51st Georgia Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries > Georgia

1862
March 22 Formed under the command of Colonel William M. Slaughter, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Ball and Major Oliver P. Anthony.

  • Company A (Early Volunteers) – Early County.
  • Company B (Lee Guards) – Lee County.
  • Company C (Mitchell Van Guards) – Mitchell County.
  • Company D (Miller Guards) – Baker, Colquitt and Miller counties.
  • Company E (Pochitla Guards) – Baker and Calhoun counties.
  • Company F (Terrell Infantry) – Terrell County.
  • Company G (Harrison Volunteers) – Quitman County.
  • Company H (Randolph Rangers) – Randolph County.
  • Company I (Clay Volunteers) – Clay County.
  • Company K (Dougherty Grays) – Dougherty County.
April Sent to South Carolina for coast defence duties
June 16

Battle of Secessionville
July Moved to Virginia and assigned to Drayton’s Brigade in D.R. Jones’ Division
August 28-30

Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run)

The regiment lost 9 casualties.
September 1 Captain James Dickey was captured outside Frederick, Maryland.
September 15

Battle of South Mountain
September 19

Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

The regiment lost 8 men.
November Transferred to Semmes’ Brigade in McLaws’ Division. The regiment would remain with this brigade for the rest of the war.
December 13
Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
April Captain Dickey was exchanged and returned to the regiment.
May 1-4

Battle of Chancellorsville

The regiment lost 149 men. Colonel Slaughter was mortally wounded by “grape shot” near Zoan Church and would die the next day. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Ball was wounded in the heel.
May 2 Major Oliver P. Anthony took over command of the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Ball survived his wound and was promoted to colonel, Major Anthony was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Captain Henry M. Dunwoody of Company A to Major.
July 2

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Edward Ball and brought 303 men to the field. It lost 15 men killed, 40 wounded, and 40 men missing. Major Henry Dunwoody was killed. Captain James Dickey would be promoted to major effective to Dunwoody’s death on July 2.

From the brigade marker on the Gettysburg battlefield:

July 2. Arrived about 3.30 P. M. and formed line 50 yards west of this. Advanced about 5 P. M. in support of Kershaw and Anderson and took a prominent part in the severe and protracted conflict on Rose Hill and in the ravine and forest east of there and in the vicinity of the Loop. Participated also in the general advance late in the evening by which the Union forces were forced out of the Wheatfield and across Plum Run Valley. Brig Gen. Paul J. Semmes fell mortally wounded in the ravine near the Loop.

July 3. During the afternoon Anderson’s Brigade being withdrawn for duty elsewhere the Brigade was left in the occupancy of the woodland south of the Wheatfield. At 1 P. M. under orders it resumed its original position near here.

July 4. About midnight began the march to Hagerstown Md.

When General Semmes was mortally wounded, Colonel Goode Bryan of the 16th Georgia took command of the brigade.
August Colonel Bryan was promoted to brigadier general and given permanent command of the brigade.
September The regiment moved to the Western Theater with Longstreet but arrived too late to fight at Chickamauga
September –
November

Siege of Chattanooga
November 17-December 4

Siege of Knoxville

November 29

Assault on Fort Sanders

The 51st Georgia lost heavily in the assault Fort Sanders, losing its colors in hand to hand fighting at the walls of the fort.
1864
January 14 Major Dickey was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Captain John P. Crawford of Company G was promoted to Major.
March The regiment returned to the Army of Northern Virginia. General Kershaw took over the division from General McLaws.
May 5-9

Battle of the Wilderness

Commanded by Colonel Edward Ball
May 8-21

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

May 23-24

North Anna
May 31-June12

Battle of Cold Harbor
June

Siege of Petersburg begins
July 14 Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Anthony resigned.
July 27-29

First Battle of Deep Bottom

August 6 The regiment was sent with Kershaw’s Division to the Shenandoah Valley, where it was temporarily attached to Lieutenant General Jubal Early’s Army of the Valley
September 14 Since Sheridan and his Union Army of the Shenandoah were inactive Kershaw’s Division was ordered back to rejoin Lee at Richmond and began to leave the Valley.
September 26 Kershaw received news of the Confederate defeat at the Third Battle of Winchester and returned to rejoin Early in the Shenandoah Valley.
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Colonel Edward Ball was mortally wounded in the shoulder. He would die in Staunton on November 13.
November 12 Lieutenant Colonel James Dickey was promoted to Colonel and Major John Crawford to Lieutenant Colonel
November 14 Kershaw’s Division left the Shenandoah Valley to return to the Army of Northern Virginia around Petersburg.
1865
April 6
Battle of Sayler’s Creek

Colonel James Dickey, Lieuranant Colonel John Crawford, and many men were captured. Captain H. R. Thomas took command of the survivors.
April 9
Appomattox Court House

The regiment surrendered 2 officers and 41 enlisted men