The 55th at
War
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The 55th Virginia was raised
in the Tidewater country bordering the Rappahannock River. Nine of its
twelve companies came from just two counties, Essex and Middlesex; the
remainder came from Lancaster, Spotsylvania and Westmoreland. The first
two companies were formed in 1860 in response to John Brown's raid on
Harper's Ferry and six more volunteered within weeks of the fall of Fort
Sumter. The unit was formally designated as the 55th Virginia Infantry
Regiment in September 1861. Three further companies of ex-militiamen and
men 'volunteering' to avoid conscription were added in the spring of 1862
and a fourth joined in June 1862. The Regiment served in a brigade of
Virginians which earned a solid reputation as part of A.P. Hill's famous
'Light Division'.
The Regiment saw action in
many of the great battles of Robert E Lee's famous Army of Northern Virginia
including the Seven Days, Second Battle of Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg and the Defence of Petersburg and Richmond. They participated
gallantly in the breakthrough at Frayser's Farm and sustained heavy casualties
on numerous occasions.
The 55th also saw service
in a number of little known campaigns and battles, including the defence
of the lower Rappahannock during the first year of the war, the rearguard
action at Falling Waters during the retreat from Gettysburg, the fight
on the Plank Road at Mine Run, the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley during
the winter of 1863-4, the fight for the Weldon Railroad in August 1864
and the battle for the Squirrel Level Line. It was virtually destroyed,
as a fighting unit, at the battle of Sayler's Creek on April 6th 1865,
leaving only twenty-one men to surrender with General Lee, at Appomattox
Court House, three-days later.
The 55th is particularly remembered
for a series of articles on aspects of soldier life written by a member
of Company 'C' named Allen Redwood who was also a competent artist. His
illustrations appear in many publications about the war and bear his initials
'ACR'.
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Map
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The Regimental Establishment
The establishment for a Civil War
Regiment was just over 1,000 men, commanded by a full colonel and usually consisted
of ten companies plus headquarters personnel. Each company, whose official strength
was 101 men, was commanded by a captain. These figures, even at the outset,
were rarely a reality. Sickness, leave, battle casualties and desertions took
their toll. A Confederate regiment usually numbered around 300 men present for
duty.
The 55th had 1321
enrolments. Nine men died and 131 were discharged or transferred out before
campaigning began in the Spring of 1862 (inclusive of the 86 men of Company
'B' who left the regiment on 28 April 1862). The rest (1181 men) saw active
service. Its highest present for duty strength was 890, for most
of war it was much lower.
Chart
showing day-by-day Present for Duty Strength
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Soldier Life
The Civil War was the first conflict
in which a large proportion of all ranks were literate. Many letters and personal
reminiscences have been kept which give a good insight into the life of the
common soldier. His pay was $11 per month. Most early volunteers enlisted for
just twelve months; later this changed to three years, or the duration of the
war. Minimum age for enlistment was 18 (one could enlist if younger, but a guardian's
consent was required) and although there were examples of young boys and men
in their 70's, 80% of recruits fell within the 18-29 age group. The first Conscription
Act in American history was passed by the Confederate Congress in April 1862.
All white males between 18 and 35 became liable for military service. The upper
age limit was changed to 45 in September 1862. The lower and upper limits were
changed to 17 and 50 respectively in February 1864, although the men from these
additional bands were only required to serve in the home guard.
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Uniforms
and Accoutrements
The uniform most commonly
worn by Confederate soldiers consisted of a shell jacket (short-waisted
and close fitting) and high-waisted trousers, made of grey wool or jeans
cloth (a wool and cotton weave). Although well made and conforming to
a basic pattern, these jackets and trousers emanated from several sources
and were produced with subtle variations in shade and tailoring, with
the result that, as the war progressed, the Confederate Army took on a
somewhat mottled appearance. Issue items were sometimes supplemented by
civilian clothing and captured Union apparel. Headgear consisted of civilian
style felt slouch hats and, occasionally, kepis or forage caps. Accoutrements
were usually made of leather and consisted of a cartridge box with tin
dividers carried on a cross belt and a percussion cap pouch and bayonet
in its scabbard carried on a waist belt. The new recruit was also issued
with a tin or wooden canteen, haversack, gum blanket, wool blanket, greatcoat,
knapsack and a miscellany of other items. The experience of hard marches
led many to discard heavier items, hoping to replace them later.
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Muskets
A variety of weapons were in use,
but one of the most common was the muzzle-loading 1853 pattern .577 calibre
Enfield rifle musket of English manufacture. This had a maximum range of 1,000
yards and was effective in battle at up to around 200 yards. It fired a solid
lead conical bullet (known as a mini bullet, after its inventor) with a hollow
base which expanded into the weapon's rifling, improving its accuracy. In theory,
a good soldier could fire three rounds per minute. Prior to battle a soldier
would be issued with between 40 and 60 rounds.
Rations
Official rations included fresh
or salt pork or beef, bread, peas, rice, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. However,
this was difficult to maintain whilst on campaign unless captured Union rations
were made available, so the Confederate soldier often had to supplement his
diminishing ration issue by foraging in nearby farmers' fields. Whilst in camp,
food parcels were sometimes received from home containing extras such as pickles,
sauces, cakes, butter, preserves, etc, with which to brighten up the dull army
fare.
Typical
recipes of the day
Tentage
On active service the Confederate
soldier often had no tent at all, when his covering at night would be a single
blanket and sometimes not even that.
Dog or Shelter Tent
The shelter tent was just large
enough for two soldiers and since it comprised two halves, they would carry
one half each whilst on the march. On halting for the night the two halves were
buttoned together and erected over a ridge-pole and uprights of saplings, or
a guy rope tied between two trees.
'A' or Wedge Tent
The ends resembled the letter 'A',
or a wedge. These were meant to accommodate four men but often took up to six
and were usually situated in permanent camps as they were cumbersome to transport
on campaign.
Wall Tent
This is the largest tent utilised
and was almost exclusively used by commissioned officers.
The Battle Flag
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here to see flag detail
The Battle Flag of the Army of Northern
Virginia was square in shape and had a blue Cross of St. Andrew bordered in
white on a field of red. Thirteen stars appeared on the cross to represent each
State of the Confederacy. Although only eleven States officially seceded, southern
sympathisers in Kentucky and Missouri took steps towards joining the new Confederacy.
This was recognised by the southern authorities – hence the additional
stars.
Most colors had an abbreviation
of their unit designation painted onto the obverse, along with the names of
the battles (known as battle honors) in which it had participated. A battle
flag was used as a guide to enable regiments to maintain their cohesion and
to manoeuvre in battle. It was also a regimental symbol and as such was held
in high regard and often defended with great gallantry.
Fate of the
Men of the 55th
Fate
of the men who served in the 55th
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