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Pulling info off a couple of Historical Society sites i am a member of:
Website HPTL:
more to follow...
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21st Virginia Infantry Regiment (Confederate)
- Organized on Apr 21 1861
- Mustered out on Apr 9 1865 at Appomattox Court House
Available statistics for total numbers of men listed as:
- Enlisted or commissioned: 1378
- Drafted: 8
- Transferred in: 11
- Killed or died of wounds: 155
- Died of disease: 156
- Prisoner of war: 231
- Died while prisoner of war: 18
- Disabled: 79
- Missing: 7
- Deserted: 42
- Discharged: 131
- Mustered out: 6
- Transferred out: 86
Roster for this Regiment
Battles involving this Regiment
Assignments for this Regiment
Historical notes and Reports:
Twenty-first Virginia Infantry
Cedar Mountain, VA after action report:
No. 38.
Report of Capt. W. A. Witcher, Twenty-first Virginia Infantry.
CAMP NEAR GORDONSVILLE, VA.,
August 13, 1862.
SIR: In obedience to order I offer the following report of the Twenty-first
Virginia Regiment in the battle of Slaughter Mountain on the 9th after the
fight had considerably advanced:
The regiment was posted in line of battle in the woods about 40 paces back
of the road to the left of the battery in the field and facing to the
road, a small party being sent to the road in front of our extreme left to keep
watch. In this position the men were ordered to lie down to protect them
from the enemy's cannonading, which was kept up with great vigor. A
number of shells exploded in our vicinity, one of which struck and killed
Capt. William H. Morgan, of Company F, a young officer of great merit.
In about half an hour a volley of musketry was heard on our left, when the
party on the road immediately returned and reported that a regiment was
advancing along the road and fence. Lieut.-Col. Cunningham ordered
our regiment forward to the edge of the road, which order was obeyed
promptly, all seeming eager for the engagement. Soon after reaching the
road and engaging the enemy, another regiment of them emerged from a
corn field and arrayed themselves in line of battle to our left oblique. This
seemed to heighten the ardor of our men, who fought with all the gallantry
and energy that could have been desired, and completely checking the
enemy's advance. The fight was raging fiercely and our men in high spirits,
when suddenly and without any warning whatever a murderous fire was
poured upon us from the rear, at least a brigade of the enemy having passed
through the woods and reached within 20 or 30 paces of us. We had
supposed that our rear was protected; why it was not is not for me to say.
About this time Lieut.-Col. Cunningham appeared at the left of the
line and gave some command, which, amid the firing, I could not
understand. I ordered those near me, however, to about-face. Some obeyed,
but many others were so intent upon firing at the enemy before them and so
little apprehensive of danger from the rear, that they seemed not to
understand the command. Lieut.-Col. Cunningham again gave some
command, which, owing to the circumstances, I could not distinctly hear. He
waved his hand toward the fence rather to the right, and after several times
ordering it, I got the men to start in that direction. In making the movement
they became somewhat scattered and confused, some going fast, while others
would load, turn, and fire as they went. To add to the confusion of the
moment, in addition to the many other brave men and officers who fell at
this point, our gallant and beloved leader, Lieut.-Col. Cunningham,
fell mortally wounded. The adjutant was taken by the enemy, though
afterward escaped; the sergeant-major was shot down; the flag-bearer was
shot dead; a corporal of the color-guard, seizing the colors, shared the same
fate; and a private who nest raised them fell, wounded in three places. Under
these unfavorable circumstances a portion of the regiment rallied and formed
at the crest of the hill, not more than 150 paces from the road. Here some
troops which had fallen back rallied and joined us, and after a spirited
contest of ten or fifteen minutes drove the enemy, who had advanced into the
road and field, back into the woods. We then turned our fire upon the
enemy's line of battle in the meadow, which soon broke and began to retire.
From this on we pushed forward wherever the fight seemed thickest,
assisting in the repulse of the cavalry charge and mingling in the fire upon
the retreating foe until he had entirely disappeared from the field.
No troops, in my opinion, could have behaved with more daring and
obstinacy that those of the Twenty-first. There were instances of individual
heroism which I refrain from mentioning lest injustice should be done to
others.
Before concluding this report I deem it my duty to bring to your notice a fact
which shows the barbarous and brutal manner in which this war is being
conducted by our adversaries. Second Lieut. Thomas W. Brown, of
Company K, was taken prisoner at the time our regiment
left the woods. He was afterward found in the woods mortally wounded, and
before dying stated to Lieut. Roach, of the Twenty-first, and Capt.
Turner, of the Irish Battalion, that he was taken unhurt, but when the enemy
were forced to retreat they knocked him down with their guns and bayoneted
him in several places. He was in his proper mind at the time of making this
statement, and died the same night. Accompanying this report I forward a
list of casualties.*
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. A. WITCHER,
Capt., Commanding Twenty-first Virginia Regiment.
Maj. JOHN SEDDON,
Commanding Second Brigade.
Source: Official Records
PAGE 201-16 OPERATIONS IN N. VA., W. VA., AND MD. [CHAP. XXIV.
[Series I. Vol. 12. Part II, Reports. Serial No. 16.]
Website HPTL:
more to follow...
----------------------------------------
21st Virginia Infantry Regiment (Confederate)
- Organized on Apr 21 1861
- Mustered out on Apr 9 1865 at Appomattox Court House
Available statistics for total numbers of men listed as:
- Enlisted or commissioned: 1378
- Drafted: 8
- Transferred in: 11
- Killed or died of wounds: 155
- Died of disease: 156
- Prisoner of war: 231
- Died while prisoner of war: 18
- Disabled: 79
- Missing: 7
- Deserted: 42
- Discharged: 131
- Mustered out: 6
- Transferred out: 86
Roster for this Regiment
Battles involving this Regiment
Assignments for this Regiment
Historical notes and Reports:
Twenty-first Virginia Infantry
Cedar Mountain, VA after action report:
No. 38.
Report of Capt. W. A. Witcher, Twenty-first Virginia Infantry.
CAMP NEAR GORDONSVILLE, VA.,
August 13, 1862.
SIR: In obedience to order I offer the following report of the Twenty-first
Virginia Regiment in the battle of Slaughter Mountain on the 9th after the
fight had considerably advanced:
The regiment was posted in line of battle in the woods about 40 paces back
of the road to the left of the battery in the field and facing to the
road, a small party being sent to the road in front of our extreme left to keep
watch. In this position the men were ordered to lie down to protect them
from the enemy's cannonading, which was kept up with great vigor. A
number of shells exploded in our vicinity, one of which struck and killed
Capt. William H. Morgan, of Company F, a young officer of great merit.
In about half an hour a volley of musketry was heard on our left, when the
party on the road immediately returned and reported that a regiment was
advancing along the road and fence. Lieut.-Col. Cunningham ordered
our regiment forward to the edge of the road, which order was obeyed
promptly, all seeming eager for the engagement. Soon after reaching the
road and engaging the enemy, another regiment of them emerged from a
corn field and arrayed themselves in line of battle to our left oblique. This
seemed to heighten the ardor of our men, who fought with all the gallantry
and energy that could have been desired, and completely checking the
enemy's advance. The fight was raging fiercely and our men in high spirits,
when suddenly and without any warning whatever a murderous fire was
poured upon us from the rear, at least a brigade of the enemy having passed
through the woods and reached within 20 or 30 paces of us. We had
supposed that our rear was protected; why it was not is not for me to say.
About this time Lieut.-Col. Cunningham appeared at the left of the
line and gave some command, which, amid the firing, I could not
understand. I ordered those near me, however, to about-face. Some obeyed,
but many others were so intent upon firing at the enemy before them and so
little apprehensive of danger from the rear, that they seemed not to
understand the command. Lieut.-Col. Cunningham again gave some
command, which, owing to the circumstances, I could not distinctly hear. He
waved his hand toward the fence rather to the right, and after several times
ordering it, I got the men to start in that direction. In making the movement
they became somewhat scattered and confused, some going fast, while others
would load, turn, and fire as they went. To add to the confusion of the
moment, in addition to the many other brave men and officers who fell at
this point, our gallant and beloved leader, Lieut.-Col. Cunningham,
fell mortally wounded. The adjutant was taken by the enemy, though
afterward escaped; the sergeant-major was shot down; the flag-bearer was
shot dead; a corporal of the color-guard, seizing the colors, shared the same
fate; and a private who nest raised them fell, wounded in three places. Under
these unfavorable circumstances a portion of the regiment rallied and formed
at the crest of the hill, not more than 150 paces from the road. Here some
troops which had fallen back rallied and joined us, and after a spirited
contest of ten or fifteen minutes drove the enemy, who had advanced into the
road and field, back into the woods. We then turned our fire upon the
enemy's line of battle in the meadow, which soon broke and began to retire.
From this on we pushed forward wherever the fight seemed thickest,
assisting in the repulse of the cavalry charge and mingling in the fire upon
the retreating foe until he had entirely disappeared from the field.
No troops, in my opinion, could have behaved with more daring and
obstinacy that those of the Twenty-first. There were instances of individual
heroism which I refrain from mentioning lest injustice should be done to
others.
Before concluding this report I deem it my duty to bring to your notice a fact
which shows the barbarous and brutal manner in which this war is being
conducted by our adversaries. Second Lieut. Thomas W. Brown, of
Company K, was taken prisoner at the time our regiment
left the woods. He was afterward found in the woods mortally wounded, and
before dying stated to Lieut. Roach, of the Twenty-first, and Capt.
Turner, of the Irish Battalion, that he was taken unhurt, but when the enemy
were forced to retreat they knocked him down with their guns and bayoneted
him in several places. He was in his proper mind at the time of making this
statement, and died the same night. Accompanying this report I forward a
list of casualties.*
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. A. WITCHER,
Capt., Commanding Twenty-first Virginia Regiment.
Maj. JOHN SEDDON,
Commanding Second Brigade.
Source: Official Records
PAGE 201-16 OPERATIONS IN N. VA., W. VA., AND MD. [CHAP. XXIV.
[Series I. Vol. 12. Part II, Reports. Serial No. 16.]
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