George Right Smith George Right Smith ( May 1 , 1837 – April 29 , 1903 ) elevated from Private to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War , later farmer and notable citizen of Georgia . Early life . George grew up with his 21 brothers and sisters on his daddy ' s farm in Georgia . John J . Smith , his father , owned a farm on " 411 highway near Mrs Rebecca Latimer Felton ' s at Cartersville " . John , with only the help of those 22 children ( most of whom did not survive to adulthood ) and his wife , raised cotton , corn , hay , wheat and oats , and owned a cotton gin , and a mill to grind wheat and corn that they farmed . His place was fenced to keep in the hogs and cattle that were driven down on his place by what was known then as the Old Federal Road . As the 9th of 22 children , and with such a large place , George was one busy young man . The Rowland Highlanders . After tensions had heightened between the north and south , and news of secession had spread , W . T . Wofford , a businessman , raised a confederate company in Cass County , Ga . ( now Bartow County ) northwest of Atlanta on April 10 , 1861 . George enlisted just before his 24th birthday into Company H of what soon became Wofford ' s 18th Georgia Regiment on June 13 , 1861 . Later they also became known as the " " Rowland Highlanders " . " The company was assigned to the 18th Georgia Regiment on April 26 , only two months before George Smith signed on . At this time , W . T . Wofford was elevated to the rank of Commissioned Colonel and given command of the regiment . Shortly thereafter , the 18th was assigned to the 4th Brigade of Georgia Volunteers and moved to Camp McDonald at Big Shanty , Ga . ( now Kennesaw ) for training . On July 31 , 1861 , just six weeks after George enlisted , a public " Grand Review " of the brigade was held in Big Shanty . This parade of the troops , in fresh uniforms and good shoes , full of fanfare and bravado was shortly followed by the 4th Brigade being assigned to the command of General W . Philips on September 9 , 1861 . The brigade moved to Lynchburg , Va . to set up camp , awaiting orders to defend the honor of Dixie . After two long , dull months of patrolling in the Lynchburg area that fall season , the Georgia Volunteers moved to Goldsboro , NC in anticipation of an attack on the North Carolina coast . The attack , however , never came . . . November 18 , 1861 , the 18th Georgia Regiment reported to General W . C . Whiting at Dumfries , VA , north of Fredericksburg , to guard against a possible attack on Richmond . While here on bivouac , the 18th was reassigned to the now infamous Texas Brigade under the command of General Wigfall on Jan 14 , 1862 . The Texas Brigade at that time consisted of the 1st , 4th , and 5th Texas Regiments , the 5th Alabama Regiment , and now the 18th Georgia Regiment . For the remainder of the winter of 1861 the 18th patrolled and scouted the Dumfries area . Then , coincidentally the same day as the great Naval battle between the " Monitor " and the " Virginia " , March 9 , 1862 , Whiting ' s command joined Holmes ' s command at Fredericksburg . This was part of a general withdrawal of troops to south of the Rappahannock River . In April , Gen . John B . Hood succeeded Gen . Wigfall as Commander of the Texas Brigade at Dumfries . The unit ' s official designation was now Company H , 18th Georgia Regiment , Hood ' s Texas Brigade , Whiting ' s Division , Army of Northern Virginia . Little known to anyone , the war was about to heat up significantly for everyone . Company H , along with the rest of Hood ' s Texas brigade , would become one of the most engaged units in the war . The Peninsula Campaign . Battle of Seven Pines ( See also Wikipedia ' s Seven Pines ) – From May 7 through June 11 , 1862 , the Texas Brigade received their first real test in battle around the Richmond area . Their first taste of action was in a small engagement around West Point , VA on May 7 . This small holding action was considered a success as a newly landed Union division under General William Franklin was held in check by only three Confederate brigades , including the Texas Brigade and a young Private George R Smith . Then , on May 24 , 1862 , there were several skirmishes at Seven Pines , Savage Station , and Chickahominy . These led up to the battle May 31 at Seven Pines , also known as Fair Oaks to the Union soldiers . Seven Pines is the name of an intersection seven miles ( 11 km ) east of Richmond where the Williamsburg " old stage " road intersected with the Nine - mile road . About one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) from Seven Pines , where the Nine - mile road crossed the Richmond and York River Railroad , there is a station called Fair Oaks . It was in this area that confederate General Gustavus Smith said : It was indeed one of the bloodiest to that day . The Texas Brigade , and the 18th Georgia Regiment , with George Smith was now assigned to General Daniel H . Hill ' s Division . They were stationed on the Williamsburg road awaiting