Georgia 8th Infantry Battalion

HISTORICAL NOTES: The Georgia 8th Infantry Battalion was organized with six companies during the early spring of 1862 at Savannah, Georgia. Some of the men were from Adairsville and Thornburgh, and Gordon County. For a time the unit served in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, then it was assigned to Gist’s Brigade, Army of Tennessee. After the operations in North Mississippi, it fought with the army from Chickamauga to Nashville and ended the war in North Carolina. This battalion contained 232 men and 183 arms in December, 1863, and was included in the surrender on April 26, 1865.

They were on duty at Charleston, S.C. and the Georgia coast, until May 1863, when they were sent as a part of Gist’s brigade, from South Carolina, to the reinforcement of General Joseph Johnston at Jackson, Mississippi. They were in battle at Jackson in May and July and participated in the march to the Big Black River, via Yazoo City, for the relief of Vicksburg.

After the evacuation of Jackson, they were transferred to the army of Tennessee in time to take part in the battle of Chickamaugh. Adjutant Gray participated in the two days conflict and in the siege of Chattanooga and the battle of Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, including the battles of Rocky Face, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta (July 22nd), Jonesboro, and the winter campaign in Tennessee, made memorable by the terrible experiences of the army at Franklin and Nashville and on the retreat. Officers:
Lieutenant Colonels Asahel Littlefield, Leroy Napier, Jr., J.T. Reid, and Zachariah L. Watters; and Majors John W. Gray, B.F. Hunt, and Edward F. Morgan. Assignments:
•April 30, 1862 Second Brigade, District of Georgia, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
•June 30, 1862 Attached, District of Georgia, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
•March 13, 1863 Attached Infantry, First Military District of South Carolina, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
•July 1, 1863 Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
•September 1, 1863 Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, Reserve Corpts, Army of Tennessee
•October 15, 1863 Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, Longstreet’s Corps, Army of Tennessee
•December 30, 1863 Gist’s Birgade, Walker’s Division, Hardee’s Corps, Amy of Tennessee
•July 15, 1864 Gist’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division, Hardee’s Corps, Army of Tennessee
•December 10, 1864 (Consolidated with the Sixty-Fifth Georgia Infantry) Gist’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division, Cheatham’s Corps, Army of Tennessee
•April 9, 1865 (Consolidated with the Second Georgia Sharpshooters Battalion and the 65th Georgia Infantry) Gist’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division, Hardee’s Corps, Army of Tennessee
Battles:

Operations Against the Advance of Jackson, Miss., July 5-10, 1863/Siege, Jackson, Miss., July 10-16, 1863/Evacuation, Jackson, Miss., July 16, 1863

Battle, Chickamauga, Ga., Sept 19-21, 1863

Siege, Chattanooga, Tenn., Sept. 24-Nov. 23

Campaign, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Ringgold, Ga., Nov. 23-27, 1863

Assault and Capture, Missionary Ridge, Tenn., Nov. 24-25, 1863

Atlanta Campaign, May 1-Sept. 8, 1864

Demonstration against Rocky Faced Ridge, Ga., May 8-11, 1864

Combat, Buzzard’s Roost Gap (Mill Creek), Ga., May 8-9, 1864

Combats near Cassville, Ga., May 18-19, 1864

Operations on the line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and Battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills, Ga., May 25-June 5, 1864

Combat, New Hope Church, Ga., May 25, 1864

Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain, Ga., June 10-July 2, 1864

Combats about Pine Hill, Ga., June 11-14, 1864

Combats about Lost Mountain, Ga., June 15-17, 1864

Assault, Kennesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864

Operations on the line of Nickajack Creek, Ga., July 5-17, 1864

Operations on the line of the Chattachoochee River, Ga., July 5-17, 1864

Combat, Howell’s Ferry, Ga., July 5, 1864

Battle, Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 19-20, 1864

Battle, Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864

Siege, Atlanta, Ga., July 23-Aug. 25, 1864

Battle, Jonesborough, Ga., Aug. 31- Sept. 1, 1864

Engagement, Lovejoy Station, Ga., Sept. 2-5, 1864

Hood’s Operations in Northern Georgia and Northern Alabama, Sept. 29-Nov. 3, 1864

Battle, Franklin, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1864

Battle, Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 15-16, 1864

Retreat to the Tennessee River near Bridgeport, Ala., Dec. 17-28, 1864

Campaign of the Carolinas, Jan. 30-April 26, 1865

Battle, Averysborough (Taylor’s Hole Creek), N.C., March 16, 1865

Battle, Bentonville, N.C., March 19-21, 1865

Surrender, Bennett’s House, Durham Station, N.C., April 26, 1865

ROSTERS:
The roster of this regiment contains the names of 642 men.

Some of the men were from Adairsville and Thornburgh, and Gordon County. BIBLIOGRAPHY:

REFERENCES:
Sifakis - Compendium of the Confederate States Armies