54th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)

Brief History
The 54th Infantry Regiment was organized in October, 1861. It was soon ordered to Kentucky and took an active part in the engagement at Middle Creek. Later the unit was assigned to Trigg's, Reynolds', Brown's and Reynolds' Consolidated, and Palmer's Brigade, Army of Tennessee. On April 9, 1865, it merged into the 54th Battalion Virginia Infantry. The field officers were Colonel Robert C. Trigg; Lieutenant Colonels Henry A. Edmundson, William B. Shelor, and John J. Wade; and Majors John S. Deyerle, Austin Harman, and James C. Taylor.

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 ( Captain Andrew Dickerson's Company) - many men from Floyd County

Company B ( Captain Jackson Godbey's Company) - many men from Floyd county

Company C ( Captain James Craig Taylor's Company) - many men from Montgomery County

Company D ( Captain Henry Slusher's Company) - many men from Floyd County

Company E ( Montgomery Grays) - many men from Montgomery County

Company F ( Captain William J. Jordan's Company) - many men from Pulaski County

Company G ( Captain George Hylton Turman's Company) - many men from Carroll County

Company H ( Captain Sparrell H. Griffith's Company) - many men from Floyd County

Company I  ( Captain Burwell Akers' Company) - many men from Floyd County

Company K (The Roanoke Guards, or Captain John Scott Deyerle's Company) - many men from Craig and Roanoke Counties

The information above is from 54th Virginia Infantry, by George L. Sherwood and Jeffrey C. Weaver.

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.


 * 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.


 * 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.


 * Weaver, Jeffrey C., 54th Virginia Infantry, 1st ed., (Lynchburg, Virginia: H.E. Howard, Inc., c1993).