The 38th Virginia Infantry: Finding the Men in the 1860 Census

by Robert Lee Snow
474 pgs.

The 38th Virginia Infantry was organized in May and June of 1861, in the southern Virginia counties of Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Mecklenburg. Seven of the ten Companies were recruited in Pittsylvania, thus it was called the Pittsylvania Regiment.

Less than a year prior, census takers unknowingly finished recording for posterity the men who would go to war. An in depth study shows seven Virginia counties and six North Carolina counties bordering the recruitment area of Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Mecklenburg would contribute men to the 38th Virginia.

The 38th Virginia Infantry was in the field of battle from Yorktown in April of 1862, to Appomattox on April 9, 1865. The largest losses suffered were at the battles of 7 Pines, Malvern Hill, Gettysburg, Chester Station, and the 2nd Battle of Drewry's Bluff.

Herein is detail on the Orders of Battle, the prison camps endured, and the names of parents and wives of the soldiers, with focus on the census of 1860. The book includes numerous photographs and genealogy material not found elswhere

Any American genealogy study delves into the Civil War, and the coupling of military records with the censuses of 1850-1870 are a good basis for a biography.

The inability to find some census records of relatives with surnames like Nunnelee and Treuthart led to Bob revisiting the written censuses. The discovery of many of the records by doing so, was part of the idea to do the same in researching the genealogies of the soldiers of the 38th Virginia Infantry. This revealed numerous misinterpreted records which were in limbo. The exposure of these records adds crucial information to some biographies, and in certain instances reveals a man lost in time.

Contents