16th Georgia Infantry

lelliott19

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http://vault.georgiaarchives.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/flag/id/98/rec/13

16th Georgia Volunteer Infantry

Assignments:

Colquitt's Brigade/Magruders Command/Army of the Peninsula
2nd Brigade (Howell Cobb's)/McLaws' Division/Army of the Peninsula
Howell Cobb's Brigade/ McLaws' Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
T.R.R. Cobb's Brigade/ McLaws' Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
Wofford's Brigade/McLaws' Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
Wofford's Brigade/McLaws' Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Tennessee
Wofford's Brigade/McLaws' Division/ Longstreet's Department of East Tennessee
Wofford's Brigade/McLaws' Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
Wofford's Brigade/Kershaw's Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
Wofford's Brigade/Kershaw's Division/Jubal Early's Army of the Valley
Wofford's Brigade/Kershaw's Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia
Dubose's Brigade/Kershaw's Division/Longstreet's Corps/Army of Northern Virginia

Organized at Columbia, Elbert, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hart, Jackson, Madison, and Walton Counties
Mustered in July 19, 1861 at Richmond, VA
Surrendered at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865

Companies, Counties of Origin, and Original Captains:
Company A - Madison Grays (Madison County) Capt. James S Gholston
Company B - Centre Hill Guards (Jackson County) Capt. Abner Monroe Reynolds
Company C - Hartwell Infantry (Hart County) Capt. John Hamilton Skelton
Company D - Danielsville Guard (Madison County) Capt. John Newton Montgomery
Company E - Cobb Infantry (Habersham County) Capt. Benjamin Edward Stiles
Company F - Walton County Vols (Walton County) Capt. John Henry Duncan McRae
Company G - Jackson Rifles (Madison County) Capt. Augustus Columbus Thompson
Company H - Flint Hill Greys (Gwinnett County) Capt. Moses Richardson
Company I - Gwinnett Volunteers (Gwinnett County) Capt. Nathaniel Louis Hutchins, II
Company K - Ramsey Volunteers (Columbia County) Capt. Robert Joshua Boyd

The 16th Georgia Volunteer Infantry is probably the most interesting Georgia regiment that has never been written about.....well, almost never. :D

Here's what you'll find at the National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors database:

"OVERVIEW:
16th Infantry Regiment [also called Sallie Twiggs Regiment] was organized during the early summer of 1861. Its companies were raised in the counties of Madison, Elbert, Gwinnett, Habersham, Jackson, and Hart. Sent to Virginia the regiment was assigned to General H. Cobb's, T.R.R. Cobb's, Wofford's, and DuBose's Brigade. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days' Battles to Gettysburg, then moved with Longstreet but was not engaged in the fight at Chickamauga. After serving at Knoxville, it returned to Virginia and participated in the conflicts at The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor. Later the unit was part of Early's operations in the Shenandoah Valley and the Appomattox Campaign. The regiment had a force of 488 effectives in April, 1862, lost 11 killed and 50 wounded at Malvern Hill, and of the 368 engaged at South Mountain, fifty-two percent were disabled. It sustained 70 casualties at Fredericksburg, 133 at Chancellorsville, and twenty-six percent of the 303 at Gettysburg. The 16th lost many at Sayler's Creek and surrendered 2 officers and 51 men. Its commanders were Colonels Goode Bryan, Howell Cobb, James S. Gholston, and Henry P. Thomas; Lieutenant Colonel B. Edward Stiles; and Major John H. Skelton."

Unfortunately, the above sketch is incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate. Suffice to say that it seems the 16th Georgia was one of the "go to" regiments of the Confederate Army. Although the majority of the regiment's service was in the Army of Northern Virginia, they were also shuffled around quite a bit from one assignment to another and back again.

If you are seeking information about this regiment and having trouble locating much, take heart! Know that others have encountered the same difficulty and frustration. I am currently compiling a comprehensive regimental history and will try to post some additional info along, as time permits. If you have questions, feel free to post them here.

This thread is intended to serve as the location for general regimental history, photographs, stories, articles and other relevant information about the 16th Georgia Infantry in the Regimental Histories Forum. Please do not start new threads - just add your content under this existing thread so it can be easily located. Thank you so much for contributing information about the 16th Georgia Infantry.
 
