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Bulloch History by Roger Allen
Bullochs Fifth, Seventh Cavalries
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    (Note: This is the second of a three-part series about Bulloch County residents who fought in the Civil War.)
    Formed before the War Between the States, Squadron B. of the Georgia State Guard Cavalry eventually became Company E. of the Fifth Regiment of Georgia Calvary. This unit was first assembled as the “Bulloch Troop,” Squadron B, of the Georgia State Guard Cavalry, and was mustered at the home of Captain W.D. Brannen in February 1861.
    The Bulloch Troop was shortly thereafter re-organized as Company C. of the Second Battalion. The First Battalion (Liberty and McIntosh men) and the Second Battalion (Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham and Screven men) were commanded by Lieutenant Colonels Edward Bird and Montgomery Cummings. The two battalions were combined to form the Fifth Regiment of Georgia Cavalry.
    On January 20, 1863, Dr. Alfred Iverson Hendry assembled the 145 men of the Bulloch unit, which now became known as either “Best’s Company” or the “Bulloch Troop,”,at Camp Iverson near his home on the Isle of Hope. Here, they were reconstituted as Company E of the Fifth Regiment. Captains Dr. Alfred Iverson Hendry, George B. Best, and then William N. Hall commanded Company E.
    However, the Fifth Georgia Cavalry was not officially mustered into the service of the Confederate Army until May 17, 1863. The entire regiment, under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard, protected the South Carolina and Georgia coastal regions from Union attack.
    Under the command of Colonel Robert Houston Anderson Jr. and then Colonel Edward Bird, the Fifth also was charged with assisting whenever possible the numerous Confederate blockade runners trying to evade the Union blockade. Orders were received that returned the Fifth to Savannah on May 13, 1864. During their year on the coast they participated in major battles at James Island and in Charleston, South Carolina, and even as far south as Olustee, Florida.
    Very soon, more orders were received sending them to join General Joseph Wheeler and the Army of Tennessee. Once in Northern Georgia, the Fifth Regiment participated in the battle for Atlanta and Kennesaw Mountain. The regiment surrendered to Union General William Sherman in Hillsboro, N.C., on April 26, 1865.

Seventh Regiment of Cavalry

    At the beginning of the Civil War, a number of Bulloch County boys signed up to serve with local Mounted Partisan Ranger units. The majority enlisted in either the Twenty-First Battalion (commanded by Major William P. White) or the Twenty-Fourth Battalion (commanded by Major Edward C. Anderson).
    The Twenty-First and Twenty-Fourth Battalions, and Company B. of McAllister’s Rifles, which was part of the Hardwick Mounted Rifles commanded by Lieutenant Joseph L. McAllister, all met on Feb. 14, 1864 in Savannah.
    These units formed the nucleus of the Seventh Georgia Cavalry. The Bulloch contingent was Company B. (also known as “Miller’s Rangers”) and was commanded by Captain Robert L. Miller. The Seventh’s commanders were first, Colonel William P. White, and then, Lieutenant Colonel Edward C. Anderson Jr.
    Stationed along the South Carolina and Georgia coastline, the unit patrolled the Georgetown and Waccamaw Neck area, even capturing 25 members of a Union landing party.
    The Seventh Cavalry fought in many of the most important battles in the War Between the States, including Richmond, the Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania, and at Appomattox. They served in the Army of Northern Virginia, as part of Ewell’s Second Cavalry Corps.
    For more information, see the following sources:
    a. 5th Cavalry, Confederate States of America. Army military records, 1862-1864. by Confederate States of America.
    b. The gallant little 7th : a history of the 7th Georgia Cavalry Regiment, by John W Latty
    c. For more information on the men assigned to specific units, please see Smith Callaway Banks’ seminal work entitled “A Roster Of Confederate Soldiers of Bulloch County, 1861-1865,” available at the Statesboro Regional Library.

    Roger Allen is a local lover of history. Allen provides a brief look at Bulloch County's historical past. E-mail Roger at roger dodger53@hotmail.com
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