53rd Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry

This regiment was formed in May, 1862, and sent to Virginia in time to take part in McClellan's Peninsula Campaign. It served with the Army of Northern Virginia until it's surrender at Appomattox Court House, except during Longstreet's 1863 expedition to Georgia and Tennessee. Upon reaching Virginia, it was assigned to Semmes's Brigade. After the Battle of Antietam, the 53^rd Regiment was permanently assigned to Paul Jones Semmes's Brigade. The subsequent brigade commanders were Goode Bryant and James P. Simms.

The regiment was organized as follows:

Field staff and band

• Leonard T. Doyal (May 12, 1862 thru October 8, 1862, Resigned)
• James P. Simms (October 20, 1862 thru ?, Promoted to Brigadier General, Georgia State Troops)
• Wiley F. Hartsfield (? thru April 6, 1865, Killed at Sailor's Creek, Virginia)

Lieutenant Colonel

• Thomas Sloan (June 4, 1862 thru September 23, 1862, Died from wounds received at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862)
• James Washington Hance (October 27, 1862 thru July 2, 1863, Killed at Gettysburg)
• Robert P. Taylor ( October 14, 1863 thru November 29, 1863, Killed at Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Wiley F. Hartsfield (December 3, 1863 thru ?, Promoted to Colonel (?))

Major

• James P. Simms (June 4, 1862 thru October 20, 1862, Promoted to Colonel)
• Thomas W. Sims (October 27, 1862 thru October 28, 1863, Resigned because of disability)
• Wiley F. Hartsfield (November 8, 1863 thru December 3, 1863, Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel)
• Sheridan R. Brown (December 19, 1863 thru September 23, 1864, Resigned because of disability)

Adjutant

• John F. Hanson, Jr. (June 5, 1862 thru May 26, 1863, Resigned due to disability)

Companies

• Company A - Doyal Volunteers (Spalding County)
• Company B -South River Farmers (Newton County)
• Company C - Fayette Planters (Fayette County)
• Company D - (Coweta and Heard Counties)
• Company E - Newton Anderson Guards (Newton County)
• Company F - Dixie Guards (Henry County)
• Company G - Georgia Rebels (Coweta County)
• Company H - Dixie Volunteers (Pike County)
• Company I - Jeff Davis Rifleman (Butts County)
• Company K - Quitman Guards (Monroe County)

Assignments

• Semmes' Brigade, McLaw's Division, Magruder's Command, Army of Northern Virginia (April-July 1862)
• Semmes'-Bryan's Brigade, McLaw's Division, 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (July 1862-September 1863)
• Bryan's Brigade, McLaw's Division, Longstreet's Corps, Army of Tennessee (September-November 1863)
• Bryan's Brigade, McLaw's-Kershaw's Division, Department of East Tennessee (November 1863-April 1864)
• Bryan's Brigade, Kershaw's Division, 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (April-August 1864)
• Bryan's Brigade, Kershaw's Division, Valley District (August-November 1864)
• Bryan's-Simms' Brigade, Kershaw's Division, 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (November 1864-April 1865)

(Excerpted from the Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia, by Stewart Sifakis, published by Facts on File [out of print])

Battles

• Seven Days Battles (June 25-July 1, 1862)
• Savage's Station [in reserve] (June 29, 1862)
• Allen's Farm (July 1, 1862)
• Malvern Hill (July 1, 1862)
• Harpers Ferry (September 12-15, 1862)
• South Mountain (September 14, 1862) (Not Listed in Compendium)
• Antietam (September 17, 1862)
• Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862)
• Chancellorsville (May 1-4, 1863)
• Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863)
• Chickamauga [not engaged] (September 19-20, 1863)
• Chattanooga Siege (September-November 1863)
• Knoxville Siege (November-December 1863)
• The Wilderness (May 5-6, 1864)
• Spotsylvania Court House (May 8-21, 1864)
• North Anna (May 23-26, 1864)
• Cold Harbor (June 1-3, 1864)
• Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
• Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864)
• Sayler's Creek (April 6, 1865)
• Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

(Excerpted from the Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia, by Stewart Sifakis, published by Facts on File [out of print])
 
 

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