19th Virginia Infantry The 19th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War . It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia . The 19th Virginia , organized at Manassas Junction , Virginia , in May , 1861 , contained men recruited at Charlottesville and in the counties of Albemarle , Nelson , and Amherst . It fought at First Manassas under General Cocke , then was assigned to General Pickett ' s , Garnett ' s , and Hunton ' s Brigade . The 19th participated in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was with Longstreet at Suffolk . Later it served in North Carolina , returned to Virginia , and was active at Drewry ' s Bluff and Cold Harbor . Continuing the fight , it was engaged in the Petersburg siege north of the James River and the Appomattox Campaign . It reported 6 casualties at First Manassas and in April , 1862 , totalled 650 effectives . The regiment had 138 casualties during the Seven Days ' Battles and lost forty - two percent of the 150 in the Maryland Campaign and more than forty - five percent of the 328 engaged at Gettysburg . Many were captured at Sayler ' s Creek , and only 1 officer and 29 men surrendered . The field officers were Colonels Philip St . George Cocke , Henry Gantt , Armistead T . M . Rust , and John B . Strange ; Lieutenant Colonels John T . Ellis , Charles S . Peyton , and Bennett Taylor ; and Majors Waller M . Boyd and William Watts . Organization . The 19th Virginia Infantry service begins on April 17 , 1861 , at Charlottesville , Virginia , when Virginia secedes from the United States . Two militia companies , the Monticello Guard and the Albemarle Rifles , along with two companies , the Southern Guard and the Sons of Liberty , formed in front of the Charlottesville Court House . The Monticello Guard was formed in May 1857 , by William B . Mallory . It is unknown what they wore in the pre - war years . One record says they wore uniforms similar to the Continentals of the American Revolution , while one report claims they wore red battleshirts with red fezzes when they participated in a shooting competition in 1859 . The Albemarle Rifles were formed in 1860 , by William T . W . R . Duke . The pre - war uniform consisted of Gray frock coats with blue trim and blue trousers . They wore white leather goods , and according to Richard Duke ' s son , carried either US Springfield or Mississippi Rifles . The other two companies , the Southern Guard and the Sons of Liberty , consisted of students from the University of Virginia . At 10 : 30 pm , they were loaded onto a train bound for Staunton . They became known as the Charlottesville - University Battalion . They arrived at Harper ' s Ferry and stayed there until April 23 , when they were ordered back to Charlottesville . The two UVA companies were disbanded , while the Monticello Guard and the Albemarle Rifles were mustered into service on May 12 , at Culpeper Court House . The other eight companies arrived later in the months . The nicknames of the companies of the regiment are as follows : - Company A : " The Monticello Guard " Enlisted April 16 , 1861 , Charlottesville , Virginia . - Company B : " The Albemarle Rifles " Enlisted April 17 , 1861 , Charlottesville , Virginia . - Company C : " The Scottsville Guard . " Enlisted April 17 , 1861 , Scottsville , Virginia . They wore blue frock coats and trousers , along with white leather goods . The blue was according to the Virginia Militia Regulations of 1858 . - Company D : " The Howardsville Grays " Enlisted April 19 , 1861 , Howardsville , Virginia . - Company E : " The Piedmont Guards " Enlisted May 20 , 1861 , Stony Point , Virginia - Company F : " The Montgomery Guard " Enlisted May 20 , 1861 , Charlottesville , Virginia - Company G : " The Nelson Grays " Enlisted May 1 , 1861 , Massie ' s Mill , Virginia - Company H : " The Southern Rights Guard " Enlisted April 15 , 1861 , Amherst Court House , Virginia - Company I : " The Amherst Rifles " Enlisted May 1 , 1861 , Amherst Court House , Virginia - Company K : " The Blue Ridge Rifles " Enlisted May 20 , 1861 , Hillsboro , Virginia Companies A - F and K were recruited primarily from Albemarle County . Company G was recruited primarily from Nelson County , and Companies H and I were recruited primarily from Amherst County . Uniform . The 19th Virginia was clothed in the regulation Confederate Infantry garb ; that is , a gray frock coat with light blue trim on the skirt of the coat , on the cuffs , and on the collar , light blue trousers , and a gray kepi with a light blue band . The light blue designated the wearer as an infantryman . The men of the 19th were also issued brown leather accouterments : a brown leather cartridge box and strap and a brown leather belt with cap box . As the Civil War dragged on and uniforms wore out , the men of the 19th