support troops from Generals Longstreet , Whiting and Huger . However , for many reasons support did not arrive at the appointed time or place . The night before , a terrific storm lashed the entire area badly . Prior to the battle , General Hill , seeing the rough terrain of the area as a hazard , had his men place a white cloth around their hats as a precaution to serve as a battle - badge . As it turned out , this was a great idea that may have aided immensely in the outcome . . . All were in dense marshy woods , or on the terribly muddy road wading through water two to three feet deep and through thick underbrush . At the beginning of the battle , George Smith found himself positioned about west and in front of the Federal picket - line . The federals , novices of Silas Casey ' s division , were hunkered down in flooded rifle pits . At 1 o ' clock in the afternoon , the impatient General Hill ' s signal guns were fired to begin the attack , and Hill ' s division immediately moved forward unsupported . The union line shuddered under Hill ' s initial blow . Some units broke and ran . . . On seeing this , the union put forward one regiment to support the picket - line . After two hours of close and bloody fighting , Hill ' s division , unaided , had overrun the entire Federal first line of defense and was closely pressing upon their second line . However , the next day , all of the land gained in the first day ' s battle was lost . 6100 Confederate and 5000 Federals were killed , wounded , or missing during the 2 day battle . Of note , here , it was during the Battle of Seven Pines that General Robert E . Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia after General Joseph Johnston fell wounded on June 1 . Lee officially assumed command June 1 , 1862 . Gaines Mill and the Battle of Cold Harbor – On June 11 , 1862 , the Texas Brigade left the Richmond area near Seven Pines to join Stonewall Jackson ' s command in the Blue Ridge Gap east of Port Republic . Lee knew that , in order to defend Richmond he MUST attack . Jackson ' s command was ordered immediately back to Richmond to join in the Peninsula Campaign and what came to be known as the Seven Days Battle , June 25 to July 1 . The Texas Brigade , arriving well ahead of Jackson but a day later than planned , was used as a shock troop unit to break the Federal center at Cold Harbor , northeast of Richmond near the Chickahominy River . It was the second day of battle when General John Hood reported to General Longstreet who was already engaged in battle . With the 18th Georgia Regiment leading the charge , George Smith ' s unit broke the line . The 18th was the first unit through the gap , and suffered 146 killed or wounded . George R . Smith was hit in the knee , wounded by a Minié ball . Together , the two armies lost 15 , 000 men in a single afternoon . According to an article written later by General Longstreet , the Confederates " " . . . captured many thousand stand of arms , 52 pieces of artillery , large quantities of supplies , and General Reynolds . " " Lee ' s men continued to pursue the Union soldiers southward . From June 28 to the 30th , the 18th Georgia Regiment found itself once again engaged in skirmishes and movements around the White Oak Swamp near Fair Oaks and Seven Pines . When they arrived at the swamp , finding the bridge they were to cross destroyed and federal troops on the south bank , Jackson deployed his artillery . They opened fire on the south bank in a terrific bombardment , the sudden furosity of which wreaked havoc on the Union forces there . A Vermont soldier wrote : " " It was as if a nest of earthquakes had suddenly exploded under our feet . " " An artillery duel ensued , and continued through the day . Battle of Malvern Hill – A Union " victory " finally came on July 1 after a successful general withdrawal of Union forces to Malvern Hill . General McClellan was forced to settle his union soldiers into a battle at Malvern instead of his choice of Harrison ' s Landing to " give the enemy a blow that would check his further pursuit . " He deployed his forces in a U - shaped defense on the hill with more than two dozen cannon overlooking wheat fields to the front . Hood ' s men , with George Smith , was deployed to the extreme left of the Confederate lines , east of Willis Church Road near Poindexter . Lee ' s men were forced to advance across open fields and climb steep slopes to reach the federal positions . The federal cannons rained terror on the advancing Confederates with cruel efficiency . They were further supported by fire from the gunboats Galena and Mahaska in the James River , which lobbed huge shells toward the battlefield . Still , wave after wave of Confederates moved onto the field , " " . . . grim and silent as death itself " " mused one federal . The killing stopped only after the sun fell below the horizon , revealing a horrific sight ; hundreds of dead , and thousands of wounded . A Union cavalry officer remarked that the sight gave the field " a gruesome crawling appearance . " Even with its