So, here's what I've got, thanks to Steve Grethe (
@Hannover ), Alfred Young,
@bschulte , and others:
I can't seem to find the numbers for Colquitt's Brigade at Antietam. I recalled Steve emailing me a pdf containing his tabulations for the various Confederate units at Antietam, their strengths and casualties, but I can't find them. Shame, as it would make for a great comparison. Whatever, what I have is enough.
I do have Steve's doc file containing his tabulations for Chancellorsville. The numbers he has are from Osprey, and for Colquitt's Brigade in particular, he provides the following:
- 4th (Colquitt's) Brigade, D. H. Hill's (Rodes') Division (2623 officers & men): BG Alfred H. Colquitt
- Staff (4)
- 6th Georgia Infantry (616): Col. John T. Lofton
- 19th Georgia Infantry (367): Col. Andrew J. Hutchins
- 23rd Georgia Infantry (649): Col. Emory F. Best
- 27th Georgia Infantry (657): Col. Charles T. Zachry
- 28th Georgia Infantry (330): Col. Tully Graybill
As you may notice, the brigade is absolutely massive all things considered, and three of the five regiments in the brigade number over 600 men. Not bad for a brigade supposedly "destroyed" (understatement of the century).
According to Stephen Sears (
Chancellorsville, Appendix II, pg. 497), the brigade suffered the following casualties at Chancellorsville:
- 4th (Colquitt's) Brigade, D. H. Hill's (Rodes') Division: 9 k, 128 w, 312 m, 449 total
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 2 k, 29 w, 2 m, 33 total
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 3 k, 33 w, 11 m, 47 total
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 0 k, 3 m, 296 m, 299 total
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 2 k, 39 w, 1 m, 42 total
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 2 k, 24 w, 2 m, 28 total
As you can tell, the brigade didn't suffer badly at Chancellorsville (partly because of errors made on Alfred Colquitt's part as well as the situation of the battle). Indeed, most of the losses came in the form of men captured, particularly in the 23rd Georgia on May 2nd, when Union III Corps skirmishers pounced upon them and bagged half the regiment as it performed screening duty for Jackson's flank march. And those men would all be exchanged and returned to duty, so the brigade really didn't suffer significant loss here.
I do not have numbers for the brigade at Olustee. I do have casualty figures, however (
see this doc I compiled on the Battle of Olustee):
- Colquitt's Brigade: 39 k, 362 w, 2 m, 403 total
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 5 k, 56 w, 0 m, 61 total
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 6 k, 88 w, 0 m, 94 total
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 2 k, 66 w, 2 m, 70 total
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 7 k, 67 w, 0 m, 74 total
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 10 k, 85 w, 0 m, 95 total
The brigade fought hard and well at Olustee by most if not all accounts. And indeed, it seems that despite the heavy combat losses suffered here, they remained a strong brigade when they transferred back to Virginia. There, they'd join Beauregard's force to deal with Benjamin Butler's advance from Bermuda Hundred. Before the fight at Drewry's Bluff, Alfred Young (
North & South, Series II, Volume 4 No. 2, 56) estimated their numbers on May 14th:
- Colquitt's Brigade: 1890 officers & men
- Brigade Staff: 5
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 395
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 350
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 370
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 410
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 360
Certainly the brigade was far leaner than they were with Lee around Chancellorsville, likely a combination of casualties in that battle, Olustee and activity around Charleston. However, they were still a potent, veteran brigade.
Young's figures for the Bermuda Hundred Campaign (
Lee's Army in the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study, Appendix A, 330):
- Colquitt's Brigade: 22 k, 140 w, 1 m, 163 total
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 10 k, 75 w, 0 m, 85 total
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 4 k, 32 w, 0 m, 36 total
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 4 k, 25 w, 1 m, 30 total
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 0 k, 0 w, 0 m, 0 total
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 4 k, 8 w, 0 m, 12 total
Young estimated casualties for the brigade between May 6th & 16th at 160 killed, wounded, missing and captured, and circa May 18th-19th, shows the difference (
N&S ibid.):
- Colquitt's Brigade: 1730 officers & men
- Brigade Staff: 5
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 310
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 310
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 340
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 410
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 355
They'd then join Hoke's Division, which would soon see combat at Cold Harbor at the end of May and the first week of June. He records the following losses at Cold Harbor (
Lee's Army in the Overland Campaign, ibid.)
