New River Valley Volunteers Answer Virginia's Call Reprinted from the Journal Of The New River Historical Society Written By Donald Trausneck One of the elite fighting units of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was the 24th Virginia Infantry Regiment, formed out of several counties in the New River Valley. Participating in some one dozen major battles and numerous campaigns and skirmishes of the American Civil War, the 24th Virginia was never embarrassed in combat and gave a good account of itself in all of its action. The Regiment was born just over two weeks after Confederate forces in South Carolina fired on Fort Sumter to open the Civil War. On April 28, 1861, Company A of the 24th Virginia -- the "Floyd Riflemen" -- was organized by 28-year-old physician Capt. Calohill Stigleman. This was Floyd County's contribution to the Regiment. Franklin County sent volunteers to two companies in the Regiment -- Company B and Company D -- the latter named the "Early Guards." Joseph Adam Hambrick and Thomas S. Taylor captained these companies, respectively. "The Carroll Boys" from Carroll County fell into the ranks to form Company C, commanded at the outset by Capt. William R. Jennings. Company E came from Pulaski County -- "The Pulaski Boys" -- and VMI graduate William Weldon Bentley, who studied under Thomas J. (soon to be known as "Stonewall") Jackson, was elected Captain. Giles County contributed the "New River Rifles" to the 24th Virginia as Company F. William Eggleston was elected Captain. Company G, captained by Robert A. Richardson, came from Mercer County in present-day West Virginia. Henry County's "Henry Guards" comprised Company H, captained by Dr. Peter R. Reamy. Capt. Andrew Murray Lynbrook put Company I into service from Patrick County. Montgomery County contributed Company K, the "New River Grays," who elected James Preston Hammett to serve as their first Captain. They were outfitted by Judge Waller R. Staples. Jubal A. Early was the early-war Field Commander of the 24th Virginia, but by the time the Regiment finally got into the heat of battle, Early had been promoted to Brigadier General and he was replaced as Regimental Commander by William R. Terry. They were the Regiment's two main commanders. Four long years of Civil War took a huge toll on the men of the 24th Virginia, who represented the prime of the New River Valley's population. Enlistments in the Regiment numbered around 1,302 -- some of these are duplicate enlistments -- and the Regiment suffered a 47 percent casualty rate, not counting the missing and those taken prisoner by Northern troops. Before the war was over, the Regiment was showered in glory and honor. The 24th Virginia Infantry earned battle honors for its efforts at Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Gettysburg and Drewry's Bluff, and participated in one of history's most famous military exploits, Pickett's Charge. The battles were memorable for all who served. On May 5, 1862, the Battle of Williamsburg was one such moment of glory for the fighting men of the 24th. In fact, it was their first real test of battle. General George B. McClellan had landed the powerful Yankee Army of the Potomac on the peninsula formed by the James and York Rivers and was threatening the Confederate capital of Richmond. Joseph E. Johnston's Confederates (Robert E. Lee was yet to take command) were withdrawing to stage a tactical defense of the city and it was up to the rear guard to defend the move. Part of this rear guard situated at the old Colonial capital of Williamsburg was the Brigade now under the command of General Jubal Early, which included his old Regiment, the 24th Virginia. Although outnumbered and facing heavy odds, the Regiment, which formed the left of the Confederate battle line this day, advanced unsupported and left the cover of heavy woods to move into an open wheat field and threaten a Federal battery. This brave action of the 24th Virginia enabled the Confederates to stall the Yankee advance and allow the main army to continue its withdrawal, although the Regiment paid a heavy price. Eighteen men of the 24th Virginia Infantry lay dead on the field, another 13 mortally wounded and 63 others wounded. Only at Gettysburg, where 28 were killed, 90 wounded and 73 taken prisoner, did the 24th Virginia suffer more casualties. Two months after saving the day at Williamsburg, the Regiment, now going under the nickname "The Gallant Twenty-Fourth," was able to add to its laurels by capturing a Federal artillery battery at Second Manassas. When the Confederacy was beginning to realize its demise in the closing year of the war, the 24th Virginia still was not through doing its duty. Perhaps the most honorable moment for the Regiment came in the May 16, 1864 Battle of Drewry's Bluff, south of Richmond, when the Confederates thwarted an effort by Benjamin Butler's Federal Army of the James in its Bermuda Hundred campaign to take Richmond from the south. Again charging across an open field, the 24th Virginia, part of Terry's Brigade, took a heavy toll on the invading Yankees and helped to bottle up "The Beast Butler." Once again the capital was saved -- but again at quite a cost: 30 men of the 24th Virginia killed and another 20 mortally wounded. By that time, the end of the killing was only 10 and a half months away. Only 23 soldiers of the 24th Virginia were left to be paroled at Appomattox. Most of the documented material in this article is taken from THE VIRGINIA REGIMENTAL HISTORIES SERIES book on the 24th Virginia Infantry, written by Ralph White Gunn, published in 1987 by H.E. Howard, Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia |
