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
  3. "Gabriel Colvin Wharton." Civil War Reference. eBooksOnDisk.com, n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2013. <http://www.civilwarreference.com/people/index.php?peopleID=3235%5B%5D>.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Battle of Winchester</span> Battle in the American Civil War

The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate Army Lieutenant General Jubal Early in one of the largest, bloodiest, and most important battles in the Shenandoah Valley. Among the 5,000 Union casualties were one general killed and three wounded. The casualty rate for the Confederates was high: about 4,000 of 15,500. Two Confederate generals were killed and four were wounded. Participants in the battle included two future presidents of the United States, two future governors of Virginia, a former vice president of the United States, and a colonel whose grandson, George S. Patton became a famous general in World War II.

The Battle of Waynesboro was fought on March 2, 1865, at Waynesboro in Augusta County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was the final battle for Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early, whose force was destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Dearing</span>

James Dearing was a Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War who served in the artillery and cavalry. Dearing entered West Point in 1858 and resigned on April 22, 1861, when Virginia seceded from the Union. Dearing was mortally wounded at the Battle of High Bridge during the Appomattox Campaign of 1865, making him one of the last officers to die in the war. Despite serving as a commander of a cavalry brigade and using the grade of brigadier general after he was nominated to that grade by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Dearing did not officially achieve the grade of brigadier general because the Confederate Senate did not approve his nomination. His actual permanent grade was colonel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter J. Otey</span> American politician

Peter Johnston Otey was former Confederate States Army officer and later prisoner of war during the American Civil War, who became businessman, land developer and railroad executive before retiring and winning election to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Lynchburg, Virginia and serving three terms before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alanson Merwin Randol</span> Union soldier in the American Civil War

Alanson Merwin Randol was a career United States Army artillery officer and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point who served in the American Civil War. He was promoted multiple times for gallant and meritorious service in battle, rising during the course of the war from the rank of second lieutenant to brevet brigadier general of volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from the western Virginia that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Its commander was George S. Patton Sr., the grandfather of World War II General George S. Patton.

The Pointe Coupee Artillery was a Confederate Louisiana artillery unit in the American Civil War made up primarily of men from the parishes of Pointe Coupee, East Baton Rouge, Livingston and other surrounding parishes as well as a large number of men from New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas' Legion</span> Unit of the Confederate Army in the American Civil War

Thomas' Legion, also known as Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders, Thomas' Legion of Indians and Highlanders, and the 69th North Carolina Regiment, was a unit of the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. The formation was organized in 1862 by William Holland Thomas and fought in the last skirmish of the war in North Carolina before surrendering in May 1865.

The 18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment or Carroll's Arkansas Infantry Regiment was an infantry formation of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was raised in April 1862 under the command of Colonel D. W. Carroll. It served east of the Mississippi in several actions before being surrendered at Port Hudson in July 1863. Reorganized, the regiment was finally merged with several other Arkansas units to form the 2d Consolidated Arkansas Infantry. There was another regiment designated as the 18th Arkansas. When Lieutenant-Colonel J. S. Marmaduke's 1st Arkansas Infantry Battalion was increased to a regiment, it was briefly designated as the 18th Arkansas Infantry. Marmaduke's regiment was subsequently redesignated as the 3d Confederate Infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Arkansas Field Battery</span> Military unit

The 2nd Arkansas Field Battery (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army artillery battery during the American Civil War. Also known as: Dallas Artillery and Hart's Arkansas Battery. The battery was re-organized on two occasions. Following a charge of cowardice during Battle of Pea Ridge, the battery was ordered to disband. After being cleared of that charge the battery was reorganized and served until it was captured at the Battle of Arkansas Post. After being exchanged and re-organized for the second time, it served until the final surrender of Confederate forces in May 1865.

The 8th Arkansas Field Battery (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army artillery battery during the American Civil War. The battery spent its entire existence in the Department of the Trans-Mississippi. It was also known as Hughey's Battery.

The 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battalion (Stirman's) (1864-1865) was a Confederate Army cavalry battalion during the American Civil War. The unit was also known as Brooks 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battalion, Stirman's, 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battalion, Stirman's Sharpshooter Regiment, 1st Regiment Arkansas Sharpshooters, and finally simply as Stirman's Arkansas Cavalry Regiment.

The Kanawha Artillery was an artillery battery of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowry's Artillery</span> Confederate States army unit

Lowry's Artillery, also known as the Centerville Rifles, was a unit of the Confederate States Army, and was organized by Dr. William M. Lowry in Monroe County, Virginia, with approximately 100 men. They were officially mustered into Confederate service on June 8, 1861. Dr. Lowry was elected captain, with George Beirne Chapman as 1st Lt., William V. Young as 2nd Lt., Charles Dunlap as 3rd Lt., John H. Pence as orderly sergeant, A.J. Keadle, 1st. Sgt., J.P. Shanklin, 2nd Sgt., and J.C. Woodson, 3rd Sgt. By the end of the war the unit had enrolled 219 men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Texas Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 9th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of Confederate States Army infantry volunteers organized in December 1861 that fought during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Shiloh, Perryville, and Stones River in 1862, Chickamauga in 1863, the Atlanta Campaign, Allatoona, and Nashville in 1864, and Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley in 1865. The remaining 87 officers and men surrendered to Federal forces in May 1865. Two of the regiment's commanding officers were promoted brigadier general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Guard Battery</span> Military unit

The Louisiana Guard Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed from an infantry company sent to fight in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, it was converted to an artillery company in July 1861. The battery fought at Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg in 1862, and at Chancellorsville, Second Winchester, and Gettysburg in 1863. Most of the soldiers and all of the battery's guns were captured at Rappahannock Station on 7 November 1863. The surviving gunners manned heavy artillery pieces in the defenses of Richmond, Virginia, and the battery's remnant surrendered at Appomattox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donaldsonville Louisiana Artillery</span> Military unit

The Donaldsonville Louisiana Artillery was a Louisiana artillery unit that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed from an old militia company, it arrived in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War in September 1861 with three obsolete guns and was equipped with three additional rifled guns. The battery fought at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Shepherdstown and Fredericksburg in 1862. The following year the unit served at Gettysburg and in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns. The battery fought in the Overland campaign and at the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. It surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Louisiana Light Artillery</span> Military unit

The Madison Louisiana Light Artillery was a Louisiana artillery unit that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed as an infantry company, it arrived in the Eastern Theater in May 1861 and was converted to an artillery battery in August. The unit was armed with six guns in 1861, but by September 1862, it had only four guns. It served at Garnett's and Golding's Farm, Savage's Station, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg in 1862. The battery fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and in the Knoxville campaign in 1863. The Madison Light Artillery served in the Overland campaign and at the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. The unit surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion</span> Military unit

The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion, also known as Pindall's Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion, was a unit that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battalion was formed in late 1862, in compliance with an earlier authorization by the Confederate States Congress for each brigade to have an associated battalion of sharpshooters. When first formed, the men had no unique qualifications to serve as sharpshooters and were drawn from a defunct artillery battery, a partisan rangers unit, and infantrymen. The unit saw action at the Battle of Prairie Grove in December 1862.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fayetteville (1862 Western Virginia)</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fayetteville occurred in Fayette County, Virginia, on September 10, 1862, during the American Civil War. A Confederate Army, consisting of multiple brigades commanded by Major General William W. Loring, drove away a Union brigade commanded by Colonel Edward Siber. The battle was part of the Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862, and should not be confused with the Battle of Fayetteville fought in Arkansas.

References