Help finding info on Confederate ancestor.

VeronicaLake12 said:
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I didn't even have to take my shoes off - seven minutes.

Any indication of his age at the date of enlistment, @lupaglupa ?

Lilburn Surber

BIRTH22 Apr 1837
Smyth County, Virginia, USA
DEATH28 Nov 1921 (aged 84)
Smyth County, Virginia, USA
BURIALElizabeth Cemetery
Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia, USA
www.findagrave.com

Lilburn Surber (1837-1921) - Find a Grave Memorial

Son of James R. Surber and Sarah Elizabeth Talbert Surber and husband of Mary Jane Holmes
www.findagrave.com www.findagrave.com
 
 
VeronicaLake12 said:
Lilburn Surber from Smyth County Virginia. 50th Virginia Regiment? 23rd Virginia Battalion? That's all I've been told from s family member. Help please and thank you.
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My 3rd great grandfather was Walter Lindsey Harper. He was in Co. D; Enlisted 8/22/61 in Tazewell. Present until detached to handle transportation 3/5/64. Transferred to the 37th Cav. 10/25/64. I have attached the record of your ancestor as shown in Scott's book.

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VeronicaLake12 said:
Lilburn Surber from Smyth County Virginia. 50th Virginia Regiment? 23rd Virginia Battalion? That's all I've been told from s family member. Help please and thank you.
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My 3rd great grandfather, Walter Linsey Harper (1843-1875) Co. D, 23 Battalion, Virginia Infantry, enlisted 8/26/61 in Tazewell. Present until detached to handle transportation 3/5/64. He transferred to the 37th Cavalry on 10/25/64. Since your ancestor enlisted in Co. E on 9/14/61 through at least 8/1/64, they would have shared a lot of the same experiences. They fought together in some significant battles including Fort Donaldson, Battle of Charleston, White Sulphur Springs, Droop Mountain, New Market, Totopotomoy Creek, Cold Harbor, Lynchburg, and Winchester. The following is the account taken from J.L. Scott's 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry book.

In the spring of 1861, military units began to form across Virginia in an answer to a call to arms from Gov. Letcher. Only a small number of units such as the 1st Virginia Infantry were in existence. These units along with the local militia were all of the organized military force that existed in the state. While the men of these units occasionally met and drilled, their time was more often spent attending local functions or parades where their main role was to serve as color guards.

Many of the military units that were formed early in the war came together at a given time and location and essentially remained as organized throughout the war. This was not the case of the 23rd battalion. The battalion's formation was more complex.

By the end of 1861, it was apparent that the quick end to the war that everyone had expected was not to be. There was an urgent need to rebuild units that were made up of one year enlistees. New troops were recruited and many existing units were reorganized. The 23rd Battalion Va Infantry was born from the reorganization of the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862.

On January 15, 1862, the battalion was created with the assignment of 5 companies, A-E. Command of the new unit fell to Maj. David Stuart Hounshell. But the formation of the battalion was on paper only and it seems likely Maj Hounshell never took physical command of the battalion. At the most, he may have led one or two companies that were temporarily unassigned to other units.

Each of the original 5 companies that comprised the 23rd battalion had been formed several months earlier and assigned to different regiments under the command of Gen. John B Floyd. The actual organization of the battalion began a year after the war began. By that time, those who formed the rank and file were not raw recruits. Most of the men were tested veterans as witnessed by a brief description of their military activities before the spring of 1862. At this time, more men from Smyth County occupied the ranks of the 23rd than from any other location. The citizens of Smyth County felt strongly on the matter of secession even though many in southwest Virginia were divided over the issue.

