The 9th Georgia Volunteer Infantry was an infantry

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...

 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...

.

History

The 9th Georgia Volunteer Infantry formed in June 1861 and contained men from around the State of Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. The regiment fought at Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

, Siege of Knoxville, and participated in the Wilderness Campaign

Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...

 while serving under General James 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...

. For their actions at Gettysburg, they received the Confederate Roll of Honor. Aside from a brief stint in the Army of Tennessee

Army of Tennessee

The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...

, the 9th spent most of its time during the war with Longstreet in 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...

 and ended their service with that corps. Future Atlanta mayor, George Hillyer

George Hillyer

George Hillyer was an American politician, serving as the 29th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a state assemblyman and senator...

served with the 9th and wrote a book about their action at Gettysburg entitled My Gettysburg Battle Experiences.

Companies of the 9th Georgia Volunteer Infantry

1. A - Wilkes County, Ga. (The "Irwin Guards")
2. B - Chattooga County, Ga. (The "Chattooga Volunteers")
3. C - Walton County, Ga. (The "Hillyer Rifles")
4. D - Clay County, Ga. (The "Fort Gaines Guards")
5. E - Talbot County, Ga. (The "Talbot Guards")
6. F - Baldwin County, Ga. (The "Baldwin County Volunteers")
7. G - Walker County, Ga. (The "Lafayette Volunteers")
8. H - Brooks County, Ga. (The "Brooks County Rifles")
9. I - Bulloch County, Ga. (The "Toombs Guards")
10. K - Sumter County, Ga. (The "Americus Volunteer Rifles")