38th Virginia Infantry Regiment

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38th Virginia Infantry Regiment History

38th Virginia Infantry Regiment History

1861
June 12	Organized at Danville in Pittsylvania County under Colonel Edward Claxton Edmonds (VMI Class of 1858, ranked 11 of 19), Major Isaac H. Carrington
June	Moved to Richmond via the Richmond & Danville Railroad and stationed at Camp Lee.
July 1	General Orders #25 of the Provisional Army of Virginia assigned the regiment to the Confederate States Army.
July 11	Moved by the Virginia Central Railroad and the Orange & Alexandria Railroad to Manassas Junction.
July 12	Moved by the Manassas Gap Railroad to Strasburg.
July 13	Marched to Winchester on the Valley Pike.
July 15	Assigned to the Fifth Brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah under Brigadier General Kirby Smith.
July 18	Marched east on the Millwood Turnpike and camped on the Shenandoah River at Berry’s Ferry.
July 19	Marched to Piedmont Station on the Manassas Gap Railroad.
July 22	Moved by train to Manassas Junction the day after the Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) and moved to the Lewis House.
August 10	Moved to Bristoe Station and camped along the railroad.
September 25	Assigned to the Fifth Brigade, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac.
1862
March 26	Major General Daniel H. Hill took command of the First Division.
March	Moved to Yorktown
May 4	Camped two miles west of Williamsburg.
May 5	
Battle of Williamsburg
Ordered to Williamsburg and marched to the Campus of the College of William and Mary in a light rain. Around 3 p.m. the regiment moved to the left flank of Longstreet’s line through dense undergrowth to attack the Federal flank, but became disordered. Redirected by General D.H. Hill, they joined with the 6th South Carolina to support the charge of the 24th Virginia and 5th North Carolina.
Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Powhattan B. Whittle.
May 12	Major Carrngton was dropped in the reorganization. Captain Joesph R. Cabell of company E was elected to major.
The 9th, 14th, 38th, 53rd and 57th Virginia were brigaded together under Brigadier General Lewis Armistead in Richard Anderson’s Division of Longstreet’s Command
June 1	
Battle of Seven Pines
Colonel Edmonds was wounded
August 30	
Second Battle of Manassas
September 13	
Capture of Harpers Ferry
September 17	
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)
Commanded by Colonel Edward C. Edmonds.
From the War Department marker for Anderson’s Division on the Antietam battlefield:
Anderson’s Division comprising the Brigades of Cumming, Wright, Pryor, Mahone, Featherstone and Armistead crossed the Potomac at Blackford’s Ford about daybreak and between 8 and 10 A. M. arrived upon this part of the field. Armistead’s Brigade was sent to the support of McLaws in the Dunkard Church Woods and the other five Brigades were disposed in the Apple Orchard and on open ground either side of it, between this and Piper’s Lane. The Division advanced in support of a part of D.H. Hill’s Division, then heavily engaged and after a stubborn contest in which portions of the Division reached this point, it was repulsed with heavy loss and fell back to Piper’s Lane and the Hagerstown Pike.
September 19	
Battle of Shepherdstown
The regiment covered the river bank at Pack Horse Ford. Colonel Hodges, commanding the brigade since Armistead was wounded at Sharpsburg, reported that the brigade consisted of no more than 50 to 60 men.
November 7	The regiment was transferred with the rest of Armistead’s Brigade to Pickett’s Division of Longstreet’s newly-designated First Army Corps.
December 13	
Battle of Fredericksburg
Commanded by Colonel Edward C. Edmonds
December	Winter quarters at Guiney Station

1863
February-April	Suffolk Expedition
April 29	Left Suffolk for the Rappahannick
June 25	Crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, Maryland
July 2-3	
Battle of Gettysburg
The regiment was commanded by Colonel Edward C. Edmonds and brough 356 men to the field. It woke at 3 a.m. on July 3 and moved to Seminary Ridge. Later in the day it took part in Pickett’s Charge as the support brigade on the right flank of the attack, breaking the Union line at The Angle before being thrown back with heavy casualties. The regiment lost 55 men killed, 135 wounded, and 40 missing or captured.
Colonel Edmonds was killed and Lt. Colonel Powhatan B. White was mortally wounded, leaving Major Joseph R. Cabell in command of the regiment and temporarily in command of the the brigade until July 4. Cabell was promoted to lieutenant colonel effective July 3.
Casualties among the officers were high. Captain Daniel Townes and Lieutenant Charles Walters were killed. Captains George Griggs, Lafayette Jennings, and Henderson Lee and Lieutenants James Cabiness, William Carter, Joseph Estes, and John Gibson were wounded. Lieutenants Thomas Butler, Adolphus Lanier, and Joseph Miller were wounded and captured. Captain James Poindexter and Lieutenants George Carter, Samuel Harris, and Joel Jones were captured.
Assistant Surgeon William S. Nowlin was left behind with the wounded and was captured on July 4.
After the battle Captain Griggs was promoted to major.
From the monument to Armistead’s Brigade on the Gettysburg battlefield:
July 2. Arrived about sunset and bivouacked on the western border of Spangler’s Woods.
July 3. In the forenoon formed line behind Kemper and Garnett east of the woods. When the cannonade ceased advanced to support Kemper’s and Garnett’s Brigades forming the right of Longstreet’s Corps. Its losses being less at first than those of the other brigades it passed the Emmitsburg Road in compact ranks and as the front line was going to pieces near the stone wall pushed forward and many of its men and some from other commands responding to the call and following Gen. L. A. Armistead sprang over the wall into the Angle and continued the desperate struggle until he fell mortally wounded beyond the stone wall.
July 4. Spent the day in reorganization and during the night began the march to Hagerstown.
Brigadier General George Steuart took command of the brigade
July	Escorted prisoners back to Virginia
September	Detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and assigned to the Department of Richmond
November	Lieutenant Colonel Joseph R. Cabell was promoted to colonel and Major George Griggs was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

1864
May 10	
Battle of Drewry’s Bluff
Colonel Cabell was killed.
May 16	Lieutenant Colonel George Griggs was promoted to colonel.
May 21-23	Rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia, assigned to Kemper’s-Terry’s Brigade, Pickett’s Division, 1st Corps.
May 23-26	
North Anna
June 1-3	
Battle of Cold Harbor
June	
Petersburg Siege

1865
April 1	
Battle of Five Forks
April 6	
Battle of Sayler’s Creek
Much of the regiment was captured.
April 9	
Appomattox Court House
Commanded by Colonel George K. Griggs.

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