Three companies from Smyth County that eventually belonged to the 23rd began to organize in July. All 3 companies completed their organization and mustered their men on September 14, 1861. Patrick Buchanan's company enlisted at Chatham Hill. William Blessing's company enlisted at the Holston Woolen Mill along the south branch of the Holston River, William McDonald's company enlisted in the town of Marion. Blessing and Buchanan were both farmers in their mid 30s, while McDonald was a 30 year old merchant. The 3 companies were recruited under the guidance of Lt. Col. James Woods Massey. Massey was an officer in the 51st Virginia Infantry and had been requested by Gen. Floyd to raise a second regiment of troops. When the 3 new companies were mustered into the service of the Confederacy on November 1, 1861, they were called Floyd's 3rd Regiment. The 3rd Regiment was not the only name the battalion would be called during the duration of the war. It was also known as the 1st Battalion, Hounshell's Battalion, and the Derek's Battalion.



Floyd's new regiment was never completely organized, and the 3 Smyth County companies were attached to other regiments under Floyd's command. Capt. Buchanan's company became Company L of the 50th Va Infantry. There are no records to show for certain where the two remaining companies were assigned, but in all probability, they were either attached to the 50th VA as well or the 51st VA.

At the time, the 3 Smyth County companies were mustered into the Confederate Army, Gen Floyd was camped on Cotton Hill near Fayetteville in the present-day state of West Virginia. The 3 remaining companies that would come together to form the 23rd Battalion the following spring were also present at the Cotton Hill encampment. These additional units included 2 companies of men from Tazewell County under the command of Capts. Williams Cecil and George Gose and a company from Mercer County formed under Capt. John R. Dunlap.

Capt William Preston Cecil's company had been organized in Tazewell County in late August 1861. (This is when my 3rd great grandfather Walter Linsey Harper enlisted). The company was then attached to the 51st Va infantry as Company L. Capt. Cecil was 41 years old when he enlisted. Cecil's company saw its first combat at Carnifex Ferry just 3 weeks after being formed.

The 6 companies that formed the 23rd battalion had enlisted approximately 375 volunteers. Most were of a farm background and their ages ranged from Sherrad Adkins, who was 54 years old, to Noah Sherwood, who was only 14 years old.

Feb 11, 1862 – Battle of Fort Donaldson – As part of Floyd's 51st Va

Apr 21, 1862 – West Point graduate Clarence Derrick was given the rank of Lt. Col. and placed in command of the battalion. Derrick was a 24-year-old native of Washington, DC. He had served briefly with a light artillery unit at the beginning of the war before he became an assistant adjutant to Gen. Floyd. Derrick served Floyd well at Fort Donaldson and was helpful in the evacuation of Nashville.

May 16, 1862 – an engagement in Princeton (official records do not mention the 23rd as being involved in the fighting, but Princeton was mentioned in a postwar account of Derrick's military career.)

August 5, 1862 – Pack's Ferry (attack on a Union Outpost)

September 6, 1862 - With hope of regaining the salt-rich valley that had fallen into Union control nearly a year before, 5,000 troops including the 23rd Battalion began a march toward the Kanawha Valley.

September 10, 1862 – Battle of Fayetteville (3-hour engagement that led to the Federals abandoning their post and opened the door to Charlestown)

September 11, 1862 – Cotton Hill (fighting took place as they continued their march to Charleston)

September 13, 1862 – Battle of Charleston - Confederate Col. John McCausland was the first to approach Charleston. Lt Derrick's 23rd Battalion was ordered forward as scrimmagers. The battalion advanced in a manner such that the left of the line swept through the town of Charleston while the right flank would occupy the hills just out of town. McCausland commanded the 22nd and 36th Va regiments, the 23rd Battalion, and two batteries of artillery. The Confederate troops occupied the town of Charleston the next day. Control of the salt works in the Kanawha Valley meant a relief of the shortage of salt that the Confederacy had felt. Wagons loaded with that element vital to preserving food rolled from Charleston. The price of salt fell from $5 to 35 cents a bushel.

Winter 1862 – as the men wintered at Camp Narrows, the battalion added a 7th company, Co. H. They consisted of many men from Stokes County, NC, and was mustered in at Wytheville on April 1, 1863. With the addition of Co H, the organization of the 23rd battalion Virginia infantry was complete and remained the same until the end of the war.

