Meriwether-Coweta-Troup County GaArchives Military Records.....R. E. McCrary to Joseph Boyd McCrary-Letter Concerning R. E.'s Dad, Rufus Coggins McCrary, CSA Military Record & Unit February 22 1940 Civilwar - Letters Co. D, 8th Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Echols Guards ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Helena-Suzanne Shreve ElusiveShreves@yahoo.com March 2, 2004, 1:29 am February 22nd, 1940 Re: McCrary Family History Rufus C. McCrary – War Record From: R. E. McCrary, Alvaton, Georgia To: Joseph Boyd McCrary, Atlanta, Georgia I will try as best as I can to give a brief history of my father, Rufus Coggins McCrary, Civil War Record. He was in Company D, the first Company organized in Meriwether County. This Company was made up of young men from some of the best families in Meriwether County. I will mention a few that I remember hearing my father talk about: Alonzo Freeman, Gus Brantley, Clem Allen (Who was shot through the head just back of his eyes, the bullet entering one temple and passing out through the other. My father saw him fall and he was reported killed, but he showed ip later and lived many years after the war-but was totally blind.), S. F. Culpepper, Joe McKnight (Who was killed in the battle of the Wilderness and his body was never found after the battle.), John P. Atkinson (Who was killed at the First Battle of Manassas.), J. M. Herndon, Dave Ellison, R. C. McCrary (my father) and others I cannot remember. R. C. McCrary in Company with these, boarded the train at Grantville, Georgia on May 18th , 1861 for Virginia, the site of the War. Arriving at Richmond, they proceeded at once to General Francis S. Bartow’s Camp at Howard Grove. There they were mustered into service about the 24th of May. The Regiment was known as the Eight Georgia Regiment and was composed of Company D from Meriwether, Company C from Pulaksi County, Companies A, E, and H from Floyd, Company B from Chatham, Company C from Bibb, Company F from Fulton, Company I from Greene and Company K from Oglethorpe. The Brigade was known as Anderson Brigade and was commanded by General G. T. (Tige) Anderson. The Brigade was composed of the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Georgia Volunteer Regiments and the 1st Georgia Regular and Tylander Battallion from Americus, Georgia and the last two years of the War the 59th Georgia Regiment. They were in Hood’s Division which was composed of Hood’s Division which was composed of Hood’s Texas, Anderson’s Georgia, Benning’s Georgia, and Law’s Alabama Brigades Longstreet’s Corps. As soon as the Regiment was organized they were sent to Harper’s Ferry about June 1, 1861. After a few days they were sent to Winchester, Virginia, and on July 19th, 1861 they were ordered to Manassas, and on July 21st took part in the First Battle of Manassas. In this battle the Regiment lost heavily. After many hours of fighting the regiment was relieved, and on retiring from the battlefield, leaving most of their either wounded or dead, they were met by General Beauregard, who was in command of the Southern army, and when he saw them he raised his hat and said,“I salute the Eighth Georgia with my hat off, history will not forget you.” They camped and maneuvered near Manassas and in front of Washington City until winter. They spent the winter of 1861 near Summerville, Virginia, and about March 1, 1862 they were sent down on the Peninsular near Old Yorktown. On arrival at Yorktown the Brigade was ordered to retake a portion of the line just captured by the enemy. They did this in short order without losing many men. They were attacked by the enemy several times during the days they were in line, but repulsed the enemy every time without much loss. They were in several engagements during the seven days battle around Richmond June 24-30, 1862. They were in the Second Battle of Manassas August 29 and 30, 1862. They were then ordered to Maryland where they fought in the Battles of Boonesboro, and the Battle of Sharpsburg. They were then marched back to Virginia where they had a short rest near Winchester, Virginia, after which they went to Fredericksburg, where they fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg December 13, 1862. They spent the winter of 1862 near Fredericksburg. About the first of April 1862 they were sent to the front near Suffolk, Virginia where they were engaged in severe skirmishes, with slight loss. They rejoined the main army just before the Pennsylvania Campagin and where in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. They Eighth Georgia Regiment lost more men in this battle than any Regiment in Lee’s army. When they came out of the fight there were only two men in my Father’s Company who were not killed or wounded, the two being my father, R. C. McCrary and Dave Ellison. Some of the men were only slightly wounded and were soon back in rank. They were sent back to Virginia until about October 1, 1863, then they were ordered to Tennessee to General Bragg’s relief. From Tennessee they were sent to Charleston to James Island, where they rested one month. They were then sent to Knoxville, Tennessee November 1st where they lost heavily in an effort to capture Fort London in that city. They spent the winter of 1863-64 in Tennessee and suffered much, since all communication and supplies were shut off. They went back to Virginia just in time to get in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. They Eighth Georgia Regiment lost heavily in this engagement, and engagements until they reached the front at Richmond. They were in the Battles of Fort Harrison in September, Barbytown Road and Deep Bottom in October 1864, and spent the winter of 1864-65 in front of Richmond. They left Richmond for Petersburg April 1, 1865 from there to Appomattox where they surrendered April 9, 1865. My father came home only one time during the four years he was in the army, and did not get wounded a single time. There has never been any better soldiers than the men that composed the army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee and I am sure there were no better soldiers in Lee’s army than my father, R. C. McCrary, and these other noble men from Meriwether County, in Company D of the famous Eighth Georgia Regiment. R. E. McCrary Alvaton, Georgia **In paragraph 5 where Hood’s Division is mentioned, & there appears to be a typo (along with some other words in this letter, ie., ‘They Eighth Georgia Regiment’), I have re-typed this letter exactly as Cousin R. E. McCrary wrote it to my Uncle Joseph Boyd McCrary (G3Uncle) as to preserve its history in my family so please excuse the typos** Helena-Suzanne Shreve This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb