@Ga24thCo.K @lelliott19 - this is what I have written so far on Colonel McMillan:
The regiment's first commander was Robert McMillan who raised a company of infantry from Habersham County which was nicknamed the "McMillan Guards". McMillan tirelessly worked to form his volunteers as he "sacrificed much and spent his own money freely in equipping this regiment."80 A grocer, dry goods merchant, and state senator of Georgia from 1855 to 1856, his civilian careers did little to prepare him for the role of an infantry commanding officer. Christopher Sanders would provide the military background McMillan desperately required.
McMillan, born on January 7, 1805, was one of the oldest colonels in the Confederate army.81 His advanced age extracted a heavy physical toll and he was frequently granted furloughs to rest and recover in Georgia. It was a young man's army; the average age of a Confederate colonel was just over thirty-two years of age in 1861.82 His age combined with his lack of military background prompted a former Confederate general to characterize McMillan as, "zealous and gallant but quite ignorant of his duties."83
Colonel McMillan was not alone in his lack of prewar military background, many of his contemporaries lacked formal military experience. Less than half of the colonels had some military schooling or service background.84 Only about ten percent had U.S. Army experience of any kind.85 Of the officers with actual U.S. Army experience, many had been regular company grade officers or even privates in the Mexican War. Thus, military expertise, tactical knowledge, and senior leadership skills were generally lacking in the new volunteer units. Much on the job training would be necessary, normally through trial and error. This lack of experience was also prevalent in company grade and non-commissioned officers. This situation allowed those individuals with military schooling and experience to rise quickly. Christopher Sanders was one of these men.
In his final year at the Georgia Military Institute, Christopher served as cadet captain of Company A.86 This experience provided him the basic knowledge of administratively managing and drilling future soldiers. Additionally, prior to graduation in June, the cadets served at Camp Brown, Georgia and provided training for Confederate officers and non-commissioned officers.87 The lessons learned as a cadet would prove critical to the regiment.
Colonel McMillan's lack of military experience clearly contrasted with the obvious military skills and knowledge of the twenty-two year old Sanders. As author Timothy J. Reese points out, he possessed "greater martial expertise than many of his superiors."88 Sanders' military training led to his election as adjutant and a promotion to lieutenant colonel and second in command of the 24th Georgia.89
80 Southern Watchmen, August 21, 1861.
81 Bruce S. Allardice, Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register (Columbia: University of Missouri, 2008), 269.
82 Ibid., 14.
83 Ibid., 269. General McLaws considered McMillan "zealous" and "gallant" but "quite ignorant of his duties".
84 Ibid., 269.
85 Ibid., 21.
86 Bowling C. Yates, History of the Georgia Military Institute (Marietta, Georgia.1968), 9.
87 David Wynn Vaughan, Military Images: Confederate Faces from Georgia, Volume XXVI, Number 2, September/October 2004, 33.
88 Timothy J. Reese, Sealed With Their Lives: The Battle for Crampton's Gap Burkittsville, Maryland September 14, 1862, (Maryland: Butternut and Blue, 1998), 119.
89 Southern Watchman Wednesday, September 4, 1861 Vol. VIII, No. 23, p. 63 states: the elections were held on Tuesday, September 3, 1861. Christopher's military documents show he was elected lieutenant colonel on either August 24, 1861 or August 30, 1861.
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