By April 1863, Gen. Echoll's brigade, which consisted of the 23rd and 26th Virginia battalions, the 22nd and 45th Virginia Regiments, and George Chapman's artillery, numbered 2,122 men.

Summer 1863 – The 23rd spent most of the summer camped in the vicinity of Lewisburg.

August 5, 1963 - Union Gen. William W. Averell was in command of the federal troops in western Virginia. He began to advance from the North toward Lewisburg. Lewisburg was the site of the state law library and contained land records for the western counties that formed the new state of West Virginia. With Col. George S Patton (grandfather of WWII Gen. George S. Patton) now in command of the Confederate brigade, Patton moved his men along Anthony Creek Rd in an attempt to get behind Averell and trap him between his forces and that of Col. William L. Jackson's Confederate Cavalry.

August 26-27, 1863 – The Battle of White Sulphur Springs. The fighting at White Sulphur Springs was the worst to date for the men of the 23rd Battalion. Averell's losses numbered 151 killed or wounded, and 67 taken prisoner. Patton reported his loss to have been 154 killed or wounded and 12 missing. Three members of the 23rd were left dead on the battlefield and 18 others were wounded.

Fall 1863 – While a large portion of Confederate troops, including the 45th Virginia Infantry and much of the Cavalry, was order to East Tennessee in the fall, Averell was determined to strike the Confederates in the Greenbriar Valley once again. He began to march toward Lewisburg at the same time Gen. Alfred Duffie rode with his federal Cavalry from Charleston. Once the two forces were joined, the federals would have approximately 5000 men.

November 6, 1863 – Battle of Droop Mountain - The federal army of Brig. Gen. Averell in his second attempt to disrupt the Virginia-Tennessee railroad faced again the Confederal troops of Brig Gen. John Echols. The brigade was awakened around 2:30 in the morning and took up a line of march under Col. George S. Patton to Droop Mountain. Throughout the morning, Echols'smaller confederate army held the high ground and blocked the highway with artillery, but in afternoon was overwhelmed by the crushing advance of federal infantry on his left flank. Following the collapse of his line, Echols retreated south into Virginia with the remnants of his command.

The Battle of Droop Mountain replaced White Sulphur Springs as the worst of the war for the men of the 23rd Battalion. Col. Patton had estimated the strength of the 23rd at 350 men when he entered the fight. If that number is correct, more than 1 out of every 6 members of the battalion were casualties at the Battle of Drop Mountain.

December 22, 1863 – The 23rd was encamped at Northrup, south of Lewisburg in Greenbriar County. They settled into winter quarters there. The battalion had lost 11 lives to battle in 1863. An additional 9 men had died of disease or unknown causes. The wounded numbered in the dozes and more than 30 members of the battalion were suffering through the winter in northern prison camps. Just as the fighting had intensified in 1863 over what the men had experienced the previous year, the coming year would see a further increase in military action.

May 6, 1864 – The brigade was inspected. The inspector found the brigade in a "thorough state of discipline and efficiency and their military bearing and appearance was soldierly and imposing." The strength of the 23rd Battalion was 579 men. The battalion would never again be as well off as they were in May 1864. The brigade broke camp and began to march toward Stoughton. Union Gen. Franz Sigel was coming up the valley with nearly 9,000 troops. 6 months of constant marching was just beginning for Echols' men. He marched his brigade 17 miles the first day out of Camp Northrup. The following day he marched another 20 miles, just past the town of Covington.

May 8, 1864 – The brigade was at Jackson River Depot, where Echols was joined by Gen. John C. Breckinridge. While Echols had been marching north, Union troops were moving from the Kanawha Valley. The federal plan was for the troops of Averell and Gen. George Crooke to move from the Kanawha Valley, destroy the Virginia and Tennessee railroad and then join forces with Sigel and march east against Lynchburg. Once in Lynchburg, the railroad and supply line to Richmond would be severed.