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Hopefully there will be a new reference book for information on the 16th Ga soon. Right Laura? If
Definitely soon. I'm closer now than I've ever been in the 7 years I've been working on it. :wink:

It might already be published if I didnt keep running across all these really interesting stories that deserve a place in the regimental history :nah disagree: ..... Youve got Howell Cobb, the regiment's first colonel and brigadier general. And you know there are tons of interesting stories about him and his family. Then you've got TRR Cobb who assumed command of the brigade after his brother Howell was no longer able. You've got Wm T Wofford, the next brigadier genl - lots of interesting material to dig up on him. And you've got the Longstreet/Lee connection, and then the Dubose and Kershaw stories. Not to mention some really engaging stories about the enlisted men and the folks back home.

Like I've said many times before, the 16th Georgia is probably the most interesting regiment that has never been written about....well almost never. Joe Byrd's book Confederate Sharpshooter (post #3 above) is great! As Joe told me, it is a biographical account of Major Simmons who served in the regiment and the brigade. As a result, it includes a good deal of info about the regiment's movements and battles, but the personal stories are limited to Major Simmons' immediate sphere. Since Major Simmons was captured Aug 16 1864 at Guard Hill, Joe's book doesn't include the rest of the 1864 Valley campaign and beyond. (Lucky for him, cause that was some of the hardest part to figure out. :nah disagree:)

Anyway, I hope the regimental history I am compiling can add to the work that Joe has already done and bring the available information about the 16th Georgia all together in one place. I'd like to think that the descendants of the men who served in the regiment who read the book, will be able to get a real sense of what it was like to serve with the 16th Georgia - from organization to surrender.
 
Definitely soon. I'm closer now than I've ever been in the 7 years I've been working on it. :wink:

It might already be published if I didnt keep running across all these really interesting stories that deserve a place in the regimental history :nah disagree: ..... Youve got Howell Cobb, the regiment's first colonel and brigadier general. And you know there are tons of interesting stories about him and his family. Then you've got TRR Cobb who assumed command of the brigade after his brother Howell was no longer able. You've got Wm T Wofford, the next brigadier genl - lots of interesting material to dig up on him. And you've got the Longstreet/Lee connection, and then the Dubose and Kershaw stories. Not to mention some really engaging stories about the enlisted men and the folks back home.

Like I've said many times before, the 16th Georgia is probably the most interesting regiment that has never been written about....well almost never. Joe Byrd's book Confederate Sharpshooter (post #3 above) is great! As Joe told me, it is a biographical account of Major Simmons who served in the regiment and the brigade. As a result, it includes a good deal of info about the regiment's movements and battles, but the personal stories are limited to Major Simmons' immediate sphere. Since Major Simmons was captured Aug 16 1864 at Guard Hill, Joe's book doesn't include the rest of the 1864 Valley campaign and beyond. (Lucky for him, cause that was some of the hardest part to figure out. :nah disagree:)

Anyway, I hope the regimental history I am compiling can add to the work that Joe has already done and bring the available information about the 16th Georgia all together in one place. I'd like to think that the descendants of the men who served in the regiment who read the book, will be able to get a real sense of what it was like to serve with the 16th Georgia - from organization to surrender.

Hi,
This is my first post. I’m looking for info on my 3x grandfather John D Yarbrough. He is listed on the roster for Co. H (Flint Hill Grey’s), but I can’t tell from it when he enlisted. To me I seems as though he didn’t enlist until April 1864, but I may be reading it wrong. Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,
Levi
 
Hi,
This is my first post. I’m looking for info on my 3x grandfather John D Yarbrough. He is listed on the roster for Co. H (Flint Hill Grey’s), but I can’t tell from it when he enlisted. To me I seems as though he didn’t enlist until April 1864, but I may be reading it wrong. Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,
Levi
Hello Levi and welcome to CivilWarTalk - the best place on the internet for Civil War discussion. Very happy to welcome you aboard.

Your 3x great grandfather, John D. Yarbrough, is recorded as enlisting in Co H 16th Georgia at Atlanta on April 27, 1864, for the war. Unless he had just become of age, it is possible/probable that he served in another regiment prior to that time. [See edit below; he had just come of age.] He was hospitalized May 30, 1864 for measles at CSA Jackson Hospital, Richmond Virginia and returned to duty June 23, 1864. Since most young men had not traveled far from their own community prior to serving, a lot of them got measles, mumps, etc. These were pretty serious illnesses so a three week recovery time was pretty fast.