adopted the usual practice among Confederate soldiers of wearing whatever they could find . Combat Record . The 19th Virginia became part of a brigade along side the 8th , 18th , and 28th Virginia Infantry Regiments . The 56th Virginia Infantry Regiment later joined the brigade . The brigade later became known as the " Gamecock Brigade " for its fierce fighting and extreme bravery . Much of what is known of the 19th Virginia ' s experiences during the war is based on the reports of its commanders as found in the Official Records . Another source is the memoirs of one of its members , William Nathaniel Wood , who wrote " Reminiscences of Big I " , which describes Wood ' s personal experiences with the regiment during the War . First Manassas . The 19th Virginia ' s trial by fire was at the First Battle of Manassas ( First Battle of Bull Run ) on July 21 , 1861 . As part of the Fifth Brigade under the command of Colonel Philip St . George Cocke , they fought in the Confederate Army of the Potomac under the overall command of Brigadier General P . G . T . Beauregard . The Fifth Brigade , stationed along the banks of Bull Run , was tasked with " . . . guarding Island , Ball ' s , and Lewis ' Fords , to the right of Evans ' demi - brigade , near the stone bridge , also under General Cooke ' s command . The latter held the stone bridge , and its left covered a farm ford about one mile above the bridge , " according to Beauregard ' s official after - battle report . The regiment was then under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Bowie Strange , who had his men dig trenches to fortify their position the previous night . According to William Wood ' s reminiscences , the 19th comes under artillery fire on the morning of the 21st while waiting in the trenches for orders . Colonel Strange called out to his Sergeant Major during the shooting : " Lipop ! I am without orders , What shall I do ? " to which Sergeant Major Lipop replied , " Retreat to Manassas as quickly as possible . " Colonel Strange ignored the recommendation , and soon enough orders arrived saying that the 19th was to move out . As the regiment moved into position , a stray bullet from the fighting killed a man in one of the Amherst companies , Private George Thompson , the 19th ' s first battle death . Thompson had been a farmer before the war , and the bullet entered his head . He was 21 years old . Five more men were wounded as the 19th deployed in time to see the Federal Army routed from the field . Although few , if any men of the 19th actually fired their weapons during the battle , the regiment would forever say that First Manassas was their official trial by fire . As the Federals retreated , the 19th chased them , advanicing up a road to Sudley Ford , and there crossed Bull Run . Afterwards , the chase ended , and the 19th returned to Lewis Ford by the way of the Federal retreat , covered by blackets , oilclothes , overcoats , havasacks , and muskets abanonded by Federal troops . August 1861 - April 1862 . Like much of the Confederate Army after First Manassas , the 19th spent the rest of the year and part of the next in a stationary position around Cub Run . There the men learned how to drill and live like soldiers . They took their turn on the picket line and were occasionally involved in skirmishes . Camplife became the order of business , as they set up winter camp near Fairfax Court House , Virginia , in October , 1861 . Companies and battalion drill were frequent , as were inspections and parades . The soldiers enjoyed the uneventful days of winter camp . Along with card playing and sport playing , they enjoyed the sermons of Reverend John H . Griffin of Company H . Griffin soon became the regimental chaplin . Along with picket duty and drill , the 19th also built entrenchments on the high points around Fairfax . Private Z . L . Gilmer of Company described the 19th positions as " imoenentrable to the enemy , " and noted in his diary that the slaves who also took part were paid the same as the soldiers ( 11 . 00 dollars ) . In January , 1862 , the 19th performed picket duty every 16 days , with each wing alternating on the eighth day . While on picket duty , Phillip St . George Cocke was given leave on December 16 , and went home to his father ' s home at Bremo Bluff , in Fluvanna County . He never returned to his command , as on December 26 , 1861 , he committed suicide by a single shot from a pistol in his mouth . John Strange was sick in the hospital , so Colonel Armistead Rust took command of the regiment , but soon , he was given leave home , so Captain James Mallory of Company took command of the regiment until Strange ' s return . Like Washington ' s Army after the winter at Valley Forge , the Confederate Army and the 19th Virginia emerged in the spring a well - drilled force