10th Virginia Infantry

A Brief History of the Regiment

Composed of men primarily from the Valley of Virginia, the 10th Virginia Infantry was formed from volunteer companies recruited in Rockingham, Page, and Madison counties. Companies A through K were comprised of Valley men, while Company L was composed of recruits from Madison.

The unit had its origin in the late 1850's when a group of prominent men in Harrisonburg/Rockingham County met and formed the Valley Guard, a militia unit that served as guards during the trial and execution of John Brown

The 10th Virginia received its baptism of fire at 1st Manassas. The unit wintered near Manassas Junction before being transfered in April 1862 to Stonewall Jackson's army. Assigned a position in Jackson's old division, the 10th participated in the 1862 campaign in the Valley. During the remainder of the year, the 10th fought in all the major battles in Virginia, including Cedar Mountain where it lost heavily. Posted at Martinsburg, the regiment missed the Battle of Sharpsburg.

At Chancellorsville the men of the 10th took part in Jackson's attack against the Federal Eleventh Corps, losing in the process nearly a third of their number. Assigned to Steuart's Brigade of Edward Johnson's division, the regiment fought at Gettysburg, joining in on the unsuccesful assault on Culp's Hill.

In 1864 the unit fought at both the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, and at the latter battle was almost entirely captured at the angle. The survivors of the 10th Virginia joined Early in his campaign against Washington and was with that general in his failed defenses of the Valley in 1864, fighting at Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek.

The several dozen survivors of the regiment were transfered from the Valley to the Petersburg trenches, where they participated in the Army of Northern Virginia's last offensive, the attack on Fort Stedman.

When Grant broke the Confederate lines at Petersburg, the 10th Virginia retreated west along with the rest of Lee's army. on April 9 about a dozen men of the regiment surrendered at Appomattox Court House.

Companies:

A - Strasburg Guards (Shenandoah Co.)

B - Rockingham Rifles (Rockingham Co.)

C (1st) - Southern Grays (Shenandoah Co.)

C (2nd) - Mauck's Co. (Shenandoah Co.)

D - Bridgewater Grays (Rockingham Co.)

E - Peaked Mountain Grays (Rockingham Co.)

F - Muhlenburg Rifles (Shenandoah Co.)

G - Valley Guards (Rockingham Co.)

H - Chrisman's Infantry (Rockingham/Shenandoah Counties)

I - Riverton Invicibles (Rockingham Co.)

K - Page Volunteers (Page Co.)

L - Jeff Davis Guards (Madison Co.)

For more detailed information on this regiment, and the men who fought in it, I recommend
the

10th Virginia Infantry
by Terrance V. Murphy

Available from

The Virginia Regimental Histories Series

Return to the Page County Confederates Home Page

The Virginia Civil War Home Page

Forward the Colors to the 10th Virginia Reenactor Site

A link to the rest of the books of the Virginia Regimental Histories Series

These pages authored and maintained by Robert H. Moore, II.
Š1998 - 2001 All rights reserved.
Robert H. Moore, II and
Jeffrey C. Weaver;
H. E. Howard, Inc.
Rt. 2 Box 496H
Appomattox, Virginia 24522
Page established: 01/12/98
Last revised: 10/01/01