Historical Notes:
The Virginia 45th Infantry Battalion was organized by detachments between April and December, 1863. Its six companies were composed of men from the 1st Regiment Cavalry Virginia State Line which had disbanded. Most men who joined the newly formed infantry unit had previously served with Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Beckley in the 1st Regiment of the Virginia State Line, a unit that had disbanded that January. It was from their commander's name that the battalion received its nickname; since it served alongside the 45th Virginia Infantry Regiment it was more frequently referred to as Beckley's Battalion to reduce confusion.
The battalion and its detachments engaged in many skirmishes while serving with the Department of Western Virginia before becoming engaged at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain where the battalion's strength was reported as 183 officers and men, suffering four killed and eleven wounded. With the rest of Colonel John McCausland's forces the Forty-Fifth was engaged along the New River before turning east to fight at the Battle of Piedmont with 175 men and the rest of the Valley Campaigns of 1864.
It disbanded during April, 1865 after the battle of Waynesboro Officers:
Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Beckley and Major Blake L. Woodson
Assignments:
Department of Western Virginia
Battles:
Battle of Cloyd's Mountain Valley Campaigns of 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek Battle of Waynesboro
Rosters:
The roster of this unit contains the names of 697 men.
Company A (Captain Joel E. Stollings' Company) - Boone County
Company B (Captain John Buchanan's Company) - Logan and Wyoming County
Company C (Captain James Russell Cook's Company) - Wyoming County
Company D (Captain Benjamin H. Justice's Company) - Wyoming and Logan County
Company E (Captain Lloyd Ellis' Company) - Logan County
Company F (K) (Captain William B. Hensley's Company) - Wayne County Source:
Wikipedia
Bibliography for Research:
Crute, Joseph Units of the Confederate States Army Midlothian, VA: Derwent Books, 1987. Concise summary of the units service.
Brock, R. A. The Appomattox Roster. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998. Originally published as Volume 15 of the Southern Historical Society Papers in 1887 by The Society, Richmond, VA. This book contains 56,000 names of men who surrendered at Appomattox. It shows the mans unit of service and some additional notes.
Rigdon, John C. - EditorCivil War Soldiers Service Records - Virginia. 2012. Davenport, IA Eastern Digital Resources.
Confederate Military History, Extended Edition. Vol. 4: Virginia. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998. 1295 p. E484C65.1987v4. Contains numerous, scattered references to Virginia units.
SAVE $50 when you purchase The Official Records and The Service Records of Virginia Civil War Soldiers CDs together. This bundle also includes The Virginia Civil War Soldiers Index - a $15 value and Confederate Military History - Virginia Volume - a $15 value.
Virginia Civil War Soldiers Index John C. Rigdon, Editor 165,500 names 2 Vols. - $35.00 ea. SET HARDBACK - $100.00 SET PAPERBACK - $65.00 DVD - $15.00 EBOOK - $15.00
Historical Notes:
