Reference Material and Look ups
BOOKS on GA REGIMENTS
Bibliography created by Art Chance
Art has reviewed several books which he considered to be the most helpful for research.
ROSTER OF THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS OF BURKE COUNTY, GEORGIA 1861 - 1865. It is a genealogical starting ground for 1500 plus men from this county. Most have listings for death and birth, parents, siblings, spouse, and children. Books sell for $35.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. Angela W. Cobb or the Burke County Museum.
The book, Heroes and Martyr's of Georgia by Folsom has a brief history of
the 11th. It does not contain rosters, and little personal information
on the men, but it does contain a description of what each unit did in
each battle and a chart of losses by battle.
This book was written in 1863, revised a couple of years later, and only
about a dozen original copies are known to exist. Mr. Folsom stated in
the Appendix that he intended to write similar histories on every Georgia
Unit, but his notes were destroyed by Sherman and he would have to
recollect his notes for the other volumes. To our knowledge, this task
was never completed as this first volume is the only one known to have
been published.
Heroes and Martyrs of Georgia has "brief" histories - 10 to 12 pages
each on the following Georgia units.
1st Volunteer Regiment 3rd Volunteer Regiment 6th Volunteer Infantry 14th Volunteer Infantry 18th Brigade 18th Volunteer Regiment 19th Volunteer Infantry 23rd Volunteer Infantry 27th Volunteer Infantry 28th Volunteer Infantry 35th Volunteer Infantry 45th Volunteer Infantry 48th Volunteer Infantry 49th Volunteer Infantry 64th Volunteer Infantry 10th Battalion 11th Battalion Thomas' Brigade Phillips' Legion (Cavalry)John Rigdon has this volume and will do lookups.
"THESE MEN WORE GREY (Vol I - IV) Karen Thompson Ledford/Toccoa, Ga.
For more information
The Webpage contains a SURNAME INDEX of all surnames in the book for your convenience and also an order blank.
Volume I Franklin Co., Ga. Volume II Habersham Co., Ga. Volume III Stephens Co., Ga. Volume IV Rabun Co, GA.This book is just full of genealogical information as well as almost 500 Confederate burials in this county. 1700 men identified in Muster Roll Rosters in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina Units that had Rabun Co. men enrolled in them. 250 pension records of veterans and widows, plus the complete MILITIA and complete SALT LIST for 1862--1864. Book is 226 pages. Soft bound cover. Completely referenced with bibliography included, Cemetery records completely Indexed, all individual lists done alphabetically for easy searching.
THE GEORGIA CONFEDERATE 7,000 Vol. 1 & 2, by Gary Goodson, Sr.
http://www.rof.net/yp/goodson/cw.htm
If you're interested in the Georgia Brigade, of the Confederate Army of
Tennessee, this book is a MUST HAVE. In Volume 1, the author gives a
thorough history of the 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 52nd Georgia Regiments.
In Volume 2, he reprints personal letters of the soldiers who served in
these regiments.
AL Regiments with known GA Men
Since many Central GA men ended up serving in Alabama Regiments, we're adding this section for those regiments which we know had a large number of native Georgians.12th Alabama
This regiment was made up of men from Macon, GA and Jewish merchants from
Mobile, AL. At the beginning of the war when Gov. Brown of GA wanted to keep
all the men for GA service, a number of men went to AL and other states to
join up with the Confederacy. This regiment was made up of many of the men
from central GA. They, because of their non-Alabama status and the fact that
they were grouped with a number of Jewish men, were treated rather badly
throughout the war. Their job was primarily to follow the rest of the army
after the battles and bury the dead which was particularly insulting to the
Jewish men because of their religious beliefs. The book on the 12th is a
particularly interesting look at anti-Semitism in the Civil War.
John Rigdon JohnR238@aol.com
Hilliard's Legion and Alabama 59th and 60th and 23rd Sharpshooters
Southern Cross Medal of Honor
On October 13, 1862, the Confederate Congress authorized the striking of a medal to recognize those individual Southern soldiers showing conspicuous valor and good conduct on the battlefield. Unfortunately, wartime shortages made it impossible to produce and issue the medal.
However, the Adjutant and Inspector General's office recorded names of worthy soldiers in an official Roll of Honor. Years after the war, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), inspired by the original Congressional act, produced the Southern Cross of Honor.
The first page gives CS government citations authorizing the roll. At the bottom of the page is "Part One" and "Part Two" which contains the lists of soldiers by battle/by state as they were submitted at the time. Visit this link
In 1898, Mrs. Alexander S. Erwin designed a cross-shaped medal. Manufactured in Atlanta, the face of the design showed a Confederate battle flag surrounded by a laurel wreath and inscribed "The Southern Cross of Honor." The reverse was inscribed with "Deo Vindice 1861–1865" (God Our Vindicator), the motto of the Confederate States of America.
Within the first two years, almost 13,000 medals were issued to Confederate veterans in recognition of their service to their country. By 1913, the UDC had awarded over 78,000 medals. In most cases, medals were presented to the veterans personally, though some where awarded posthumously.
These are located and can be searched in the UDC Offices in Richmond. Their records are the same ones that exist in the National Archives in DC. The staff there is very helpful in not only helping you locate a file, but also in making copies for you.
The Southern Cross of Honor was applied for by veterans and awarded by the UDC. To see if your family member received the Southern Cross of Honor, you need to send his full name, the company or regiment in which he served and the state where he served. There is a $5 charge for each request.
Make checks payable to: Treasurer General UDC. The mailing address is: UDC Business Office 328 N. Boulevard Richmond, VA 23220-4057 Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Ms. McGuire reminded me that the records, of course, are only as accurate as the person keeping them.
Their offices contain a large number of Confederate books, so plan to spend some time there doing research!
Southern Claims Commission
There is a book in publication that explains all about the Southern Claims Commission and includes an index of all applicants. All applications were categorized in one of three ways: Barred, Rejected or Accepted and Paid. The Rejected applications are the best result since most people appealed and in that event the federal government sent interviewers to talk to them in person and to their witnesses, including former slaves, neighbors, etc. The Index provides the fiche # at the National Archive. You can then request this material from the Archives.