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Bulloch History by Roger Allen
(Note: This is the third of a three-part series about Bulloch County residents who fought in the Civ
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(Note: This is the third of a three-part series about Bulloch County residents who fought in the Civil War.)

Company I of the Ninth Regiment of Infantry
    The “Toombs Guards” or Company I of the Ninth Regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry began its storied history on June 1, 1861. The Color Guard Company of the Ninth, it was also known as “Belt’s Company,” after its first commander, Captain Lloyd C. Belt.
    Captain Mathew Talbot and then Captain Thomas Knight followed as company commanders. The “Toombs Guards” were named after Senator Robert Toombs. Toombs is best known for his speech given in the U.S. Senate as he left to join the Confederacy in which he said, “Let us depart in peace…” 
    The Ninth Regiment’s commanders were Colonels Edwin Ross Goulding, Richard A. Turnipseed, and then Benjamin Beck. The Ninth first served with the Army of the Shenandoah, and then with General James Longstreet’s First Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia.
    Georgia’s Ninth Regiment fought in many of the war’s most intense battles, such as those at Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Sharpsburg, Second Manassas, and at the Siege of Knoxville. This unit surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox, with only 13 men still standing in the unit.

Company C. of the Forty-Seventh Regiment of Infantry
    The “Bulloch Guards” (or “Williams’ Company”), first formed in the winter of 1860 as part of the 11th Battalion of Infantry. It was formally mustered into service in October 1861 in Decatur, Georgia. Their commander was Captain William Williams. It was attached to the Eleventh Coastal Battalion of Georgia Volunteer Infantry.
    They did coastal duties along the Georgia and South Carolina for a while. As the war heated up, their unit was reassigned to (first) the Third Regiment (and then) the Fifth Regiment of Georgia State Troops, under the command of Captains Williams and then Joseph C. Thompson.
    The “Bulloch Guards” then became part of the First Brigade of the First Division of the Georgia State Troops, which participated in the defense of Charleston, during which time Captain Williams was killed in combat. The “Bulloch Guards” were then ordered to Guyton for reassignment.
    Here they were reformed as Company C. (now known also as “Cone’s Company”) of the Forty-Seventh Regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry on March 4, 1862.. Their unit commander was Major James G. Cone.
They were then ordered to first support General Joseph Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah, and then were then sent to fight alongside G alongside General “Stonewall” Jackson’s Brigade of General Braxton Bragg’s Army of the Tennessee.
    Led by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph S. Cone, the regiment was then sent to fight at Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, and Kennesaw Mountain. There they fought side by side with elements of the Thirteenth, Twenty-Sixth, Thirty-First, Sixtieth, and Sixty-First Regiments of Georgia Infantry.
    Towards the end of the war the Forty-Seventh was merged with the Twenty-Eighth Siege Artillery Battalion, becoming part of the First Regiment of Georgia Infantry (Consolidated) as they joined General G.P. Harrison in the defense of Savannah.
    The unit surrendered to General Sherman at Greensburg, North Carolina on April 28, 1865 with only 150 men of the original 900 who had mustered in still alive.

Company K. of the Forty-Seventh Regiment of Infantry
    In October 1861, Company G., also known as “DeLoach’s Company” was mustered into service in Decatur, Georgia. Their commander was Captain John Calvin DeLoach. It was soon made part of the Eleventh Georgia Infantry Battalion.
    They were also called “Caper’s Volunteers”, named after Francis Withers Capers of Savannah, Superintendent of the Georgia Military Academy. In 1862, the Eleventh Battalion became part of the Third Regiment of Georgia State Troops.
    The Third Regiment first went to Camp Harrison, named after their commander Colonel George P. Harrison. The Third Regiment was quickly reorganized as the Fifth Regiment. When it became part of the First Brigade of the First Division of the Georgia State Troops, the force was sent first to Camp Jasper, and then to Camp Iverson.
    The Caper’s Volunteers were then disbanded on April of 1862. On May 12, 1862, most of the 96 men formerly known as “DeLoach’s Company” were reconstituted as Company K. (first called “DeLoach’s Company) and then “Cone’s Company”) of the Forty-Seventh Regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry.
    Their first company commander was once again Captain John Calvin DeLoach, who was the succeeded by Captain Joseph S. Cone. Some of these men chose instead to join Miller’s Rangers and others chose to join the Hardwick’s Mounted Rifles. Both of these units became part of the newly formed Seventh Georgia Cavalry.
    Towards the end of the war the Forty-Seventh was merged with the Twenty-Eighth Siege Artillery Battalion, becoming the First Regiment of Georgia Regular Infantry (Consolidated) as they joined General G.P. Harrison in the defense of Savannah.

For more information, see the following sources:
a. Conderate Unit histories, Confederate States of America.
b. 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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