Profile:  61st Georgia Regiment (As published in the Metter Advertiser in 2001. Written by Randy Crooms)

April is Confederate History, Heritage and Education month in Georgia and the City of Metter.  Throughout the month, the Dixie Guards Camp # 1942, Sons of Confederate Veterans are profiling troops and units from our area.  This week we profile the 61st Georgia Regiment.  The 61st had four companies from the Metter area.  These companies were Company B, H and K from Tattnall County and Company D from Bulloch County.

The 61st Georgia Regiment was formed early in 1861 for the defense of the Georgia coastline by order of Governor Joseph E. Brown, with troops coming from Irwin County, Tattnall County, Brooks and Thomas Counties, Montgomery County, Wilkes County and Macon and Bibb Counties.  The 61st was made up of Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.  May of 1862 found the regiment in service at Charleston, South Carolina.

The 61st Georgia Infantry would become assigned to what was dubbed as an "elite brigade of Georgia troops" by their commander Brigadier General Alexander Lawton.  Later, the brigade served under Brigadier General John B. Gordon and finally under Brigadier General Evans.  Because of this service, the brigade became known as the Lawton-Gordon-Evans Georgia Brigade.  The brigade originally had six Georgia regiments.  Along with the 61st were the 13th, 26th, 31st, 38th and 60th Georgia Volunteer Infantries.  The 38th Georgia also had troops from the Metter area, with Company C having troops from Bulloch and Emanuel Counties. 

The 61st and the rest of the elite brigade began their battle service in June of 1862 after General Robert E. Lee took command of the Confederate Army of the Potomac.  Lee took command of the army after General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines.  The 61st and General Lee arrived around the same time and under Lee, the army became known as the Army of Northern Virginia.  General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia remains statistically the most successful American fighting unit in history. 

The 61st began their battle service soon after arriving during the Seven Days Battles of June 1862.  They fought at Gaines Mills, Malvern Hill, Bristoe Station, Groveton/Brawner's Farm, 2nd Manassas (Bull Run), Sharpsburg (Antietam) and Fredericksburg under the famous Lt. General Stonewall Jackson for the remainder of 1862. In December of 1862, the men of  61st (Lawton's Brigade) were sorely in need of blankets, shoes and clothing according to this primary source letter.  

In May of 1863, they fought at Chancellorsville from April 29th - May 5th with the great Stonewall being wounded and dying later that month.  After Jackson's death the 61st and their brigade became part of the 2nd Army Corps under Lt. General Richard Ewell.  Early in June of 1863, the 61st began marching northward with the remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia.  They saw action at Winchester, Virginia and marched as far as York and Wrightsville in Pennsylvania.  July 1st - 3rd found them with the rest of the army at the Battle of Gettysburg. 

In 1864, they were at the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Monocacy, Winchester/Opequon Creek, Fisher's Mill and Cedar Creek.  In 1865, they saw action at Hatcher's Run, Hares Hill and Fort Stedman.  The 61st and the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virgina on April 9, 1865.

Muster Rolls

Company B - Tattnall Rangers - Tattnall County

Officers:

Archibald P. McRae - MajorDaniel Robert Alexander Johnson - Captain

John Dees Marshall - 2nd Lieutenant William Partin, Jr - 2nd Lieutenant

E.F. Sharpe - 1st SergeantHenry R. Sharpe - 2nd Sergeant

Charles Pearson - Sergeant P.W. Rogers - SergeantJohn T. Sharpe, Sr. - Sergeant

E.D. Strickland - SergeantThomas Grace (Green) - Corporal

Daniel Luther Curry - 1st CorporalDennis Harrington - Color Bearer

Privates:

B. AndersonW.H. BazellJames W. BellJohn C. Bell

W.H. BlalockCornelius BlockerJohn A. BlockerJoseph Blocker

W.H. BlockerNewt BowenBenjamin B. BrewtonEdward Burke

John BurkhalterJames I. BurlongFrank ButtsEli Coleman

D.B. ColsonM.J. CookWiley O. DeLoachEdward W. Dinkins

Joseph DinkinsWilliam DinkinsJohn T. DriggersZachariah Driggers

W.W. DubberlyJordan J. FindleyStephen L. FindleyWilliam W. Floyd

William M. GrantWilliam F. GrayDaniel (David) GreenJackson Grooms

Joseph J. GroomsJ.W. GroomsJoseph P. HaganS.W.W. Hagan

W.I. HaganJ.M. HammockWilliam I. HiggsIsaac Hutchinson

John L. (Snug) JarrielJesse J. JerniganGabriel J. JohnsonJ.T. Manning

S. MabryJ. C. MartinJ. T. MattoxWashington E. Mattox

A. G. McBrideJohn McBrideSocrates MobleyAsberry P. Moore

C.H. MooreWilber Force MooreWilliam P. MorrisA.G. Odum (Odom)

