John C Rigdon

Historical Sketch And Roster Of The Virginia 11th Infantry Regiment John C Rigdon

The Virginia 11th Infantry Regiment was organized at Lynchburg, Virginia, in May, 1861, and accepted into Confederate service in July. Its members were raised in the counties of Campbell, Botetourt, Montgomery, Fauquier, Culpeper, and Rockbridge. The unit fought at First Manassas under General Longstreet and at Dranesville under J. E. B. Stuart. Later it was assigned to General A. P. Hill's, Kemper's, and W. R. Terry's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It served with the army from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was at Suffolk with Longstreet. The 11th was engaged at Plymouth in North Carolina and after returning to Virginia saw action at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. It went on to fight in the Petersburg trenches south and north of the James River and ended the war at Appomattox. This regiment reported 6 killed and 15 wounded at Dranesville, totalled 750 men in April, 1862, and lost 134 at Williamsburg and 100 at Frayser's Farm. It sustained 63 casualties at Second Manassas, had about forty percent disabled of the 359 engaged at Gettysburg, and lost 15 killed and 94 wounded at Drewry's Bluff. Many were captured at Sayler's Creek, and only 1 officer and 28 men surrendered. Capt. Morgan observed: The Eleventh... won an enviable reputation, it was well officered, well drilled and not excelled by any regiment in the First Brigade... this brigade was not surpassed by any division in Longstrect's Corps; Longstreet's Corps was equal to any corps in the Army of Northern Virginia, and the world never saw a better army than the Army of Northern Virginia. Company A - Lynchburg Rifle Greys, Campbell County Company B - Southern Guards, Yellow Branch, Campbell County Company C - Clifton Greys, Campbell County; riflemen Company D - Fincastle Rifles, Botetourt County Company E - Lynchburg Rifles, Campbell County Company F - Preston Guards (also Montgomery Guards), Montgomery County Company G - Lynchburg Home Guard, Campbell County Company H - Jeff Davis Guard (also Jefferson Davis Riflemen), Lynchburg, Campbell County Company I - Rough and Ready Rifles, Fauquier and Culpeper Counties Company K - Valley Regulators, Botetourt and Rockbridge Counties