8th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)

Brief History
8th Infantry Regiment was organized at Leesburg, Virginia, in May, 1861. Its members were recruited in the counties of Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax. The unit was also called "Old Bloody Eighth" and from time to time "The Berkeley Regiment". Only 1 surgeon and 11 privates surrendered on April 9, 1865. The field officers were Colonels Norborne Berkeley and Eppa Hunton, Lieutenant Colonels Edmund Berkeley and Charles B. Tebbs, and Majors William N. Berkeley and James Thrift.

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 (Hillsboro Border Guards) - many men from Loudoun County

Company B (Piedmont Rifles) - many men from Fauquier County

Company C (Evergreen Guards) - many men from Prince William County

Company D (Champe Rifles) - many men from Loudoun County

Company E (Hampton's Company) -many men from Loudoun County

Company F (Blue Mountain Boys) - many men from Loudoun County

Company G (Thrift's Company) - many men from Fairfax County

Company H (Potomac Grays) - many men from Loudoun County

Company I (Simpson's Company - many men from Loudoun County

Company K (Scott's Company) - many men from Fauquier County

The information above is from 8th Virginia Infantry by John E. Divine.

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 (see below).


 * 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.


 * Divine, John E. 8th Virginia Infantry. Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1983..


 * Neale, Walter. The Sovereignty of the States: An Oration: Address to the Survivors of the Eighth Virginia Regiment, While They were Gathered about the Graves of Their Fallen Comrades, on the Battleground of Manassas, July 21, 1910. New York: Neale Pub. Co., 1910..