Historical Sketch of
Company G,
8th Georgia, CSA

Company G, 8th Ga. Regiment

As it appeared in The Hawkinsville Dispatch, July 17, 1879, p. 3

By David Green Fleming

No. 2 in a 5 part series

FROM ARRIVAL IN RICHMOND TO FIRST BATTLE OF MANASSAS

n our first number we gave the history of our company from its organization to arrival in Richmond, Va.

We will, before proceeding further, give the names of those who were members of the company during the war.  In doing so we give some who were not mustered in for some time after the beginning of the conflict, and some may think it unfair to place them equally with those who were with us from the beginning; but some of these last recruits lost their lives in the service of their country, and all acted nobly while with us.   So without questioning their reasons for being late at the front, we will place all on an equal footing.  Having previously given the names of all the officers of the company, we give the following list of privates (in the order in which they appear in the article — JTF):

J.J. Armstrong
James Argo, Sr.
James Argo, Jr.
A.H. Affleck
A. Asbell
S.D. Andrews
J.L. Bryan
Thos. Boatright
J.W. Bohannon
H.D. Bohannon
J.F. Bohannon
Joe Bohannon
G.B. Bridger
J.M. Bridger
G.L. Bridges
John Burrows
Jas. Burrows
C.P. Brown
W.N. Bowen
A.W. Budd
W.J. Budd
Willis Budd
J.H. Budd
G.W. Budd
Jacob Blount
W.O. Bagby
S. Buffington
John Bembry
K. Bembry
T.L. Carruthers
J. Carruthers
J.W. Carruthers, Jr.
J.A.D. Coley
A.R. Coley, Jr.
Alatia Coley
J.V. Cowan
W.C. Dougherty
J.N. Pope
Rufus Dykes
J.J. Eubanks
A.F. Fraser
J.F. Fraser
D.G. Fleming
J.T. Fleming
A. Wick Folds
J.E. Floyd
Jas. Farnell
Alva Goodson
Robt. Grantham
M.D. Gainer
A.H. Grace
T.J. Garrett
Jas. D. Gordon
I. Grimsely
J.L. Holland
J.J. Holland
G.W. Hopson
J.C. Howell
T.J. Holder
J. Hudnell
Jno. R. Harris
G. Herrman
T.D. Hudson
J.J. Jelks
L.C.P. Jones
J.H. Lowry
H.H. Lancaster
J.W. Lancaster
Robt. Lynch
J. Leonard
C. Leonard
R.C. Lawson
R. Manning
W.J. Mullis
W.A. McNair
A. McLelland
Jno. McCullers
R.L. McCall
J.J. Morris
J.M. McDowell
* J.M. Mitchell
Charles Mills
Daniel Martin
S. Nobles
J.V. Nixon
James Nelms
L. Ottenheimer
A.P. Price
Isaac Rains
Z.J. Redd
James Reagan
S.B. Stephens
H.S. Sheppard
W.M. Snell
A. Starowski
Wm. Stanford
Marion Sanders
William Sanders
H.G. Scott
Jno W. Smith
Jno. W. Sapp
Luke Sapp, Jr.
W.J. Sapp
Mark Sapp
J.A. Scarborough
J. Scarborough
Jacob Stevens
J.M. Thomas
+ Curtis Turner
Charlie Vaugh
G.W. Wade
Maurice Ward
William Wilson
J. Wilson
W.A. Wilcox
Jesse Wade
R.R. Walker
R.R. Wallace
J.Y. Wilcox
W.W. Williamson
C. Williford
J.T. Wheeler
M. Yearky
Jno. R. Willis
James Pate

* From Cobb County
+ From Randolph County

Before we close this sketch we will try to give lists of those who were killed, died of wounds, died of disease, captured by the enemy, died since the war, promotions and to what positions, and those who are still living as far as can be ascertained.  There were some, Lieut. Laidler, J.H. Brantley, Jas. O. Jelks, Jr., J.D. Eubanks, and others whose names we do not remember, who united with the company before leaving home, but could not enter service from physical disabilities and other unavoidable circumstances.

At Richmond the Volunteers reorganized and to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of John Laidler, 2nd Lieut., Geo. W. Carruthers was promoted by election to First Lieutenant and private W.C. Dougherty to Second Lieutenant.  We were then regularly mustered into service and assigned to the Eighth Georgia Regiment, the first regiment that enlisted for the war, all the others previously organized being for twelve months.  The officers of the regiment were Francis S. Bartow, Colonel; Montgomery Gardner, Lieutenant Colonel; Thos. L. Cooper, Major; Lieut. Branch, Adjutant; W.A. Ayer, Quartermaster; Chas. H. Smith, (Bill Arp), Commissary; Henry A. Menard, Sergeant Major and Daniel H. Towers, Ordinance Sergeant.  The regiment was composed of the following companies:

Co. A, Rome Light Guards, Floyd county, Captain Magruder.

Co. B, Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Savannah, Captain West.

Co. C, Macon Guards, Macon, Captain L.M. Lamar.

Co. D, Echolls (sic) Guards, Merriwether (sic) county, Captain Howard.

Co. E, Miller Rifles, Floyd county, Captain Towers.

Co. F, Atlanta Greys, Atlanta, Captain Lewis.

Co. G, Pulaski Volunteers, Pulaski county, Capt. Ryan.

Co. H, Floyd Infantry, Floyd county, Captain Cooper.

