State Guards vs. State Troops vs State Line

[Northstep]

Trying to sort out the different descriptions. My ancestor served in Co. C 2nd Regt., GA State Line. I understand how Gov. John Brown, legally, was able to organize the 1st and 2nd State Line.

At nps.gov they list "2nd Regt GA State Line. Special Function: State (State Guard, State Line, State Troops, etc.)(Non Militia)"
This makes me think they are all the same thing.
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...State+Line,+State+Troops,+etc)+(Non+Militia)"

I understand the "Non Militia" meaning but what was the difference in a State Guard, State Line and State Troops?

 

[JSylvester]

@jepridgen @19thGeorgia @Northstep : The 1st and 2nd Regiments of Georgia State Line aided in the defence of Savannah (under the command of MG Gustavus Smith leading the Georgia Militia) and were lastly engaged at the Battle of Columbus on April 16/17 1865 (see David J. Dameron, The Battle of Columbus).

 

[Northstep]

@JSylvester Valuable information. Thank you!

 

[jepridgen]

@jepridgen I will let you know about the book! Since you are familiar with Governor "I Feel Good" Brown, do you have any idea why he would discharge a GA State Line soldier from service? My ancestor, the Capt. of his company in the State Line, recruited his youngest brother and his name appears on the initial muster roll and for the next 3 months. On the next roll is written, "Discharged by the Governor."
This brother was only 16 years old and I cannot image why he was discharged unless it was for a disability of some sort. I can find nothing showing he enlisted in any other regiment. Perhaps the records did not survive. There were two more brothers who served - one was a 1st Sgt in the 60th GA Regt Inf and the other in the 1st GA Regt Cavalry who died a POW at Rock Island in 1864. So, this was not a family who tried to avoid service.

That's a good question. Generally, a medical discharge would state that directly. Perhaps the father or mother wasn't too pleased with that recruitment and had some political pull. Since it was part of Joe Brown's army, he could do pretty what he wanted. Sometimes people were appointed to other government post, but I can't imagine a 16 year old would be going to an important post in state government. Did he get an appointment to the Georgia Military Institute?

 

[jepridgen]

@jepridgen @19thGeorgia @Northstep : The 1st and 2nd Regiments of Georgia State Line aided in the defence of Savannah (under the command of MG Gustavus Smith leading the Georgia Militia) and were lastly engaged at the Battle of Columbus on April 16/17 1865 (see David J. Dameron, The Battle of Columbus).

I have the Columbus book. Totally going to look back into it. Had no idea they were at Savannah. I knew Smith had the militia and the state reserves were there (got to do living history at Ft. McAllister last year depicting a company of reserves). They were literally spread everywhere by 65 like a lot of other units.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

NC and VA had State Reserves that were essentially over-age militia. NC also had a few Junior Reserves for underage militia.

Missouri State Militia became de facto normal infantry units as they remained in continous service, leaving the state to keep fighting for the Confederacy.

 

[JSylvester]

I have the Columbus book. Totally going to look back into it. Had no idea they were at Savannah. I knew Smith had the militia and the state reserves were there (got to do living history at Ft. McAllister last year depicting a company of reserves). They were literally spread everywhere by 65 like a lot of other units.

See the file attached (second image, at the bottom).

 

[jepridgen]

Awesome…there were actually a good number of them at Savannah. Overall, that's quite a hodgepodge of units!

 

[JSylvester]

Yes, but keep in mind they started with 1,250 effectives in the spring of 1864 (Newton, Lost for the Cause, p. 266):
1st GA State Line, Col Edward M Galt, 550 effectives/PFD
2nd GA State Line, Col James Wilson, 700 effectives/PFD
The number in the file above has to be at least aggregate present (due to it reflecting the number of rations drawn and not of men capable for the firing line), so they were pretty much decimated at that point.

 

[jepridgen]

Good point, I still expected the numbers to be smaller, but I guess I was looking at it from the "effective" strength point of view. As you pointed out, the 469 is EVERYBODY who could eat and not the number of muskets on the firing line. A little off topic, but have you seen anything on how they were armed?

 

[JSylvester]

Good point, I still expected the numbers to be smaller, but I guess I was looking at it from the "effective" strength point of view. As you pointed out, the 469 is EVERYBODY who could eat and not the number of muskets on the firing line. A little off topic, but have you seen anything on how they were armed?

