Good morning, I'd like you all to see this post from John Griffin. His history of the Coffee County Guards is listed at Robert Morrison's home page on our Coffee County Family Home pages. You can read John's history of the Guards at: http://members.xoom.com/JKMcNeillSCVcamp/50th.htm There are so many recognizable names there!! While I'm sure that many of you have already checked John's page out, in looking at it again, I've found some information that I didn't think was even relevant before. Well, it is now, so please go check it out. Take care, Melody From: "John Griffin" <jagriffin@nwinfo.net> I am sending this notice to let people know that after 6 years, I have compiled the histories of 14 Georgia regiments. I have donated this work to our SCV Camp in Moultrie GA. I am not doing this for my own gain, but for our history and memory of ancestors. Please pass on to all your fellow researchers that our camp will soon be releasing a book "Warriors of the Wiregrass" which will have compiled 14 Georgia regimental histories about 600 pages. I have done this for our SCV camp and a printing quote is now in process. All proceeds will go to our SCV camp's heritage projects such as scholarships (we started a Lt. Mobley Scholarship last year an officer and ancestor killed in service to the CSA as part of Company I, 50th GA Vol Inf.), living history demos for schools, museum, monument and cemetery upkeep, etc. I will not keep a nickel of the proceeds and all sales will be through the camp only, so it will be for our ancestors benefit not mine. Once we get the printing done, I will pull the larger version of the histories off the web and put a summary version and then post info on how to get the book. What I would like to ask you to do is: 1) if you are interested in a copy, email me back or email our camp Commander Mr. Jack Bridwell at jack@moultrie.tec.ga.us. This will put you on a list and we will contact you as soon as a firm price is quoted to us and we have a production schedule. 2)if you have an SCV camp, please pass this along at the next meeting and in any newsletters you may have. 3) if you have a web site, again please pass the word. 4) if you have an address book of persons interested in the WBTS, please forward this information on. I would appreciate it if you would pass the word in anyway you can because all proceeds directly go to support Southern Heritage. Thank you very kindly, John Griffin, Zillah, WA jagriffin@nwinfo.net http://members.xoom.com/jagriffin/JAG.htm JK McNeill SCV Camp #674, Moultrie, GA http://members.xoom.com/JKMcNeillSCVcamp/SCVhomepage.htm Below is the table of contents and introduction. If you have further questions, please email Jack or myself. Table of Contents Introduction i Acknowledgements ii Chapter 1 1st Regiment of Georgia, Mercer's Olmstead's Volunteer Infantry 1-1 Chapter 2 4th Georgia (Clinch) Cavalry 2-1 Chapter 3 10th Battalion Georgia Volunteer Infantry 3-1 Chapter 4 11th Georgia Cavalry-State Guard 4-1 Chapter 5 20th Battalion Georgia Cavalry Partisan Rangers 5-1 Chapter 6 20th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 6-1 Chapter 7 29th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 7-1 Chapter 8 49th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 8-1 Chapter 9 50th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 9-1 Chapter 10 54th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 10-1 Chapter 11 61st Georgia Volunteer Infantry 11-1 Chapter 12 63rd Georgia Volunteer Infantry 12-1 Chapter 13 64th Georgia Volunteer Infantry 13-1 Chapter 14 Coffee County Revengers Newbern's Company, Cavalry Georgia Local Defense Unit 14-1 Appendixes A- Bibliography: References and Sources Used A-1 B- How to Research Confederate Ancestors B-1 C- Recommended Readings: Books on CSA/WBTS History C-1 D- Confederate Iron Cross and Veterans Administration Markers D-1 E- About the Sons of Confederate Veterans E-1 Introduction Warriors of the Wiregrass: Histories of Selected Georgia Regiments in the War for Southern Independence Before reviewing this book, I would like to give the reader the background on its production. This book is the culmination of over six years of compilation of material on selected regiments that served Georgia and the CSA. What started as a question raised by my son in grade school over a class assignment on a family history-American history connection, turned into a quest to find information not only about individual ancestors, but also about the actions they saw in the War for Southern Independence. Most of this research was done nearly 3000 miles away from the archives and primary sources of information. Growing up in Washington State, but having my father's family all from South Georgia, I had a natural curiosity while growing up about our family history, particularly as it related to the War Between the States. As a public school and later college student, the questions were there, but I did not have the knowledge on how to proceed nor resources to investigate. It was quite a struggle initially do to research so far away. I have included sections in the Appendix that will help guide others in their research of Confederate ancestors, hoping to remove a hurdle in their investigations. I am not a professional historian nor researcher. I was simply a father helping his son with a school project. I knew I was a descendent of settlers of Wiregrass Georgia and had an interest in discovering the role my ancestors may have played in a struggle that is paramount in the thoughts and writings of American history. Through inter-library loan, microfilm rental, the advent of CD-ROM technology and Internet resources this project grew in the ability to review the tremendous amount of material available to the public. The problem was that the material was scattered within and between resources and so I began an effort to compile the sources into one document. With that being said I want to explain what this compilation tries to do. It was written as a family history