John D Yarbrough (listed as J D Yarbrough) was wounded "slightly in the foot" recorded as VS R foot MB meaning he was hit by a minie ball in the right foot. This wound occurred during an engagement between Wofford's brigade and Custer's cavalry at Guard Hill near Front Royal Virginia on August 16, 1864. By the way, he was very lucky to escape. According to my casualty data for the regiment: 7 killed, 18 wounded, 4 wound/captured, and 56 captured. Brigadier General Wofford's horse was shot from under him and he barely escaped, so your 3x great grandfather was very lucky to escape. Since he was wounded in the foot, he was probably unable to run very fast, or else he was one tough bird and ran on that foot anyway with a gsw?

On September 10, 1864, he was admitted to Receiving and Wayside Hospital or General Hospital No. 9 at Richmond and returned to duty November 17, 1864.

He was wounded and captured at Sailor's Creek April 6, 1865 - along with most of what was left of the 16th Georgia and Wofford's brigade. The wound is recorded as VS (gunshot wound) right arm with fracture of humerus at lower third.

He was admitted April 8, 1865 at the 3rd Division 9th Corp US Field Hospital and sent along to the 6th Corp Field/General Hospital at City Point, Va. on April 11, 1865. From there, on April 15, he was transferred from City Point, VA to Washington DC aboard the USA Hospital Steamer Connecticut and admitted to Carver USA General Hospital, Washington, DC on April 15 1865. Amazingly, it doesnt look like his arm was amputated - the cards say treatment: "simple dressing." He was transferred again on May 7, 1865 to USA Lincoln General Hospital.

He was released from USA Lincoln General Hospital, Washington, DC on Oath of Allegiance June 12, 1865. On the Oath of Allegiance he is recorded as John D Yarborough, Pvt 16th Regt Ga Inf. Place of residence: Gwinnett Co, Ga. Complexion: light Hair: Light Eyes: blue Height: 5 feet 9 inches Remarks: captured at Sailor's Creek April 6, 1865.

EDIT TO ADD: I have in my records that he was 19 years old at the time of his wound at Sailor's Creek, so his enlistment in April 1864 would likely have coincided with his turning 18.
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Thank you so much for the information! Where did you find these records? His granddaughter (my grandmother, making him my 2x grandfather) passed away Friday June 14 at age 98. This medal which she showed me when I was much younger was in her safety deposit box. She told me he was never able to bend his arm after his wound. Thanks again for the info!
 
His granddaughter (my grandmother, making him my 2x grandfather) passed away Friday June 14 at age 98.
I am so very sorry for your recent loss of your grandmother.
Where did you find these records?
The cards are from his compiled service record at the National Archives. I have a paid subscription to Fold 3 which provides scanned copies of the carded records. Carded records are the system that was used after the war to transcribe information, by person, from original documents like Hospital rolls, Company Muster Rolls, and POW rolls, so they provide only the detail that was recorded on these rolls and rosters. I only provided images of six of the cards with the post above, but I am attaching the entire file for John D Yarbrough of the 16th Georgia to this post. There should be 18 pages, including the index card.

She told me he was never able to bend his arm after his wound. Thanks again for the info!
That makes complete sense. Since the records tell us that his gsw occurred at or near the elbow, shattering the humerus, it is not surprising that the bone healing prevented him from bending that joint. Now days, such a shattered bone would be addressed surgically with screws and plates to immobilize the bones as they healed. Then a cast or other device to immobilize the arm. There were no such screws, plates, or other surgical devices available back then.

His treatment was provided by US surgeons after his capture at Sailors Creek and transport to US Hospital. There were a lot of wounded men at Sailors Creek and, although the typical treatment for a gsw with comminuted fracture was amputation of the limb, surgery would have needed to have been performed very soon after the injury - within 24 hours provided the best long-term survival odds. Im guessing, but it probably wasnt possible to perform the operation immediately so the Union surgeons thought they could save the arm and his life by not subjecting him to the operation that late. And some use of his arm would be better than no use - or worse. His cards say that the treatment employed was "simple dressings." The result was a poorly healed bone -he kept his arm, but was unable to bend it. He may have suffered a good deal of pain from bone splinters that became infected and worked their way out - sometimes years later. Scar tissue and possible nerve damage may have plagued him for the rest of his life.
 