to be reckoned with . The regiment broke winterquarters on March 8 , 1862 , and marched south toward Culpeper . They camped outside Warrenton , Virginia , on March 10 , then at Amissville on the 12th . They halted at Orange Court House on March 16 . The 19th had marched 100 miles over the past two weeks , minus five days of rest . During the next two weeks , the 19th was drilled hard by Lieutenant Colonel Strange . While at camp at Orange , new recruits arrived to the regiment . Company I reported to have received 22 new recruits . Private William H . Jones wrote in a letter to his wife that , " camp life is a very hard life to one that is not bin ( been ) used to it . . . " On April 6 , the 19th moved out , marching south to Louisa . They pass through Louisa Court House , on April 10 , where some new recruits joined Company C . On April 16 , the regiment arrived on the Richmond line for the purpose of defending the Confederate capitol against the advance of Federal Major General George B . McClellan ' s Army of the Potomac , which was preparing for its advance up the York Peninsula . After First Manassas , the Confederate Army of the Potomac was reorganized and renamed the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of General Joseph E . Johnston . After the suicide of General Cocke on December 26 , 1861 , the 19th Virginia was brigade - ed with the 8th , 18th , and 28th Virginia Infantry Regiments and the brigade was placed under the command of Brigadier General George Pickett and designated the Third Brigade of the Second Division , which was commanded by Major General James Longstreet . The 19th loaded " three scooners " and were shipped to Yorktown On April 26 , 1862 , Companies B and E were attacked by Federal troops near Yorktown , Virginia . One man was killed and 15 captured from Company E and no men lost from Company B . They were replaced by Companies A and I the next day . They evacated their positions on April 29 , being replaced by the 19th Mississippi . From April 28 to 30 , the 19th Virginia was reorganized and company elections were held . Lieutenant Colonel John B . Strange replaced Rust as Colonel , and Major Henry Gantt was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel . Williamsburg . On May 5 , the 19th Virginia was positioned near Fort Magruder , the strongest point on the Confederate defensive line intended to slow the advance of McClellan ' s army east of Williamsburg , Virginia . At 10 : 30 am , General George Pickett ' s brigade was ordered to relieve General Cadmus Wilcox brigade ' s right . The objective of Pickett ' s brigade was to extend the line well to the right of the Federal ' s flank and turn it . The brigade , including the 19th , drove the Federals to a pine thicket . The 19th then faced to the east , with the 18th Virginia to the left , and the 19th Mississippi and 17th Virginia to the left , and the 28th Virginia came up in reserve The 19th then came under heavy fire from the Federals in the pine thicket . The 19th began to fall back , but General Pickett and Lieutenant Colonel Gantt rallied the men and ordered them up . Later in the day , the 19th fixed bayonets and charged the Federal postiton . The Federal troops were driven by Pickett ' s men for a mile . During the charge , the 19th captured a battery of seven guns and over 200 Federals . One of the men to reach the guns first , Sergeant Alexander Hoffman of Company A , was killed beside the guns . The charge was the first time that Pickett ' s Brigade would advance as a unit in attack . The relatively green 19th had passed its first major combat test with flying colors . Some considered this the 19th ' s proudest moment of the entire War . After 8 pm , the 19th returned to Williamsburg and stayed there for the night . Pickett ' s brigade reported 190 casualties : 26 killed , 138 wounded and 26 missing . The 19th had 7 men killed , 44 wounded , and 2 missing . Seven Pines . The Battle of Seven Pines began on May 31 , 1862 . Pickett ' s brigade was not involved , even though much of Longstreet ' s Division was engaged . At 8 : 00 AM on June 1 , the 19th Virginia formed up and prepared for action . The regiment stacked its arms and waited for orders , when a volley fired their direction sent them scurrying back into formation . Pickett ' s Brigade advanced toward the direction of the shots . The 19th was halted and ordered to lie down and maintain silence when a large body of Federal infantry was found completely behind them , while another body of Federals advanced directly to their front . Assuming themselves surrounded , the 19th lay still and waited until the Federals to their front were nearly on top of them before they stood and delivered a volley that stopped the Federals cold . In less than " eight minutes , " as William Wood would later carefully