I'm sorry, armaments are not particularly in my interest and Newton's work does not expand on that issue.

 

[jepridgen]

Just curious if Joe Brown acquired some Enfields for them like he did a lot of the earlier GA regiments that went into the CS Army.

 

[Northstep]

@jepridgen Found info about their armament. It's a great newspaper article that shows a report of Henry C. Wayne, Adjutant and Inspector Gen. of GA, for the year October 1862- October 1863 written to Governor Brown.

"… No sooner had these (2) Regiments been organized, then, under your orders, on calls for aid from Generals Beauregard and Mercer, they were placed in the field at Savannah, to meet a threatened attack of the enemy. ….. the 2nd Regt was attached to the Brigade of Confederate troops under the command of Gen. W. H. T. Walker and the 1st Regt. to the Brigade of Confederate troops under the command of Gen. Taliaferro.

The movements of the enemy indicating Charleston as the probable point of attack, Gen. Beauregard desired the presence of two regiments at that city and your permission for them to go having been given, and communicated to the regiments, thro' Gen Mercer, both of them, though held to service by agreement only within the territorial limits of GA, responded with cheers to the appeal of Gen. Beauregard, and repaired to Charleston under the command of the gallant Georgian, Gen W. H. T. Walker, whose Brigade had been also called to the defense of Carolina."

He describes how they were well receive at Charleston. Very interesting that they were able to leave GA.

He mentions that he has a force of 1,800 men, this was Oct. 1862-3. As @JSylvester said, the number was lower by the spring of 1864.

Also, mention of the Militia and he voices some very definite opinions.

"In August last the Conf. Gov. returned to the State 1500 Austrian Rifles to replace as many of the State's Enfield guns taken by Conf. officers on their arrival at ports in the Confederacy. One thousand of these rifles were turned over to the 2nd Regt, GA State Line, whose old muskets were turned over to the Home Guard, reporting at Resaca under your order of Sept. 5th, and one hundred were issued to a company in the 1st Regt that had arms of an old and inferior character."

Notice he says 100 rifles to "a company" of the 1st. I guess the other companies did not need them? Giving 1,000 to the 2nd makes me think they didn't have many to start with.

It's a long article but very interesting.
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014304/1863-11-22/ed-1/seq-2/

 

[jepridgen]

That's some awesome info. Thanks for looking it up. A lot in there interests me personally besides the Austrian rifles. One of the local defense units established in 1863 later became the unit for my direct ancestor in South Georgia. Also, I currently live very close to the Etowah bridge referenced in that report. Unfortunately, nothing is left of the fortifications there only the stone pilings for the bridge. I think they're putting a RV park or something on that very spot.

I did see that Gov. Brown had to give permission for them to cross over the state line, and they all had to volunteer. That shows it was definitely a time of great alarm for Brown to allow that. The muskets they handed over must certainly have been obsolete for the militia to end up with them.

 

[Pollaco]

Last November there was a biography or profile on Col. Stephen H. Darden. He was a Colonel in charge of some Texas State Troops that did a little "demolition work" for General Magruder along the Texas Coast.In that profile of him is a newspaper article about Darden but it also mentions the Texas State Troops.

 

[ShipYardRuss]

State Guard was basically the equivalent to today's National Guard. In Georgia for instance almost all fighting age men became Confederate regular army and left the state guard as an emergency reserve made up of young boys and old men.

State Troops (at least in places like Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas) were emergency reserve that were made up of guys who had deferments from frontline duty or were young boys and old men who were called up as an emergency force. Like the Mississippi State Troops during the seige of Vicksburg and Jackson. The Texas State Troops were just lightly armed militias who kept the Indians out and were oftentimes called up to assist the pro-Confederate tribes in Oklahoma.

The Home Guards were the same thing as the above and were technically a civil extension of the regular army but just maintained civil order and requisitioned goods for frontline troops from Confederate citizens through rationing.

Florida had the same sort of system for home guard with added things like Florida Revenue Marine (coast guard) and various companies that were raised by those with the money to do it.

And it wasn't always protecting people. But don't take this as gospel. Bit don't take it like McCorkle's book either.