sublime position , the federals lost 3000 men at Malvern Hill , while the Confederates lost 5000 . Total losses during the Seven Days Battle included 15 , 849 Union losses killed , wounded , or missing compared to the Confederate ' s 19 , 749 killed , wounded , or missing . At a cost of nearly 20 , 000 lives , Lee had defended Richmond , pushing the Union Army of the Potomac back to the James River . Later , in August , the Army of the Potomac withdrew from the Peninsula , ending the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Seven Days . Campaign of Northern Virginia . Second Battle of Manassas ( Bull Run ) – ( See also Wikipedia ' s 2nd Battle of Bull Run ) After July 1 , 1862 the Texas Brigade remained encamped on Mechanicsville Road , just three miles ( 5 km ) above Richmond until mid - August , giving George Smith time to mend his wounded knee . On August 13 , the brigade marched about northwest to Gordonsville to join General Longstreet ' s Corps . On August 22 , 1862 , the brigade was held in reserve during a series of skirmishes that drove the Union forces back across the Rappahannock River , and resulted in the capture of General Bohlen , a union general . Four days later , on August 26 , Hood ' s Texas Brigade in the center of General Longstreet ' s attack at Second Manassas , went to the relief of Stonewall Jackson . The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 19 killed and 114 wounded in the battle , also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run , which lasted until August 30 . Longstreet ' s flank assault , combined with Jackson ' s counterattacks , drove the northerners back in a rout to Washington , D . C . . The northerners lost a total of 16 , 054 men out of a force of 70 , 000 , while the Confederates lost only 9 , 197 out of a total 55 , 000 . The Maryland Campaign . Battles of South Mountain and Antietam – Lee ' s forces surged northward into Maryland after the resounding defeat of the Union soldiers at Manassas . On September 14 , 1862 , General Hood led his division under General Longstreet ' s Corps into the Battle of South Mountain , in central Maryland , between Frederick and Hagerstown . He was sent to assist General D . H . Hill who was heavily outnumbered . After intercepting an order from General Lee to General Hill , the union soldiers under General McClellan inflicted 2 , 863 casualties upon the Confederates while there were only 1 , 831 Union casualties . The next day , September 15 , the 1 , 862 confederate troops left fell back to a cramped position along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg , Maryland . By this time , Hood ' s troops were subsisting on green corn picked right out of the local corn fields and most of his force was barefoot . On the morning of September 17 , the entire division went into reserve status to cook their first hot meal in four days . But , at sunrise , they were thrown back into the front line to assist General D . H . Hill again in the Battle of Dunker Church ( also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg ) against General Meade supporting Hill ' s left flank . It was the bloodiest single - day of battle in the entire war . The battle lasted until the evening when " an eerie silence fell on the battlefield . " Total casualties at Sharpsburg ; Confederates 13 , 609 men , Union 12 , 410 men . The 18th Georgia Regiment earned the dubious honor of having the highest proportion of casualties of any civil war unit at any major engagement . They went into battle with 176 men and lost 101 of those killed , wounded , or missing . General Lee had won a tactical victory , but strategically was compelled to move quickly back to Virginia . General McClellan ' s forces were so beaten , he was unable to pursue . The Chancellorsville Campaign . Battle of Fredericksburg – Because of his action at Antietam ( also known as The Battle of Sharpsburg ) , General Hood was given command of his own division . He maintained command of his Texas Brigade as well until November 26 , 1862 . Now consisting of 160 barefoot men the 18th Georgia Regiment was transferred to Cobb ' s Brigade , McLaws ' Division , remaining in Longstreet ' s Corps . Cobb ' s brigade was composed of the 16th , 24th , and 18th Georgia Regiments , Cobb ' s Legion , and Phillips ' Legion . The 18th Georgia Regiment remained assigned to Longstreet ' s Corps until the end of the war . From October 26 to November 10 , 1862 , George Smith ' s unit was involved in patrols of the region around Loudon , Faquier , and Rappahannock counties in Virginia . General Burnside replaced McClellan on the Union side , and delayed for a number of weeks near Warrenton , Va . waiting for pontoon builders before marching his reinforced army of 120 , 281 men to Falmouth , across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg , Va . . General Lee had massed his troops in and around the Fredericksburg area . What followed was not so much a battle as a military tragedy for the Union . On December 11 , 1862 construction began of pontoon bridges to