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  • Fold3 John D Yarbrough.pdf
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Hello @Imbrdman and welcome to CivilWarTalk - the best place on the internet for Civil War discussion. You've come to the right place. I've actually been researching the 16th Georgia for 10 years with the intent of eventually publishing a regimental history. My husband's 2x great grandfather was a member of Co D and was killed at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. It's that family connection that originally sparked my interest in the regiment. What would you like to know about Joel?
and what battles they were in?
A lot of them - Several of the smaller battles around Yorktown; the Seven Days including Seven Pines, Savages Station, and Malvern Hill; and the Maryland campaign Crampton's Gap and Sharpsburg. They were in all of the big ones in the eastern theater: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and several smaller ones. Then they came west with Longstreet to Chattanooga and Knoxville. Although Wofford's brigade, of which they were part, arrived too late to play a significant role in the actual Battle of Chickamauga, the 16th GA was one of the four regiments of Wofford's brigade that was selected to make the ill-fated assault on Fort Sanders at Knoxville. After that, they returned to Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in time for the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Cold Harbor, before being sent to Petersburg and then to the Shenandoah Valley for the 1864 campaign which included Cedar Creek and a bunch of smaller little-known affairs. After that, they returned to the entrenchments around Richmond (they were there when Richmond was evacuated) then they fought at Sailor's Creek - where most of the remaining members were either killed, wounded, or captured. A handful of men - the surgeon, nurses, teamsters, and a few able bodied guys - were surrendered at Appomattox with the rest of Lees Army of Northern Virginia.
 
Joel N Bird (recorded as "Joal") enlisted as a Private in Company D, 16th Georgia Infantry July 11, 1861 at Danielsville, GA for the war. His name appears on a "Register of Payments on Descriptive List" dated May 3, 1864, where he is listed as Musician and paid for service from September 1, 1863 to October 31, 1863. It's the only time he is listed as a Musician.
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On May 6, 1864, he was admitted to Receiving and Wayside Hospital General Hospital No 9 at Richmond VA and returned to duty on May 7, 1864.

On June 22, 1864 he was admitted again to Receiving and Wayside Hospital General Hospital No 9 at Richmond VA and transferred to Jackson Hospital Richmond, Va on June 23,1864, where he was admitted for "sore feet." [The rest of Wofford's brigade proceeded on to Petersburg at this time, and he would have rejoined them there.] His feet must have been pretty bad because he wasn't returned to duty until July 8, 1864.

On September 24, 1864 he was furloughed for 30 days and received pay for four months of service Nov 1, 1863 - February 19, 1864. He signed his own name on both receipts for payment - which was pretty rare in this regiment. About 2/3 of the men could not read or write.
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Later records indicate that he did not return from the furlough on October 24, 1864. He was recorded as Absent Without Leave on the Company Muster Rolls dated May/June and July/Aug 1864. There is no further record in his file with the 16th Georgia Infantry.
 
Joel N Bird (recorded as "Joal") enlisted as a Private in Company D, 16th Georgia Infantry July 11, 1861 at Danielsville, GA for the war. His name appears on a "Register of Payments on Descriptive List" dated May 3, 1864, where he is listed as Musician and paid for service from September 1, 1863 to October 31, 1863. It's the only time he is listed as a Musician.
View attachment 389850
On May 6, 1864, he was admitted to Receiving and Wayside Hospital General Hospital No 9 at Richmond VA and returned to duty on May 7, 1864.

On June 22, 1864 he was admitted again to Receiving and Wayside Hospital General Hospital No 9 at Richmond VA and transferred to Jackson Hospital Richmond, Va on June 23,1864, where he was admitted for "sore feet." [The rest of Wofford's brigade proceeded on to Petersburg at this time, and he would have rejoined them there.] His feet must have been pretty bad because he wasn't returned to duty until July 8, 1864.

On September 24, 1864 he was furloughed for 30 days and received pay for four months of service Nov 1, 1863 - February 19, 1864. He signed his own name on both receipts for payment - which was pretty rare in this regiment. About 2/3 of the men could not read or write.
View attachment 389851
Later records indicate that he did not return from the furlough on October 24, 1864. He was recorded as Absent Without Leave on the Company Muster Rolls dated May/June and July/Aug 1864. There is no further record in his file with the 16th Georgia Infantry.
Awesome and thank you so much! So it would be fair to say my G2 Grandfather Joel Bird fought in the battles you mentioned unless hospitalised? Can you please tell me about Brothers Francis M Bird, John Montgomery Bird, and Henry J Bird who died in 1861, I presume of disease? Their 1st Cousins were James G Bird who died of disease in 1861 and buried in Richmond. His Brothers were Joseph P Bird and Benjamin M Bird.
 
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