16th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)

Brief History
16th Infantry Regiment completed its organization in May, 1861, with ten companies. However, because of various reorganizations and transfers, the unit contained only seven after November 1, 1862. The men were from Suffolk and Portsmouth and the counties of Nansemond, Isle of Wight, Sussex, and Chesterfield. It surrendered with 10 officers and 114 men. The field officers were Colonels Raleigh E. Colston, Charles A. Crump, Stapleton Crutchfield, Joseph H. Ham, and Henry T. Parrish, Lieutenant Colonels John C. Page and Richard O. Whitehead; and Majors Francis D. Holladay and John T. Woodhouse.

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 ( Marion Rangers)

Company B ( Suffolk Continentals)

Company C ( Virginia Defenders)

Company D ( Isle of Wright Rifle Greys)

Company E ( Sussex Riflemen)

Company F ( Fleet Rifle Guard)

Company H ( Norfolk Light Artillery Blues)

Company I  ( Manchester Artillery)

Company K ( Lee's Life Guard)

The information above is from 16th Virginia Infantry, by Benjamin H. Trask

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.


 * Trask, Benjamin H. 16th Virginia Infantry. (Lynchburg, Virginia : H.E. Howard, c1986),.