May 11, 1864 – The men of Breckinridge and Echols were in Stoughton and prepared to block Sigel's advance. The southern army numbered approximately 4,500 men, while Sigel had nearly twice that number at his disposal.

May 14, 1864 – Breckinridge and Echols were joined by Gen. John D. Imboden's men some ten miles south of New Market. With the addition of Imboden's troops the Confederate Army that awaited Gen. Sigel numbered approximately 5,300 men with 18 pieces of artillery.

May 15, 1864 – Battle of New Market – Breckinridge approached New Market with 2 brigades, the first under Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton consisted of the 51st Va, the 30th Va Battalion, the 62nd Va Mounted Infantry, and a detachment of cavalry that fought as infantry. Gen Echols' brigade consisted of the 23rd and 26th Va Battalions, the 22nd Va Infantry, and Chapman's Battery. Breckinridge's reserves consisted primarily of the 23rd Va Cavalry and approximately 225 cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. Gen. Echols was ill, and Gen. Patton played a major role as commander of Echols' troops. Sigel was soundly defeated and nearly 850 of his men were casualties. Breckinridge lost approximately 550 men killed, wounded or captured. 3 members of the 23rd Battalion were among the dead.

May 17, 1864 – By 5 a.m., Echols' brigade was on the march toward Stoughton.

May 19-27, 1864 – Gen. Grant was moving against Richmond and Breckinridge was summoned to aid Gen. Lee. Breckinridge had the men of Echols' brigade loaded on railcars at Stoughton and transported east to Hanover Junction. From Hanover Junction, the brigade marched across the South Anna River at Taylorsville to Hanover Depot. From there, the men marched to Ashland, and by May 27, were camped within 10 miles of Richmond.

May 28-31, 1864 – The brigade moved to Atlee's Station and the men went into a trench line at Totopotomoy Creek. The men of the 23rd Battalion remained in the trenches for several days, scrimmaging constantly. The heaviest of the fighting occurred on May 30.

June 1-2, 1864 – The men of the 23rd Battalion moved from their trenches and advanced on the federal breastworks. The fighting claimed at least 6 men from the ranks of the 23rd Battalion. The majority of the dead were from Co. E. After the fighting ended on June 2, the 23rd marched to rejoin the brigade at Cold Harbor.

June 3, 1864 – Cold Harbor – The 23rd Battalion was placed in a line of battle just to the right of the salient (a projecting angle) in Breckinridge's breastworks. Early in the morning of June 3, Grant ordered his men to attack the fortified southern position along a wide front. Perhaps as many as 50,000 union troops joined the assault. Breckinridge was positioned near the Confederate right flank. The fighting was fierce, often hand-to-hand. The 23rd lost two more men during the fighting at Cold Harbor. In all, the fighting around Richmond cost the battalion 9 dead, 15 wounded, and 7 others were taken prisoner. Grant's losses were enormous. In the first hours of fighting, 7,000 of his Union troops fell. Grant finally called off his attack.

June 4, 1864 – Fighting was minimal.

June 5-6, 1864 – Spent in camp.

June 5, 1864 – The federals were on the march again in the Shenandoah Valley and Breckinridge was again ordered to stop the Union movement.

June 18, 1964 – Battle of Lynchburg – Echols' brigade under Gen. Patton was placed in a defensive line around the city. The men took position on Graveyard Hill and many of the troops spent the night alongside tombstones. Breckinridge's troops fought to the south of the forest road and primarily had to deal with Union cavalry.

When Ulysses S. Grant was defeated at Cold Harbor, rather than withdraw to Washington DC as Union commanders had before, he remained in the vicinity of Richmond. When the federals abandoned Shenandoah Valley on their retreat from Lynchburg, Gen. Lee and Early devised a plan to take some of the pressure off the southern troops around Richmond. The plan called for Early to march down the Shenandoah and move toward Washington DC. As the infantry advanced on the union capital, Early's cavalry was to cut rail and communication lines around Baltimore and then move toward the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. Thousands of southern prisoners of war might be released and eventually armed with weapons taken from Washington arsenals.

