Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-17
Reunion of the Eighth Georgia Vol
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] In q leJler puDnSneu IN to-day 3 mORNlNG
/ NEWS, MIR. j. j. Griffin, of Atlanta, one Of
! the members of the Eighth Regiment of
! Georgia Volunteers, A. N. v, suggests the
! holding Of a reunion Of the survivors of that
/ gallant command. In the seventy regiments
Of infantry contributed by Georgia to the
| armies Of the South, none has a better record
than the Eighth"
Its history is closely interviewer with that
of the soldiery of Savannah, and many of its
heroes sleep peacefully under the shade of the
| evergreens in our cemeteries. The monu-
ment to the ''Men of Gettysburg" is fanked
on either side by the dead of this regiment.
Its record is a sacred heirloom in many
household whose loved ones last look was
upon its flag.
The Eighth Regiment was organized at
Towards Grove, near Richmond Va, from
Independent companies from Georgia, which
had enlisted for ''Three years, or the war;"
and was one Of, if not the first Of, what was
then known as "war regiments IN contradIs-
tinctlon to State or l2-months troops. Its first
Colonel was Francis S. Barlow, Savannahs
most illustrious citizen soldier, who had car
ried to Virginia his company, the OglethOrpe
Light Infantry Of this city, known in the regi-
ment as Company B.
soon after its organization the Eighth was
sent to Harper's Ferry, where it became one
of the regiments Of ''Bartow's Brigade, con-
sisting OF the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and
Eleventh Georgia and the First and Second
kentucky Battalons. 1t served in that sec
ton of Virginia, confronting the Union forces
under Gen. Patterson. 1t was a part Of the
army of Gen. Joseph Z. Johnston that rein
forced Gen. Beauregard and saved the battle
of Manassas. In that battle, its first, it suf-
fered severely, having amongst its killed the
immortal Barlow and its gallant Adjutant,
Lieut.. J. /. Branch.
With other forces it was sent from Centre
vile, where the army had been in camp after
the Manassas campaign, to reinforce Gen.
Magruder at Yorktown, and participated in
the movements which afterwards followed.
In the battles around Richmond, which ter
minated in the defeat Of the Union army
under Gen. Mcclellan, the Eighth was again
conspicuous. especially in its charge upon
Fort Mcclellan (Garnett's FARM where it
sustained heavy losses. Its Colonel, Lucius
NJ Lamar, and its Lieutenant Colonel,
j. r. Towers, were taken prisoners,
Col Lamar being dangerously wounded. The
regiment took part in the battles of Thor
oughfare Gap, second Manassas, Sharpsburg,
Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Gettysburg
and the many other conflicts which made the
army of Northern Virginia the wonder Of the
military world and immortalized its great
leader and his lieutenants.
While other corps of Lees army were rest
ing, Longstreet made the circuit of the Con-
federacy, and the Eighth Georgia was with
him. 1t took part in the battle of Chicka
manga and was in the campaigns in East
Tennessee and Western Virginia. The corps
was recalled to Virginia and arrived in time
to take part in the battles of the Wilderness,
O. ha
raign which began at Re Rappahanock
ended at Appomattox. all the hard
Sips which followed t investiture of
.ersburg and the retreat the little army
zen. Lee before the overw Ginning host Of
{ !. Grant, the Eighth Georgia bore its part,
a its career only closed when
"The warriors banner took its flight
ITO greet the warriors SOUL"
The companies Of the regiment were known
at home as the
Rome Light Guard, Rome.
Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Savannah.
Macon Guard, Macon.
Atlanta Grays, Atlanta.
Dawson Rifles, Dawson.
Echols Guards, Echols county.
Oglethorpe Rifles, MoEtezuma.
Miller Rifles, Floyd county.
Floyd Infantry, Floyd county.
stephens Light Guard, Meriwether county.
The regimental officers were
Colonel Francis S. Barlow,
Colonel William NJ. Gardner.
Colonel L. NJ. Lamar.
Colonel J. r. Towers.
Lieutenant Colonel William M. Gardner.
Lieutenant Colonel J. r. Towers.
Lieutenant Colonel E. J. Magruder.
Major j. A. Cooper.
MAJOR Z. J. Magruder.
Major George o. Dawson.
Adjutant j. L. Branch.
Adjutant A. r. Harper.
Adjutant w. f. Shellman.
Many of the veteran regiments Of the South
have had reunions, and there is no reason
why Mr. Griflins suggestion should not meet
the approval Of the members of the Eighth.
Arrangements could be made to have the
meeting IN Savannah some time this fall. The
MORNING NEWS viii guarantee a
warm welcome from the men and women
of Savannah. Will Col. Lamar or
Mai. Shellman give the order for the Eighth
Regiment TO stall in" at Savannah, say some
time in October? The editor of the MORNING
NEWS, TO whom his old cOmrade, Mr.. Griffin,
addresses his letter, had the honor to be pri-
vate in the Eighth in the first years of the late
unpleasantness, and it will afford him pleas
ure to do everything in his power to make
the proposed reunion a memorable and an en-