help in the Federal crossing . While they were placing the pontoons , William Barksdale ' s Mississippi Brigade , heavily barricaded in buildings on the shore , inflicted heavy damage on the engineers . When the engineers would no longer work , Burnside ordered a brigade to float across the river on loose pontoons , and attack the Confederate positions . This plan eventually worked , but stalled Burnside ' s movement across the river to his great consternation . The bulk of his force moved across the completed pontoons on December 12 during a punishing river crossing . Once across , they marched through Fredericksburg under heavy fire taking many more losses from hidden sharpshooters . Once the city was cleared , Burnside took time to consult and plan with his officers . That evening , the officers lost control of their men as they looted homes and stores . They smashed mirrors , broke furniture , and dragged pianos into the street . " The soldiers seemed to delight in destroying everything , " wrote one witness . Virtually every home and business saw Yankee looters who stuffed their bags and knapsacks with anything worth a dollar . Burnside ' s provost marshall finally arrived later , lashing at troops with his riding crop . He arrested platoons of prisoners as well as some mounted officers , plunder still hanging from their saddles . Burnside rose early the morning of the 13th and ordered a series of 16 hopelessly piecemeal frontal assaults across open ground . Lee ' s 78 , 513 troops were drawn up in an impregnable position atop high ground and behind a stone wall west of the city . McLaws ' division was on Marye ' s Heights immediately back of the city . Cobb ' s Georgia brigade , with the 18th Georgia Regiment , was in a sunken road during this battle hidden from view until the attackers were surprised . The main Federal attack was directed at Cobb ' s brigade . General Lafayette McLaws had this to say in an article written after the war about the battle : From the beginning of the battle through the end not a single Union soldier made it to within of the wall on the sunken road . General Cobb bled to death from a hip wound within sight of the house where his parents had married , and was succeeded by General Kershaw . The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 58 of its 160 soldiers and , on the night of December 15 , was relieved . That same night , the Federals withdrew with staggering losses , and Kershaw ' s Brigade , with George Smith , reoccupied the city . Burnside ' s entire long front was riddled with appalling failure . He lost 12 , 653 Union men , compared to Lee ' s total loss of only 5 , 309 men . Both armies went into winter quarters around Fredericksburg during the winter of ' 62 – ' 63 . George Right Smith was elected to the rank of Junior Second Lieutenant in January 1863 shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg . Battle of Chancellorsville – April 29 , 1863 , General Hooker ( who replaced Burnside on 25 Jan 1863 ) moved the bulk of his force up the Rappahannock , west of Fredericksburg , in an attempt to flank Lee ' s army . He was astonished on May 1 when the Confederate commander suddenly moved most of his army directly against Hooker in what came to be known as the Battle of Chancellorsville . May 1 , W . T . Wofford assumed command of the Texas Brigade . Jackson ' s Corps , with McLaws ' Division on the left flank , remained on the Fredericksburg front until the night of May 1 . On that night , Jackson ' s force left Fredericksburg to outflank the outflanking Federal army . May 2 , McLaws ' Division joined with Lee ' s forces on Plank Road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville . The rest of Jackson ' s force started the flanking movement against Hooker ' s exposed right flank in the wilderness around Chancellorsville . Jackson crushed the Union ' s 11th Corps late in the afternoon . However , while continuing his advance , Jackson was accidentally wounded fatally by the fire of his own men when he crossed in front of the firing line of General Pender ' s North Carolina Brigade . As he knelt to help a recruit load his rifle during the Battle of Chancellorsville on Plank Road , George Right Smith was also struck in the back by a mini - ball . He sat down and leaned back against a tree thinking he " would surely die . " But , after a few minutes he found that the bullet had been spent after passing through his bed - roll leaving only a minor wound . Lee continued to press the attack on May 3 , and Hooker gave up the contest on May 5 , retreating to his old position north of the Rappahannock . The Federal soldiers suffered 17 , 278 casualties at Chancellorsville , while the Confederates suffered 12 , 764 . The 18th Georgia Regiment ' s casualties totaled 86 ; 14 killed and 72 wounded , including George Smith . Shortly thereafter , during May 1863 , George R . Smith was promoted to Second Lieutenant . The Gettysburg Campaign . In June , 1863 , General Lee launched his second invasion of the north . He advanced down the Shenandoah