3rd Virginia Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 3rd Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
raised in Virginia
for service in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia
.
The 3rd Virginia was organized at Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1856 with volunteer companies attached to the 7th Regiment Virginia Militia. It entered Confederate service during July, 1861. Its members were from Portsmouth and Petersburg, and the counties of Nansemond, Dinwiddie, Surry, Isle of Wight, Southampton, and Halifax.
Three companies were in the fight at Big Bethel, then the regiment was assigned to General Colston's, Pryor's, Kemper's, and W.R. Terry's Brigade. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was detached to Suffolk with Longstreet. Later it was active in the conflicts at Plymouth, Drewry's Bluff, and Cold Harbor, the Petersburg siege south and north of the James River, and the Appomattox Courthouse Campaign.
This unit totaled 550 men in April, 1862, and reported 97 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles, 19 in the Maryland Campaign, and 11 at Fredericksburg. Of the 332 engaged at Gettysburg, more than thirty-five percent were disabled. Many were captured at Five Forks and Sayler's Creek, and only 1 officer and 60 men surrendered in April, 1865.
The field officers were Colonels Joseph Mayo, Jr. and Roger A. Pryor; and Lieutenant Colonels Alexander D. Callcote, William H. Pryor, and Joseph V. Scott.
It was the quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia, Captain Joseph M. Broun, who sold Traveller
to Robert E. Lee
for $200.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
raised in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for service in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
.
The 3rd Virginia was organized at Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1856 with volunteer companies attached to the 7th Regiment Virginia Militia. It entered Confederate service during July, 1861. Its members were from Portsmouth and Petersburg, and the counties of Nansemond, Dinwiddie, Surry, Isle of Wight, Southampton, and Halifax.
Three companies were in the fight at Big Bethel, then the regiment was assigned to General Colston's, Pryor's, Kemper's, and W.R. Terry's Brigade. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was detached to Suffolk with Longstreet. Later it was active in the conflicts at Plymouth, Drewry's Bluff, and Cold Harbor, the Petersburg siege south and north of the James River, and the Appomattox Courthouse Campaign.
This unit totaled 550 men in April, 1862, and reported 97 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles, 19 in the Maryland Campaign, and 11 at Fredericksburg. Of the 332 engaged at Gettysburg, more than thirty-five percent were disabled. Many were captured at Five Forks and Sayler's Creek, and only 1 officer and 60 men surrendered in April, 1865.
The field officers were Colonels Joseph Mayo, Jr. and Roger A. Pryor; and Lieutenant Colonels Alexander D. Callcote, William H. Pryor, and Joseph V. Scott.
It was the quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia, Captain Joseph M. Broun, who sold Traveller
Traveller (horse)
Traveller was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War.-Birth and war service:...
to 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....
for $200.