- Colquitt's Brigade: 40 k, 142 w, 1 w&c, 4 m, 187 total
- Brigade Staff: 0 k, 1 w, 0 w&c, 0 m, 1 total
- 6th Georgia Infantry: 6 k, 12 w, 0 w&c, 0 m, 18 total
- 19th Georgia Infantry: 1 k, 11 w, 0 w&c, 1 m, 13 total
- 23rd Georgia Infantry: 9 k, 18 w, 0 w&c, 0 m, 27 total
- 27th Georgia Infantry: 16 k, 62 w, 1 w&c, 3 m, 82 total
- 28th Georgia Infantry: 8 k, 38 w, 0 w&c, 0 m, 46 total
On June 12th, Young records the strength of Colquitt's Brigade at 1545 officers & men (
Lee's Army in the Overland Campaign, Table 19, pg. 247). From June 16th thru 18th, the brigade took part in the Second Battle of Petersburg, helping repulse Grant's failed attempt to take the Cockade City by assault; they lost about 126 men in the process (
N&S, ibid.) After that, the brigade would play a peripheral role at the Crater, suffering 4 killed and 27 wounded (O.R. Volume 40, Part 1,
793), then take part in Mahone's flank attack at Globe Tavern on August 19th (suffering around 120 casualties, though that's speculative due to a lack of casualty reports available), then in Hoke's ill-fated assault on Fort Harrison on September 30th, suffering 223 casualties according to Richard J. Sommers.
In late december, the brigade, along with the rest of Hokes' Division, would transfer to Wilmington to assist in the defense of Fort Fisher. On New Years Eve, 1864-1865, an inspection report (3-P-46, M935, NARA Record Group 109) placed the strength of the brigade as follows:
- Colqutt's Brigade (1460 officers & men): BG Alfred H. Colquitt
- Brigade Staff (8 officers & men)
- 6th Georgia Infantry (319 officers & men): Col. John T. Lofton
- 19th Georgia Infantry (244 officers & men): Col. James H. Neal
- 23rd Georgia Infantry (269 officers & men): Col. Marcus R. Ballenger
- 27th Georgia Infantry (324 officers & men): Col. Charles T. Zachry
- 28th Georgia Infantry (296 officers & men): Capt. John A. Johnson
(Note, these records can be found
here)
As you can tell, compared to their strength on May 14th, they've depreciated just barely. Still, by the dawn of 1865, they are a large veteran brigade, which is becoming quite rare in the Confederacy.
The brigade would take part in the fighting around Fort Fisher and Wilmington, and later would take prominent part in the Battle of Wyse's Fork (March 8th-10th 1865), where they sustained 5 killed, 46 wounded, and 30 captured (Wade Sokolosky & Mark A. Smith,
To Prepare for Sheman's Coming: The Battle of Wyse Fork March 1865, Appendix C, 258). On March 17th, the eve of the Battle of Bentonville, Hoke reported the strength of Colquitt's Brigade at 1232 officers & men (O.R. Volume 47, Part 2,
1424). In the four days of action around Bentonville, the brigade suffered the following losses (O.R. Volume 47, Part 1,
1080):
- March 19th: 33 k, 163 w, 18 m, 214 total
- March 20th: 0 k, 1 w, 1 m, 2 total
- March 21st: 7 k, 13 w, 2 m, 22 total
- March 22nd: 1 k, 1 w, 2 m, 4 total
- Total: 41 k, 178 w, 23 m, 242 total
When the brigade finally surrender at Bennett Place, April 26th 1865, it was the largest brigade in Hoke's Division, and one of the only brigades in the army that didn't see any of its regiments consolidated:
- Colquitt's Brigade (736 officers & men): BG Alfred H. Colquitt
- Brigade Staff (8)
- 6th Georgia Infantry (152): Maj. James M. Culpepper
- 19th Georgia Infantry (135): Maj. William Hamilton
- 23rd Georgia Infantry (92): Col. Marcus R. Ballenger
- 27th Georgia Infantry (229): Col. Charles T. Zachry
- 28th Georgia Infantry (122): Ltc. William P. Crawford
Certainly, the brigade had suffered heavily after Bentonville, mostly by desertions. Whereas most of the figures in this thread are predominantely PFD or another equivalent figure for potential combat strength, this final return is simply the aggregate present. Many men seemed to have deserted the ranks of the army in this time, especially after news of Lee's surrender reached camp. It certainly was more fit for duty than other brigades in Hoke's Division. The Tarheels of Kirkland's Brigade, who numbered 1093 officers & men before Bentonville, and suffered just 113 casualties there, numbered just 218 officers & men aggregate by the surrender.
Hope this was informative for a lot of folks.
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