50th_Georgia_Volunteer_Infantry
50th Georgia Infantry Regiment
Infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army
The 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised by the state of Georgia to fight for the Confederacy in the American Civil War.
The regiment was organized on March 4, 1862, at Camp Davis, about 28 miles from Savannah.[1] The recruits were primarily from southern Georgia. The original commander was Col. William R. Manning (1817–1871).[1] They were drilled at Camp Davis, just outside Guyton, Georgia. Upon being mustered into Confederate service, the regiment served in the Savannah defenses, Military District of Georgia.[2] On July 17, 1862, Major General John C. Pemberton sent the 50th Georgia Volunteers to Richmond to join Drayton's Brigade in the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia under its commanding general, Robert E. Lee.[2]
For the majority of the war, the 50th Georgia served with the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. The regiment participated in more than 45 engagements during the war. Some of the early battles in the East that the regiment took part in included South Mountain, Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The regiment went south when James Longstreet took his corps to Georgia and Tennessee in the fall of 1863, where it was engaged at the Siege of Knoxville.[2] Returning to Virginia, the 50th Georgia fought in the Siege of Petersburg, the Battle of Cedar Creek, and the Battle of Sayler's Creek, where most of the regiment was captured.[1]
The remaining men surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.[1] After parole, they returned to Georgia and civilian life, holding several reunions over the years.