Georgia:  Elbert County: The Ginn Boys of Elbert County Georgia

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This file was contributed by:
Ron Jones
rajones@esper.com
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The Ginn Boys of Elbert County Georgia

When Northern States invaded the South in 1861 and the Confederate States called 
for volunteers, the eight sons of Isaac Ginn and Martha Burden of Elbert County, 
were among the thousands of Georgians who answered the call. Although many Georgia 
brothers joined together and served in the same unit, the Ginn brothers spread 
their service over five different organizations.  Three of the brothers: James, 
Singleton and Gaines joined Company H of the 38th Georgia Infantry and served in the 
Army of Northern Virginia as part of the famed Georgia Brigade. Henry joined the 
42nd Georgia Infantry and served in the Army of Tennessee. The other four brothers 
did not join the armies until the early part of 1863. Tinsley J. and William P. 
“Pink” joined Co K of the 2nd Regiment Georgia State Line Troops, Thomas the 3rd 
Georgia Cavalry and the youngest Isaac L.  joined the 24th Battalion Georgia 
Cavalry, which was later consolidated into the 7th Georgia Cavalry Regiment.

William was the first to marry and by 1860 he and his wife Sarah Rosanne (Simmons) 
were the parents of five and living in nearby Madison County.  Tinsley J the oldest 
had married Sarah Maxwell and they were the parents of two. Thomas and his wife the 
former Mary Allgood had one child. Singleton and Amanda Simmons Ginn ( a sister of 
his brother William’s wife Sarah ) had three children and Henry and Frances Dobbs 
Ginn were also the parents of three. James and his wife Julia Nelms Ginn did not 
have any children at the outbreak of the war and in fact their only child James Jr. 
was born after his father’s death at Manassas.  Gaines W and Isaac L the youngest 
boys were living at home in 1860 and were not married until after the war. Gaines 
marrying Elizabeth J. Nelms and Isaac marrying Mary Catherine Duncan both from 
Elbert County.

Gaines joined Co H the “Goshen Blues” of the 38th Regiment in mid October 1861 and 
served with that unit on railroad guard duty near Atlanta until the May of 1863 
when the 38th was brigaded with five other Georgia Infantry Regiments under the 
command of Alexander Lawton and sent north to Virginia. His brothers James and 
Singleton joined the Company on June 27, 1862 and were mustered in near 
Charlottesville Virginia on July 1,1862. Two months to the day after joining, 
during the 2nd Manassas Campaign, James was killed in battle and Singleton was 
wounded. 

In December Gaines was promoted to Sergeant and on the 13th during the Battle of 
Fredericksburg, Singleton was wounded once again. This wound was to keep him out of 
service for almost two years, but by the fall of 1864 he was once again with the 
ANV and on April 9, 1865 Singleton S. Ginn stacked his arms with approximately a 
dozen more surviving members of Co H.  Gaines continued to serve through the 
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run and Wilderness campaigns until late May 1864 
when he was wounded seriously at Spotsylvania. He was retired from service in 
December 1864.  

On April 5 1862,Henry, who was living in Gwinnett County, joined Co A of what was 
to become the 42nd Georgia Infantry. The 42nd was brigaded with five other Georgia 
Regiments and sent to Tennessee to join General Kirby Smith’s Department of East 
Tennessee. The 42nd saw action at Cumberland Gap at the convergence of Tennessee, 
Virginia and Kentucky in mid summer and later took part in the invasion of Kentucky 
and battles around Richmond, KY. 

After withdrawing from Kentucky in the fall, the Brigade was ordered to report to 
General Pemberton’s Army at Vicksburg, where the Brigade now under General Seth 
Barton distinguished itself at the battles around Chickasaw Bayou and Chickasaw 
Bluff, with the 42nd being specifically noted for it’s service. In May of 1863 
Barton’s Brigade was heavily involved in the battles in the swamps south of 
Vicksburg. On May 17th 1863 during action at Edward’s Station during the Battle of 
Champion Hill, Henry was captured. Henry was received at City Point, Virginia and 
exchanged on July 6, 1863 and never heard from again. Family history says that his 
sisters had received a letter from him from Vicksburg shortly before these battles 
and then was never heard from again.  It can only be presumed that he either joined 
the Army in Virginia and was killed or somehow met foul play on his return to the 
Army of Tennessee. Henry became one of the many mysteries of the war.

In February of 1863 William and Tinsley both joined Company K, 2nd Regiment of the 
Georgia State Line troops often known as “Joe Brown’s Pets” because of Governor Joe 
Brown’s influence on the use of these troops.  The 2nd Georgia spent the first two 
years performing guard duty on the Western and Atlantic Railroad. In May 1864 they 
joined Cumming's Brigade; Stevenson's Division; Hood's Corps in the defense of 
Atlanta and later serving with the Georgia Militia under Gen. G. W. Smith. Battles 
of note in which the State Line Troops participated were: Kennesaw Mtn, Kolb’s 
Farm, Peachtree Creek, Battle of Atlanta, Utoy Creek and Jonesboro during the 
Atlanta Campaign. Later with the Militia they participated in the battles at 
Griswoldville, Honey Hill, S.C. (where they left Georgia for the only time during 
their service) and at the Little Ogeechee Railroad Bridge, Northwest of Savannah.  
On April 16th they were involved in one of the war’s last battles at Columbus. 
William and Tinsley surrendered with their regiment at Macon on May 7 1865. 
Thomas also joined a Georgia State Unit, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, in late summer of 
1863 serving only a few months due to a serious injury to his right knee suffered 
when his horse fell on him. This injury was ultimately to result in the amputation 
of the leg in 1879 and to his death in 1889.
Isaac the youngest of the Ginn brothers joined the 24th Battalion Georgia Cavalry on 
June 12th 1863 at Camp Lee.  The 24th along with a sister Battalion the 21st Georgia 
Cavalry served along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts defending that area from 
invasion.  In February of 1864, these two battalions were consolidated along with 
the Hartwick Mounted Rifles to form the 7th Georgia Cavalry Regiment and in May 
became part of the cavalry arm of the Army of Northern Virginia as part of Wade 
Hampton’s Division. Isaac served with the 7th in its campaigns around Richmond and 
the Shenandoah Valley including the largest all cavalry battle of the war at 
Trevilian Station on June 11 & 12 1864. In November 1864 Isaac found himself 
without a mount and due to the scarcity of cavalry mounts was detailed back to 
Georgia to find a suitable horse. By this time, Sherman had ravaged Georgia and 
horses were not to be found. Isaac remained in Georgia until the wars end.
Of the brothers who survived the war, Thomas was the first to die in 1889 of 
complications from the amputation of his leg. Singleton followed in 1895 and 
William P. in 1900.  Tinsley, Gaines and Isaac all lived into the 20th Century with 
Isaac the last to pass in December of 1919.
Submitted by Ron Jones ---- 2nd Great Grandson of William Pinkney Ginn.