Valley toward Harper ' s Ferry , brushing aside smaller union forces near Winchester June 13 and 14 . Marching through Maryland into Pennsylvania , the Confederates reached Chambersburg and turned east . They occupied York , east of Gettysburg near the Susquehanna River , and harassed Carlisle and Harrisburg to the north . Learning to his surprise that General George Meade ( who replaced Hooker ) had moved Union forces north of the Potomac River , General Lee hastened to concentrate his far - flung forces . The two hostile armies came together unexpectedly at the important crossroads town of Gettysburg . Attacking from the north and west into the city of Gettysburg , on July 1 , 1863 , over 28 , 000 Confederate soldiers finally prevailed after nine hours of desperate fighting with 18 , 000 union soldiers . The weight of the Confederates forced General Abner Doubleday ' s Union troops back through the streets of Gettysburg , to the strategic Cemetery Ridge south of town . Here , General Meade assembled the rest of his force that night . On the second day of the battle Meade ' s 88 , 000 troops were heavily shored up in a strong fish - hook shaped defensive position . Union lines ran north from the Round Tops hills , along Cemetery Ridge , turning eastward to Culp ' s Hill . Lee ordered Longstreet ' s Corps to attack diagonally from Little Round Top northward , while General Ewell ' s units attacked Cemetery Hill and Culp ' s Hill . The Confederate attack , coming late in the afternoon , saw Longstreet capture the positions west of Little Round Top known as Peach Orchard , Wheat Field , and Devil ' s Den on the Federal left . But , he failed to seize the vital Little Round Top . General Kershaw had the following to say about the actions of W . T . Wofford ' s men of the Texas Brigade in the thick of battle : The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg , Lee ordered General Pickett to lead a heroic frontal assault on the center line of Cemetery Ridge with some 15 , 000 soldiers . After a terrible two hour artillery battle , and the heroic uphill charge of thousands , only a few hundred temporarily broke the Union lines . They were thrown back suffering nearly sixty percent casualties . The Confederates suffered 28 , 063 dead or wounded , and the Union forces suffered 23 , 049 at Gettysburg . Meade was unable to counterattack , and Lee conducted an adroit retreat into Northern Virginia . George Smith ' s 18th Georgia Regiment retreated to an area near Manassas Gap , in Virginia . They fought a skirmish at Snicker ' s Gap , Virginia on July 23 , 1863 , and did not see action again until October . The Tennessee Campaign . Battle of Chickamauga – In September 1863 , Longstreet ' s Corps left the armies of northern Virginia by rail to join the Battle of Chickamauga in northwest Georgia , near Dalton . The corps bolstered the forces of General Bragg ' s Army of Tennessee . He used these reinforcements in a vicious two day battle , September 19 and 20 , gaining one of the few confederate victories in the southwest . But , the 18th Georgia Regiment did not participate since they only arrived on the field the day after the battle . The Union forces , under the command of General Rosencrans , fell back into Chattanooga , Tennessee . Instead of vigorously pursuing Rosencrans and pressing the siege of Chattanooga , General Bragg encircled the city hoping to starve the Union commander into surrendering . But , by Oct 23rd , General Grant had arrived and the river route to Bridgeport was opened , the threat of starvation ended . Longstreet wrote after the war , " Our last opportunity was lost when we failed to follow the success at Chickamauga and capture or disperse the Union army . " October 28 and 29 , 1863 found the 18th Georgia Regiment engaged in battles around Wauhatchie , Tennessee . Siege of Knoxville – Bragg sent Longstreet ' s Corps off in a futile attempt to capture Knoxville on November 5 . The 18th Georgia Regiment found itself in a small skirmish on November 15 at Little River , Tennessee . On November 27 and 28 , 1863 , two brigades of cavalry from Virginia joined Longstreet and 3500 men from Bragg ' s Army . On the 29th , Longstreet attacked Fort Loudon , but his troops were slaughtered in the ditches around the fort . He withdrew , and on December 3 started northward . By December 12 , his forces arrived at Rogersville , and on the 15th he attempted to capture three brigades of Federal cavalry at Beans Station . The attempt failed . January 16 and 17 , the 18th Georgia was engaged in operations around Dandridge , Tennessee , east of Knoxville . Mar 25 , 1864 , George Right Smith was promoted to the grade of 1st Lieutenant . On April 11 , Longstreet received orders to return to the Army of Northern Virginia just before the violent Atlanta Campaign by the Union began . By the 5th of May he was back in the lines with the Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia . The Wilderness Campaign . Battle of the Wilderness – On May 5 , General Longstreet ' s corps was hit by the