Daniel H. OdomJames H. OdumHugh PartinJohn J. Partin

John J. Partin, Sr.Joseph PartinJulius PittmanAbraham Powell

Jackson PowellJohn T. PowellP.J. ReddishJames Jackson Rewis (Drummer)

G.E. Rewis

Madison RewisRobert R. RewisA.B. RiggsW.S. Riggs

W.W. RodgersM.J. RogersWilliam SalterJackson Sapp

G.W. SaturdayG.W. SharpeJesse SharpeJohn C. Sheffield

Elias ShumanHampton SikesAlexander A. SmithCaleb W. Smith

D.H. SmithSimon SmithEli StaffordJoshua Stafford

Henry S. StricklandAlexander A. StriplingLauda StriplingRobert N. Stripling

Allen A. SurrencyAlfred H. SurrencyHampton W. SurrencyJames M. Surrency

Samuel S. SurrencyWilliam M. SurrencyRichard W. ThompsonJohn Thrift

Charles D. ToddW.W. ToddJames H. TootleA.J. Varnadoe

Spires D. VinsonAmos WattsJ.M. WatersWilliam H. Waters, Jr.

Jackson WebbR.WilliamsLewis WolfeA. Woods

J.S. Yeomans (Youmans)

Company D - Dekalb Guards - Bulloch County

Officers:

Henry Tillman - Lt. ColonelStephen H. Kennedy, Sr. - Lt. Colonel

James H. Wilkinson - 2nd LieutenantJames Hoyt DeLoach, Jr - 2nd Lieutenant

John E.C. Tillman, 2nd LieutenantW.H. Williams - 2nd Sergeant

James M. Mincey - 2nd LieutenantJ.L.B. Nevils - 4th Sergeant

Eli J. Martin - 1st CorporalWilliam A. Lee - 2nd Corporal

W. Anderson Woods, Sr. - 3rd CorporalWilliam Holloway - 4th Corporal

Privates:

John D.G. AndersonCalvin BanksIsaac BarrowJ.R. Beasley

Adam P. BirdWilliam H. BlandB.F. BowenThomas Boyett

John C. BrannenJ.A. BrownFrank ButtsJoel Cartee

John CarteeMalachi CarteeReuben CarteeWilliam Cartee

Chenutt DrewJohn B. ClementsJackson CollierA. Jackson Collins

Berrien CollinsG.A. CollinsH.J. CollinsJackson J. Collins

Joshua CollinsMartin V. CollinsNeal CollinsPerry Collins

Robert Henry CollinsElam SappWilliam H. CollinsZiba J. Collins

Timothy E. ConnellMartin CoueyJ.A.J. CruceLemuel Davis

Jasper DixonHenry DriggersJoshua EllisJohn Everett

Stephen L. FindleyPatrick FitzsimmonsHardy FranklinHiram Franklin

Mitchell FranklinRemer FranklinDaniel FrawleyCharlton Green

Daniel GreenMitchell J. GreenSolomon GreenGlynn F. Hendrix

James J. HendrixM. B. HendrixAsberry W. HodgesJ. C. Hodges

S.W. HodgesWesley HodgesWilliam G.W. HodgesWilliam H. Holland

Joshua HollowayJohn L. JarrielHenry JonesSilas E. Jones

Thomas B. JonesStephen H. Kennedy, Jr.William KennedyAlfred Kicklighter

William KicklighterJoshua KirklandWyley LewisAbsalom J. Nichols

George Washington NicholsHenry J. OliffDaniel ParrishHenry Parrish

Isaiah ParrishJohn PowellAndrew M. RimesHarrison Rushing

John J. RyalsG.W. ScarboroJ. Newton ScarboroJohn Smith

Martin Van Buren SmithDavid SummerlinIvey SummerlinJackson Turner

Samuel TurnerWyley UnderwoodFrancis M. WarrenIrvin Warren

Madison WarrenSims WarrenThomas WatersT.A. Waters

Washington WatersMichael WhiteB.W. WilkinsonWilliam R. Wilkinson

James WilliamsRobert J. WilliamsSimon L. WilliamsT.B. Winham

John Youmans

Company H - Tattnall County Volunteers - Tattnall County

Officers:

James Bell Smith - CaptainJohn M. Dasher - CaptainM.B. Brewton - 2nd Lieutenant

Asberry P. Moore - 2nd Lieutenant Willis F. M. Edwards, Jr. - 2nd Lieutenant

Joseph D. DeLoach - 2nd LieutenantLauda Stripling, Jr. - 2nd Lieutenant

Michael M. Sikes - 1st Sergeant Alfred Strickland - 2nd Sergeant

James E. DeLoach - 3rd SergeantD. D. Sikes - 1st Corporal

Peter Burkhalter - 2nd CorporalAlfred Kennedy - 3rd Corporal

Privates:

W.B. ArwellA.E. BaconBenjamin B. BaconEdmond L. Bacon

John BaconBenjamin BargeronJ.J. BarnardJ. W. Bazil

M. BlairW. BoothJ.B. BoyntonR. Burket

Bryant BurkhalterC.H. CarpenterT.J. CauseyWillaim A. Causey

William CliftonHoratio CollinsCharles H. CoppellWilliam M. C. Conley

William A. Coursey, Sr.L.O. Cowart, Sr.W.M.C. CrawleyJ.A. Defoe

A.M. DowdyS.S. FindleyPeter FiveashNimrod Frix

William GayneyW.W. GodbeeJames GordonDaniel Gray

George T. GrayW.M.C. GroomesPhineas H. HardmanJohn H. Hoffman

Josiah JamesMichael M. JamesGabriel J. JohnsonHampton Kennedy

Henry KennedyO.W. KennedyRayford KennedyGeorge Lang

Henry LangJoshua LangWilliam LangCharles W. Lynn

J.B. LynnRedden A. LynnAlderman J. C. McDildaGeorge F. McDilda

James McKayThomas A. McKayEdward MikellNathaniel Moore

Daniel H. OdomEphraim O'NealC. RaineyO.P. Ray

James M. RewisSamuel RichardsonM. J. RogersS.B. Rogers

William D. RossHampton SharpeNathan SharpeWiley W. Sharpe

Allan J. SikesJames D. SmithWilliam H. SmithAlbert Strickland

James M. StricklandWillaby T. StricklansW. StricklansStephen Thomas

Marvin G. TootleJohn O. WilkesP.A. WilliamsW. Williams

Company K - (Volunteers from companies A-I) - Tattnall County

Officers:

E.F. Sharpe - CaptainJames J. Mobley - 1st Lieutenant

David L. Gray - 2nd LieutenantJohn E. C. Tillman, Jr. - 2nd Lieutenant

Henry R. Sharpe - 1st SergeantAsberry P. Moore - 1st Sergeant

Henry A. Calhoun - 2nd SergeantC. Flournoy Clark - 2nd Sergeant

Ziba J. Collins - 3rd SergeantJoshua Stafford - 1st Corporal

Bryant H. Ryals, 2nd CorporalJordon J. Finley - 3rd Corporal

J. J. Beagles - 3rd Corporal

Privates:

H.H. BlalockJohn A. BlockerJoseph A. BlackerE.T. Brinson

H.N. BrowningBerrien BurchFrank BurchEdward Burke

E.T. BursonFrank ButtsJackson A. CollinsBenjamin Conner

Frank J. ConnerJames C. ConnerJohn T. DriggersZachariah Driggers

Stephen L. FindleyWilliam W. FloydJacob GayGeorge T. Gray

O.J. HardenWilliam G.W. HodgesJosiah JamesJohn L. Jarrell

H. LovettHugh MarlowT.A. McKayWilliam Mobley

Joseph J. MoncriefRichard B. MoncriefWilber F. MooreCharles Morris

Martin T. MosesHenry C. MozoJ. MutersJames Nail

J. S. NashAllen OdomDaniel H. OdomJohn Odom

Louis Bonds OdomJulius PittmanA.B. RiggsShepherd Riggs

J.J. RyalsG.W. ScarboroJ. Newton ScarboroW.D. Scarboro

H.H. SharpeJohnt T. Sharpe, Sr.John C. SheffieldMartin Van Buren Smith

Hampton SikesAllen A. SurrencyAllen H. SurrencyHampton H. Surrency

James M. SurrencySamuel S. SurrencyT. SurrencyJudson Turner

Wiley L. UnderwoodJ.M. WatersWilliam H. Waters, Jr.William H. Waters, Sr.

Alexander WatsonJackson WebbWilliam R. WilkinsonLewis Wolfe

Get the book "A Soldier's Story of his Regiment" about the 61st, written in 1898. Follow the links on this page for ordering information. This book is a rare and valuable book which may not be reprinted anytime soon. There is no better price ($42.50) on the internet for this book. "Other" sites sell this book for $75-90 and more.

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