June 27, 1864 – Early's army numbered approximately 20,000 men when it arrived in Stoughton. Col George Patton of the 22nd Va was in command of the brigade that included the 23rd Battalion and was part of Gen. Breckinridge's division.

July 4, 1964 – Breckinridge's division skirmished with federal troops near Martinsburg and occupied the town.

July 5, 1864 – Early crossed the Potomac River and went into camp near Sharpsburg.

July 9, 1864 – Early drove a small federal force from Frederick, Maryland and occupied the city.

July 11, 1964 – Washington Raid - From their position at Silver Springs, the men of the 23rd battalion could see the Union capital and Fort Stephens. Early made a few probing maneuvers but did not try to occupy the city. During the night, Early learned that one of his objectives had been reached as two divisions of federal troops were in route to Washington, relieving some of the pressure around Richmond. Several members of the 23rd were taken prisoner during the Washington Raid.

July 16, 1864 – Early moved back toward the Shenandoah Valley, skirmishing at Purcellville.

July 24, 1864 – Early suddenly turned and attacked federals under Gen. George Crooke at Kernstown. Crooke had received word that a force of Confederates was approaching but thought it would be nothing more than a reconnaissance mission. He sent a detachment to run the southerners away, but what he found was the entire division of Gen. John B. Gordon. As Gordon occupied the Union front, Breckinridge moved his division, which included the 23rd Battalion, to the left flank and overran the Union right. Two members of the 23rd were killed at Kernstown and 5 others were wounded.

July 27, 1864 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was Early's next target, and several miles of track was destroyed.

August 4, 1864 - Early crossed the Potomac River and skirmished near Sharpsburg.

August 6 - 9, 1864 – Early made it appear that he was once again moving toward northern invasion, but then he recrossed the Potomac at Williamsport on August 6. His army marched through Darkesville and on to Bunker Hill.

Early was constantly on the move in an attempt to confuse the federal as to his actual strength. Echols' brigade including the 23rd Battalion was still under the command of Patton. Patton's command joined with the brigades to Col Thomas Smith and August Forsberg in a division under Gen. Gabriel C Wharton.

August 10, 1864 – Skirmished along the Berryville Road near Winchester.

August 11, 1864 – In action again near the intersection of Millwood and Winchester Road and the road to Front Royal.

August 15, 1864 – Phil Sheridan had assumed command of the federals in the valley a week earlier and Early hoped to lure him into a major engagement.

August 17, 1864 - Wharton's division drove in a federal outpost at Hupps Hill and attacked another at Kernstown. Later the same day, Early attacked Sheridan's rear guard just sound of Winchester. Early hit Sheridan with the two divisions of Wharton and Gordon. Wharton's division was on the left with Patton in the center, Smith on the right, and Forsberg on the left. The federals were pushed back until darkness ended the fighting. The 23rd suffered casualties once again.

August 18, 1864 – The southerners continued to push the federals from Winchester and the 23rd Battalion had another casualty that day. The war had taken a dramatic turn for the men of the 23rd. in the early years of the war, army life meant long encampments with an occasional encounter with the enemy. But now life in the army was constant marching, with daily and even twice-a-day engagements on the battlefield.

August 19, 1864 – Gen Echols, whose intermittent illness had kept him from leading his brigade, was assigned command of the district of southwest Virginia. Patton assumed official command of the brigade that he had led for the past year.

August 23, 1864 – Patton's men were in action again at Charles Town, as the daily routine of marching and fighting resumed.

August 25, 1864 – They were involved in fighting again while moving along the road at Leetown. The day's fighting cost the 23rd 3 more killed and two wounded.

August 29, 1864 – They were engaged with the federals at Payne's Chapel. Patton occupied the right flank as the Confederates drove the federals back to Charles Town.