Federals on Old Turnpike and Orange Plank Road in the Battle of the Wilderness . But , Lee reacted immediately , attacking from the west , and two days of bitter , indecisive fighting ensued . General Grant ( who had replaced General Halleck as General in Chief of the Union Armies ) found both of his flanks endangered , and quickly retreated from the wilderness battlefield . He attempted to hasten southeast to the crossroads at Spotsylvania Courthouse just southwest of Fredericksburg , but found the confederates , including the 18th Georgia , had arrived first . In extremely savage action , including hand - to - hand fighting at the famous " Bloody Angle " with Longstreet ' s men in the left flank , May 8 to May 19 , Grant was thrown back . He lost over 17 , 000 men compared to only 8 , 000 Confederate losses at the Battle of the Wilderness . And he lost another 18 , 000 at Spotsylvania compared to Lee ' s 9 , 000 man loss . Again , at North Anna River , May 22 – May 26 , the Pamunky River , May 26 – 28 , and at the Totopotomy Creek , May 28 – 31 , he found Lee too much to handle . Finally , at Cold Harbor , June 1 – 12 , northeast of Richmond , Grant launched several very heavy attacks against Lee ' s Army , which included the 18th Georgia Regiment . All of these attacks , including a near suicidal one on June 3 , were repelled with grievous losses totalling over 17 , 000 Union soldiers . Lee ' s losses , although unknown , were much lighter . After the battles east of Richmond , Lee moved his forces into Richmond and Petersburg . June 16 , 1863 , the Union forces , under Grant , lay siege on Petersburg in an attempt to gain control of the vital railways to Richmond . The 18th Georgia Regiment is listed as being engaged in the assault on Petersburg , June 18 , 1864 . The siege only lasted until July . War ' s End . The Shenandoah Battles – 1st Lt George Right Smith was hospitalized August 1864 in Petersburg for serious diarrhea combined with high fever . However , August 7 , was in the unit once again as they were reassigned to operations against Sheridan ' s Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley where the 18th Georgia saw many small battles . August 16 , they were engaged at Cedarville , and Guard Hill ( Front Royal ) , Virginia . They next saw action at Bunker Hill , West Virginia September 2 and 3rd . On September 19 , they saw action in the battles of Opequan and Winchester , Virginia . Three days later , on the 22nd , George Smith ' s unit saw action at the battles of Fisher ' s Hill and Woodstock , Virginia . And lastly , on October 19 , 1864 , the unit saw action in the battles of Cedar Creek , Middletown , and Belle Grove , Virginia . Siege of Petersburg and Richmond – November 30 , the unit was reassigned to the Army of Northern Virginia , and moved back to Richmond where Grant ' s forces lay siege to the city . Conditions were intolerably poor in Richmond and disease was rampant . On December 26 , George was again hospitalized and moved to Stuart Hospital in Richmond due to continuing diarrhea , and again in January , 1865 for the same problem . By January , Tennessee and Georgia were firmly in federal hands . February 27 , George Smith was placed on medical disability furlough in Richmond for 20 days , and is shown in the records back on duty March 23 , 1865 . The siege on Petersburg and Richmond continued until Lee ' s lines were pierced , and he was forced to evacuate both cities April 2 and 3rd . An eighty - eight mile chase ensued down the Appomattox River to the southwest . Confederate forces were detained at Amelia Courthouse , waiting for delayed food supplies , and were badly cut up at Sayler ' s Creek ( where the 18th Georgia Regiment was stationed ) and Five Forks . George Smith was furloughed sometime immediately before war ' s end due to continued illness , and returned home to Georgia . After Lee ' s surrender at Appomattox , April 9 , 1865 , Smith surrendered at Kingston , Georgia . His unit , Company H , " The Rowland Highlanders " , of the 18th Georgia Regiment , assigned to General Kershaw ' s Division , under the command of Brigadier General Dudley M . DuBose , of General Longstreet ' s I Corps was represented at the surrender of Confederate Forces at Appomattox by five privates . The entire 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment surrendered with less than 60 members , the highest ranking of which was one Lieutenant . Post war . After the war , George Smith married Elizabeth Francis Barella " Fannie " Spencer who was born in 1842 . After he sold two bales of hay he left behind before the war for $ 2000 each he bought a farm in Pinelog Hill , Georgia . They had their first child there , Thomas , in October 1867 . George ' s family had to obtain affidavits from people with whom he had served to prove he had not deserted , in order to qualify for his pension . Obituary . The Calhoun Times , Calhoun , Ga . , Thursday , April 30 , 1903 References . References used , but not properly cited in document but used as general resources throughout :