Index     
48th Virginia Infantry

These pages are dedicated to our southwestern Virginia ancestors who in the spring and early summer of 1861, following in the tradition of their ancestors who fought at King's Mountain and Point Pleasant, once again took down their muskets and came out of the mountains to defend their homes.

Monument to the Nickelsville Spartan Band

General Information about the 48th

48th Virginia Infantry Roster
48th Virginia Organization
48th Virginia Infantry Actions

My Confederate Kinfolk

My Known Confederate Relatives, Reconstructed and Otherwise

My Contributors and Their Confederate Kinfolk

Daughters, Sons, and Friends of the 48th Virginia

  The Blackwell Letters 
Provided by Louise Blackwell Phelps

Scott County's Clinch Mountain Rangers
Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1858

Letters of the 48th
(Special thanks to Cousin Barnett McConnell)

(Kilgore) Letter from S.P. McConnell to Charles Kilgore on the death of his son, John D. Kilgore and Photocopy of the Original (from Tim Phillips) - Page 1, Page 2

(McConnell) Letter from Milton O.P. McConnell to his father,Abraham Berry McConnell

(McConnell, Strong) Letter from George W. Strong to Abraham Berry McConnell

(McConnell, Dougherty, Frasier, Harris) Letter from Milton O.P. McConnell to his father,Abraham Berry McConnell and mother, Lucy Dougherty McConnel

(McConnell, Vermillion) Letter from James D. Vermillion to Abraham Berry McConnell

Other Items of Special Interest

John D. Chapla, Author, 48th Virginia Infantry

(Harris) Which Captain Harris Fell at Gettysburg?

(Hartsock) Death of William D. Hartsock Announced in the Abingdon Virginian,
- Provided by Barnett McConnell

(Hartsock) A Short Family History of Alexander M. Hartsock,
- Written by Barnett McConnell

(Honeycutt) A Short History of the Honeycutt Family in the Civil War
- Written by Lt. Col. Dale C.L. Honeycutt, USAF, Ret'd.
- Provided by Gene Kirk of Bristol, Tennessee

(Lundy) A Short Family History and Service Record of John Britton Lundy
- Provided by Tracie J. Lundy

(Perry) How William A.Perry Lost His Foot at Cross Keys,
- Provided by Dan Perry of Inverness Florida

(Rouse) Genealogy and Civil War History of Private John Calvin Rouse,
- Provided by Larry Cockerham of Nashville, Tennessee

(Sexton) Search for the Mortal Remains of 2nd Lt. Robert B. Sexton

(Sexton) Pension Application of 2nd Lt. Robert B. Sexton's Widow
- Provided by Dianne Carr Peterson

Photographs of the 48th

(Freeman et al.)  Photograph of a Veteran's Reunion in Smyth Co.  James Hardaway Freeman is identified.  Can anyone identify the others? 

(Dettor) Nicholas Marcellus Dettor - Photo (from Elaine Randall English) and Service Record

(Dungan) Colonel Robert Dungan and wife - Photo (from The Confederate Veteran) and Service Record

(Guard) John B. Guard - Photo (from Leslie Graber) and Service Record

(Hillman) William Martin Hillman - Photo (from Unto the Hills) and Service Record

(Honeycutt, Elam) David Honeycutt and his wife, Lucy Elam Honeycutt - Photo (from Gene Kirk) and Service Record

(McConnell/Kilgore) Captain Henry Morris McConnell and wife, Elizabeth Kilgore - Photo (from Tim Phillips) and Service Record

(Price) David Wesley Price- Photo (from Darrell Stanley) and Service Record

Links of Interest

The men of the 48th were recruited from five southwestern Virginia counties including Lee, Russell, Smyth, Scott, and Washington. They first joined Generals Loring and Lee in their fruitless expeditions in the western Virginia mountains. In the rain and damp of this campaign, many found that death was as likely to come by disease as a Northern bullet. They spent a miserable winter campaigning around Romney.

The spring found them in the Shennandoah Valley where they took part in the actions that were to immortalize General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. They were engaged at McDowell, Winchester, Cross Keys, and Port Republic.

They marched out of the mountains to help in the defense of Richmond at Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill. In the Second Bull Run campaign, they fought at Groveton, Bull Run, and Ox Hill (Chantilly). They were at Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg.

Chancellorsville was glorious and deadly. The 48th was with Jackson when he marched around Hooker's army and rolled up the Federal XI Corps. But that day Stonewall received the wound that would kill him. The next morning Lt. Col. Thomas S. Garnett, commander of the 48th, was mortally wounded in the throat. One third of the regiment was killed, wounded or captured at Chancellorsville.

Gettysburg was equally horrific. On the evening of July 2, 1863, the 48th crossed Rock Creek and charged up Culp's Hill - "a rugged and rocky mountain, heavily timbered and difficult of ascent; a natural fortification, rendered more formidable by deep intrenchments and thick abatis." They pushed to within 10 paces of the Union line. Five men were killed or wounded carrying the regimental colors. Over 36% of the men of the regiment were killed or wounded July 2-3.

On May 5. 1864, the 48th was one of the first units engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness. Their regimental commander, Brigadier General John Marshal Jones, was wounded in one of the first Federal volleys. He was surrounded by men of the Federal V Corps. It is said that he was then killed because he refused to surrender to enlisted men and an officer was not present.

In the early hours of May 12, 1864, while most of the regiment were going out on picket duty in front of the Mule Shoe salient at Spotsylvania, Gen. Hancock's II Corps came out of the fog, rolled over the 48th, and into the salient. The division of Edward "Old Allegheny" Johnson was virtually destroyed. Many of the division, including 104 from the 48th and General Johnson, were captured.

The 48th left the trenches of Petersburg later that summer to join Jubal Early's march up the Shennandoah to the defenses of Washington, DC. They fought at Monocacy and Fort Stevens before the disasters of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek destroyed Early's command.

They returned to the siege at Petersburg and took part in the futile assault on Fort Stedman. What remained of the regiment joined Lee in the final campaign to Appomattox Court House. Of the 1312 men who served in the regiment, only 5 officers and 40 enlisted men received their paroles at the surrender.

For a complete history and roster of the 48th Virginia Infantry, see John D. Chapla's 48th Virginia Infantry. It is part of the excellent Virginia Regimental Histories Series published by H.E. Howard, Inc., P.O. Box 4161, Lynchburg, Virginia 24502

Vernard Bond
vbond@ix.netcom.com

5111 S. Flower St.
Littleton, CO 80123
303 978-0858