2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)

Brief History
2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry assembled at Charles Town in April,1861. The unit was accepted into Confederate service in July. Its companies were from the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Floyd, Jefferson, and Berkeley. It became part of the Stonewall Brigade and served under Generals T.J. Jackson, R.B. Garnett, Winder, Paxton, J.A. Walker, and W. Terry. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 9 officers and 62 men. Its field officers were Colonels James W. Allen, Lawson Botts, and John Q.A. Nadenbousch; Lieutenant Colonels Raleigh T. Colston, Francis Lackland, and William W. Randolph; and Majors Francis B. Jones, Edwin L. Moore, and Charles H. Stewart.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A (Jefferson Guards) - many men from Jefferson County

Company B (Hamtramck Gurds) - many men from Jefferson County

Company C (Nelson Rifles) - many men from Clarke County

Company D (Berkeley Border Guards) - many men from Berkeley County

Company E (Hedgesville Blues) - many men from Berkeley County

Company F (Winchester Riflemen) - many men from Frederick County

Company G (Botts Greys) - many men from Jefferson County

Company H (Letcher Riflemen) - many men from Jefferson County

Company I (Clarke Rifles) - many men from Clarke County

Company K (Floyd Guards) - many men from Jefferson County

The information above is from 2nd Virginia Infantry, by Dennis E. Frye.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in Virginia in the Civil War and United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865.


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Virginia in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Virginia, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Frye, Dennis E. 2nd Virginia Infantry. (Lynchburg, Virginia : H.E. Howard, c1984),.


 * Loehr, Charles T. (Charles Theodore). [War history] of the old First Virginia Infantry Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia. (Dayton, Ohio : Morningside Bookshop, 1978, c1978)


 * Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1992- 1995. (Family History Library book, Ten Volumes.) This gives organization information for each unit and its field officers, assignments, and battles. It also lists sources further reading. Volume 5 is for Virginia.


 * Smith, David L. (David Logan). Reminiscences of an active life. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992),.


 * Wallace, Lee A. A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations, 1861-1865. Lynchburg, Virginia: H. E. Howard, 1986. (Family History Library book .) This gives brief historical sketches of each regiment and lists officers, company names, and commanders.


 * Zins, Robert R. James M. Van Buren Guinn, the Civil War days. (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990),.