36th Virginia Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries > Virginia

“Second Kanawha Regiment”

The 36th Virginia Infantry Regiment mustered over 2300 men during the Civil War. It lost 100 men killed, 150 to disease, and 625 captured of whom 85 died in Federal prison.

1861
July Organized under Colonel John McCausland, Lieutenant Colonel Legh W. Reid, and Major Thomas Smith (son of former Governor and General William “Extra Billy” Smith).
July 15 Assigned to Wise’s Brigade, Army of the North West.
July 16
Scary Creek
August Companies I&K disbanded. A new Company I was enlisted for one year’s service.
August 13 Assigned to Floyd’s Brigade, Army of the Kanawha.
August 26
Cross Lanes
September 10 Battle of Carnifax Ferry
December 16 Moved to Tennessee and assigned to General Johnson’s Army.
1862
January 15 Company I transferred out of the regiment to become Company B of the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion.
January 31 Assigned to Floyd’s Brigade, Central Army of Kentucky
February 14-16 Captured in the surrender of Fort Donelson. The regiment lost 14 men killed and 46 wounded.
February 23 Lieutenant Colonel Reid was wounded.
April 9 Exchanged and assigned to Heth’s Brigade.
May 10
Giles Court House
May 15 Lieutenant Colonel Reid was dropped in the army reorganization. Captain Benjamin R. Linkous of of Company C was elected to lieutenant colonel.
July 3 Garrison duty in Monroe County assigned to Valley District, Department North West Virginia.
September 9 Assigned to Wilbond’s command
September 10 Fayetteville
September 11 Cotton Hill
October 1 Buffalo, Va.
November 22 Assigned to Valley District, Department of Northern Virginia
1863
May 18-20 Fayetteville
June 3 Fayetteville
October 31 Assigned to 4th Brigade, Army of Western Virginia.
December 31 Assigned to 4th Brigade, Army of Western Virginia and Tennessee
1864
March 30 Lieutenant Colonel Linkous resigned to return to the Virginia legislature. Major Smith was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain William E. Fife of Company A was promoted to major.
May Assigned to Breckinridge’s Command.
May 9
Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain

The regiment lost 18 killed, 58 wounded and 35 missing. Lieutenant Colonel Linkous, who was waiting for his resignation to be accepted, was wounded and captured, and Lieutenant Colonel Smith was wounded.
May 12 Lieutenant Colonel Linkous was paroled.
May 19 Colonel McCausland was promoted to brigadier general and given command of a cavalry brigade. Lieutenant Colonel Smith was promoted to colonel and Major Fife was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
June 5 Battle of Piedmont
June 16 At Lynchburg. Assigned to Breckinridge’s Division of Early’s Army of the Valley.
June 17-18 Battle of Lynchburg
June 19-21 Pursuit of Hunter to Salem, Virginia.
June 23-26 Moved into the Shenandoah Valley, through Lexington to Staunton.
June 28-July 1 Marched north along the Valley Pike to Winchester.
July 5-6 Crossed the Potomac at Boteler’s Ford an moved to Sharpsburg
July 7-8 Moved through Boonesboro and over South Mountain to Frederick, Maryland.
July 9 Battle of Monocacy
July 10 March toward Washington
July 11-12
Battle of Fort Stevens
July 13-14 Withdrawal from Washington, across White’s Ford of the Potomac and westward across Loudon County.
July 15-16 Crossed Shicker’s Gap into the Shenandoah Valley and crossed the Shenandoah River at Snicker’s Ferry to reach Berryville.
July 19 Berryville. Marched through Winchester to Strasburg.
July 20 Stephen’s Depot
July 23 Fisher’s Hill
August 10 Winchester
August 12 Moved into bivouac on Fisher’s Hill.
August 17 Moved through Winchester to Bunker Hill.
August 22 General Echols was transferred to become head of the Deptartment of of Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton took command of Breckinridge’s Division, which became known as Wharton’s Division for the rest of the war.
September 18 At Stephenson’s Depot
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester
September 22
Battle of Fisher’s Hill
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Lieutenant Colonel Fife was wounded in the head.
October 31 Assigned to Smith’s Brigade of Wharton’s Division of the Army of the Valley
1865
March 2
Battle of Waynesboro

Most of the regiment was killed or captured.
April 12 The survivors disbanded in Christianburg, Virginia under Colonel Fife.