Early had been scrimmaging daily with Ferals and had enjoyed favorable results. Lee was under extreme pressure around Richmond and gambled that Sheridan was not looking for a major fight. Lee ordered the division of Richard Anderson to leave Gen Early and come to Petersburg. That left Gen. Early with approximately 15,000 troops. Unknown to the southerners, Grant and Sheridan had been quietly building Union forces in the valley to 40,000 strong.

September 18, 1864 – Early divided his army, sending the divisions under Gordon and Rhodes toward Martinsburg, where he had received word that the federals were repairing the rail lines that he had destroyed earlier in the month. With Early's army divided, Sheridan seized the opportunity to attack.

September 19, 1864 – Battle of Winchester – Just after midnight, Sheridan began to form his troops. By 3 a.m. Gen Early was notified of the advance and sent word to Rhodes and Gordan to return. The initial thrust of the Union army pushed the advance of the southerners back to the line of Ramseur's division. Wharton's division was ordered to hold its ground and protect the left flank of the southern defense. Wharton's troops, along with artillery battalion, under Lt. Col Floyd King prepared for the Union advance. Forsberg's brigade moved forward and soon came under attack by the federal cavalry under the command of George Armstrong Custer. Once the federals made contact with Wharton's division, their advance was halted and little occurred for several hours. A major cavalry attack followed that was met with musketry and artillery. The federals fell back and maintained their position.

Meanwhile, the federals were putting great pressure on the outnumbered Confederates of Early's main force.

Early sent a message for Wharton and the Artillery to return to his main line. While the southern troops withdrew, they were attacked. As the federals advanced, the artillery of Floyd King's battalion unlimbered and with the support of Patton's brigade, opened on the enemy. The firing became so intense that William Lowry's battery exhausted all of its ammunition and was forced to withdraw. Wharton's troops were finally able to withdraw to the main southern line north of Winchester and for most of the afternoon, the fighting was even.

Around 5 that afternoon, the troops of George Crooke began to move from the Union right and crossed the Redbud Run. Crooke's men were met with a murderous fire, and many fell. But the federal advance continued. The Union infantry was joined by cavalry and the thin Confederate lines were breached. The men of the 23rd Battalion were in the midst of "a whirlwind of galloping horses and swinging sabres."

The southern flank broke, and men began to retreat through the town. The 23rd Battalion lost officers and men alike. Clarence Derrick was run over by a Union Cavalryman and captured. No less than 141 men from the 23rd Battalion were taken prisoner, and at least 3 members of the Battalion were dead. Col Patton, who commanded the brigade, fell mortally wounded and died a week later. Early suffered some 4,000 casualties, or nearly a third of his army.

September 22, 1864 – Sheridan attacked again on the morning, and once again the hardest fighting was on the southern left as Crooke flanked the Confederates. Early lost another 1,500 men. Since the 23rd Battalion was away from the heavy fighting their losses were light, one wounded and 3 captured.

September 27, 1864 – Early's troops had moved back to Port Republic.

September 29, 1864 – Patton's brigade was inspected. It numbered only 266 men.

October 19, 1864 – Cedar Creek -The federals thought that Early was finished in the Shenandoah, but during the early morning hours, the southern troops, who were outnumbered more than 3 to 1, began to advance on the federal camp at Cedar Creek. They hit the sleeping 6th, 8th, and 19th core and swept them from the field. The federals fell back through Middletown as the Confederates helped themselves to abandoned goods in the federal camp. Sheridan, who had not been in the camp during the initial attack, returned to his troops and regrouped the federals. By afternoon, the superior numbers of the Union army were evident as they began their own advance. Early had struck his last blow and was forced to give in to the overwhelming numbers of the Union Army. The glorious southern victory of just a few hours past turned into defeat. The 23rd suffered 1 wounded and 3 captured at Cedar Creek.

For the remainder of the year, the battalion marched and camped between New Market and a point within a few miles of Winchester. For the southwest Virginia troops camped in the valley, 1864 had been by far the worst year of the war. At least 26 Battalion members had been killed in battle and more than 150 had been taken prisoner.

My grandfather transferred to the 37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry on 10/25/64.
 
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