Co. I, Greene Light Guards, Greene county, Captain Dawson.

Co. K, Oglethorpe Rifles, Oglethorpe county, Captain Phinazee.

Dr. V. M. Miller was the surgeon of the Regiment.

It was expected, and was thought by many to be the understanding, that the “Georgia Rangers” were also to form a part of this regiment, but by some arrangement they were placed in the Tenth Georgia, and great was the disappointment on the arrival of that company to find that a change was made.  Relatives in both companies were expecting to be kept near each other.

Having thoroughly organized, we were now ready for action, and did not have long to wait.

The Eighth Georgia Regiment remained at their quarters in Richmond some ten or twelve days after organization.  Orders were received to proceed to Harper’s Ferry, on the Potomac river above Washington, and taking the Virginia Central Railroad, our regiment were soon speeding their way via Gordonsville, Orange C.H., and other notable places, to the Shenandoah Valley.  Arriving at Strausburg, a little town on the Shenandoah river, we proceeded to Winchester, some by private conveyances while others marched a distance of some twenty miles.  Remaining at Winchester about two or three days, we took the train for Harper’s Ferry, about thirty-five miles down the Valley, passing through Charleston where the notorious John Brown was executed.  At Harper’s Ferry we were quartered on one of the heights for a few days, after which we returned, marching to Winchester, where we encamped for several days.  This was one of the most pleasant places we visited during the war, but here began the test of the constitutions of our soldiers.  Many suffered from disease, and during the last few days of our stay at this place nearly half of the Volunteers, and nearly the same proportion of other Georgia companies were prostrated with measles.  Three of the Volunteers, John T. Fleming, John R. Willis and William Budd, died here soon after our departure for Manassas.   Somewhere about the 10th or 15th of July we were ordered forward to within a few miles of Martinsburg, some twenty miles north of Winchester, where Stonewall Jackson was having a little engagement with the Federal General Patterson, and our boys thought that they would have the pleasure of a little fight.  But the advance of Gen. Patterson proved to be only a feint to attract General Johnston’s attention from the Bull Run in front of Washington, where the fight was to be made.  General J.E. Johnston had command of the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley at this time.  I think it was about noon on the 19th of July we were again put on the march in the direction of Manassas, and after marching about thirty or forty miles, we arrived at a little place called Paris, a station on the Manassas Gap Rail Road, about half way between Strausburg and Manassas, where we took the cars for Manassas junction.  Arriving at that place on the 20th, we bivouacked for the night, and were awakened next morning by the reports of cannon.  About eight or nine o’clock we set out on the double-quick for the scene of the conflict, passing up Bull Run to the extreme left of Beauregard’s army, about eleven o’clock we came in view of the enemy, who began to throw shot and shell amongst us from their cannon.  Remaining for a few moments in an open field, we were finally ordered about a mile to the right, which distance was made at a double-quick under a galling fire from both muskets and cannon.  So far only two casualties occurred. John C. Howell, of the Volunteers, and George F. McLeod, of the Macon Guards, were severely wounded.

 Reaching our destination near the Stone Bridge, where the enemy had crossed Bull Run, we were formed in a pine thicket in front of the enemy, who were sheltered behind houses about a hundred yards in front of us, all the while pouring into our ranks a terrible fire.  As soon as formed we began firing, and the terrible slaughter of comrades was begun.  It is said that our little regiment of about six hundred men held in check for thirty-five minutes about ten thousand of the enemy, which in great part saved the day to the Confederates, giving Beauregard’s army and the remainder of Johnston’s time to come to the rescue.  Becoming exhausted, and we must say somewhat discouraged at the loss of so many of our friends, we retired in some confusion to the ravine in rear of the thicket, where an attempt was made to rally.  I will here give an extract from a communication from a visitor, signing himself “Rhodes” to the Pulaski Times, a paper published in Hawkinsville at that time, giving an account of the part the Volunteers took in this battle:

“Sons and daughters of Pulaski, you need not be ashamed of the Pulaski Volunteers, for they hold in the regiment to which they belong as proud, high and honorable a position as any in it.  Their daring and intrepidity are well known to every officer in the Eighth Georgia Regiment.  I tell you this is so.  On the day of the battle, upon a call to rally by the lamented Bartow, eighty-four men, gallant and true, answered his call and rallied to the colors, and among this number were thirteen Pulaski Volunteers, headed by the gallant Ryan — more men than any other company in the Eighth Regiment.   Honor to whom honor is due.  It is impossible to specify the conduct of any one man as being more daring than that of another, as all fought well, and every man who was with the Eighth Regiment when they made their stand is a hero.  To have been in the battle at Stone Bridge a member of the Eighth Georgia is glory enough for any man, and the future historian will immortalize the actors in that great drama, and each, ‘when life is past, will leave a deathless name’.”

I do not remember who “Rhodes” was, but he was some citizen of Hawkinsville at that time on a visit to friends in the company — perhaps N.W. Collier or J.J. Lowry.  In one part of his statement the writer differs with him.  Instead of thirteen Volunteers, I am confident there were sixteen including the officers.  In fact, every member who was not killed or badly wounded who was in the first of the fight, returned with their Captain.  However, the rally did not amount to much, as by the time we had fired one volley, we discovered that we were nearly surrounded, and retreated in the best order possible under the circumstances.

||| Return to my home page |||

Back to Part I ||| Ahead to Part III