document. A document that an average person in our family could pick up and read and get a brief understanding of some of the genealogy and history of ancestors who fought in this conflict. While there is much written at the Corps, Division, and even Brigade levels, the Regimental and Company levels are more scattered through many works. I decided to try to compile as much information as I could from references that related to the individual regiments and sometimes even specific companies. When those were not available I tried to move up to Brigade and sometimes Division information to help give an understanding to the actions faced. I often rely on the writings of men who were there in 1860-1865 by post from the "OR's" (Official Records of the War of the Rebellion project), Confederate Military History and Southern Historical Society Papers. I would rather the reader study the words recorded by the actual participants rather than my observations of what I think they are saying. I have tried to reference all these postings so if someone has the inclination to take this work and move forward, they will have a better starting point that I did. The layout and formatting was done with the interest of readability for the average person interested in beginning to learn more about Georgia regiments. Readability, referencing, and interest, I hope, compensate what this work may lack in formal historical formatting and footnoting. I felt the introduction should include help in understanding the Military organization of Georgia as it can be quite confusing. Georgia, like most states, had a militia since colonial times. Georgia was organized into Militia Districts. These were referred to as military districts or divisions long before the talk of secession or war. There were thirteen military divisions of militia in the Georgia, each containing two brigades. The thirteen divisions contained at least 109 regiments and 342 battalions. The regiments and battalions were composed of at least 1257 district companies from the military districts within the Georgia. These companies were organized as companies of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. In addition there were at least 114 volunteer companies. During Indian Wars wars such as 1812 and other border skirmishes, the militia was called up for fighting and defensive actions. By 1860 many militia units began serious drilling in what was considered modern tactics. When the war broke out, these companies became the backbone of Confederate forces in Georgia, and although many of these companies entered into Confederate service, the structure of the Georgia State militia remained intact. In fact, during the Atlanta Campaign the State furnished General Joseph Johnston with four brigades of Georgia militia under the command of Major General Gustavus W. Smith. This book contains pre war militia units that were raised to become Georgia Volunteer Infantry and assigned to Confederate Armies, Volunteer regiments that were raised after the firing on Fort Sumtner, regiments that were raised late in the war, and units of State Guard and Local Defense Troops. In addition an infantry battalion and cavalry regiment are covered. The example of an artillery branch of Georgia troops is not included. Having found no ancestors from Georgia as regular artilleryman, I have not done research into this branch. Other than that, I hope the reader can appreciate the diversity of assignment, duty and purpose of the various regiments contained here. An area that I would like to see expanded in this work is the inclusion of letters, diaries and journals from the men who formed these regiments. Many items are housed in archives, libraries, societies and museums and in private collections in Georgia. Currently my resources do not allow sufficient time in Georgia to obtain copies to share with the researcher. Perhaps in the future, this project will be expanded to include representation of these accounts. These compilations have been written over a six-year period. Older versions have been updated often as new resources have been found and reviewed. This will explain some of the formatting differences between the chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to those ancestors who served in the regiments. It is my attempt to bring a very human aspect to the men who fought for Georgia and fought for their new nation the Confederate States of America. Unfortunately in the expedience of educating our young people, the Southern people are often tagged as evil, backward, racists slave mongers. In actuality less than 7% of the Southern population owned slaves. It is not the purpose of this book to argue the causes behind the formation of the Confederate States; however one must not be trapped in the popular, politically correct interpretation that this war was fought solely over slavery. I direct persons interested in learning the many complex issues of constitutional law, economics, tariffs and taxation, states rights, national politics and sovereignty to the "Recommended Reading" list in the Appendix. Throughout history from ancient times to the present day, we see power, exploitation and control, greed and money at the root of most conflicts. Review these sources and then draw your own conclusions. I would add that after researching the ancestors that fought, suffered and died in this conflict, there has to be more to the story than you find in a standard American History textbook. Two old saying: "Victors write the recorded history" and "Don't take my word for it. Look it up", could certainly apply here. Again it is my hope that you may overlook some of these amateur compilation incongruities and find this work of benefit for your understanding of the men who fought for home, family, Georgia and the sovereignty of the Confederate States of America. To all that honorably served the CSA, the state of Georgia, and their descendants who wish to learn of the truth of their fight, this work is dedicated.