note , the Federal line fell back at a " quick route step . " But although victorious in their fight , Wood would write that " on no future occasion was our loss so great in so short a time . " During the battle , the 19th was attacked by another Federal force . A Union officer walked in front of the units , and shouted to the Confederates , " Who are you all ! " " Virginians , Virginians , " they answered . " Don ' t worry , they will surrender , " the Union officer said to his men . The 19th , insulted by this comment , rose up and fired a volley into the Federals , killing the officer , who is believed to be Colonel James Miller of the 81st Pennsylvania Volunteers . At 1 pm , Pickett ' s bring withdrew back to the previous night ' s encampment . The 19th lost 20 percent of his strength . Gaines ' Mill . At 7 : 00 PM on June 27 , Longstreet ' s Division advanced on the far right of the Confederate line against Fitz John Porter ' s V Federal Corps . The 19th was in the front line of Longstreet ' s attack and on the left flank of the brigade . As it advanced , elements of the regiment temporarily stopped due to the viciousness of the Federal fire , but were quickly rallied and sent forward again . The regiment helped break the strong Federal line and drive it back in considerable confusion . A counter - charge by Federal cavalry was met by the 19th at bayonet point and driven back by point - blank rifle - fire delivered by Longstreet ' s Division . Losses were heavy , but again the 19th and the rest of Pickett ' s Brigade had performed admirably , with General Longstreet later taking note of the courage of Pickett ' s Brigade in his memoirs , " From Manassas to Appomattox " . General Pickett was wounded in the attack , and Colonel Eppa Hunton of the 8th Virginia took control of the brigade ( some reports indicate Colonel Strange of the 19th Virginia took temporary command . ) Frayser ' s Farm ( Fraiser ' s Farm / Glendale ) . The 19th advanced with the rest of Pickett ' s ( now Hunton ' s ) Brigade on June 30 , until it made contact with Federal infantry to its front . After a short fire - fight , the Federals were driven back . Colonel Strange apparently took temporary command of the brigade during this advance . Second Manassas . After the threat to Richmond was repulsed with the withdrawal of McClellan ' s army from the Peninsula , Confederate General Robert E . Lee , who had since replaced Joseph Johnston after the latter ' s wounding at Seven Pines , reorganized his Army of Northern Virginia into two " wings " or " commands , " under the command of Major General Longstreet ( Right Wing ) and Major General Thomas J . " Stonewall " Jackson ( Left Wing . ) Hunton ' s Brigade was placed in Longstreet ' s Command in the division commanded by Brigadier General James Kemper . Kemper ' s Division participated in Longstreet ' s march through Thoroughfare Gap which united Jackson ' s Command with Longstreet ' s on the battlefield of July 21 , 1861 , north of Manassas Junction . On August 30 , at 4 : 00 PM , Longstreet ' s Command descended on Union Army of Virginia commander John Pope ' s exposed left flank . Hunton ' s Brigade participated in the attack which virtually annihilated Union Colonel G . K . Warren ' s New York Brigade . The Brigade then drove on , and helped drive Union reinforcements off Chinn Ridge . About 100 men were killed or wounded , among them was Lieutenant Colonel Henry Gantt . Boonsborough . Hunton ' s Brigade crossed the Potomac and participated in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 . Soon after the crossing , Brigadier General Richard Brooke Garnett received command of the brigade from Colonel Hunton near Monocacy , Maryland . The 19th Virginia began the campaign with 150 men and officers , a substantially smaller number than the 800 they had taken to First Manassas hardly 15 months earlier . This smaller figure was due to battle casualties as well as disease and heavy rates of desertion prior to crossing the Potomac into Maryland . The brigade took position on the east side of South Mountain near Turner ' s Gap on September 14 , 1862 , and was suddenly attacked by infantry and artillery from Joseph Hooker ' s I Corps . After a fight that lasted for over an hour , the 19th fell back with the rest of Garnett ' s brigade . Of the 150 men of the 19th who had begun the battle , 63 had fallen by nightfall , including the regiment ' s commander , Colonel Strange . Captain John L . Cochrane took command of the battered regiment , which retreated to Sharpsburg with the rest of Longstreet ' s Command . Antietam / Sharpsburg . Garnet ' s brigade was posted on Cemetery Hill , just east of the town of Sharpsburg , Maryland , on the morning of September 17 . Garnett ' s entire brigade could boast a mere 250 men , the 19th making up one - fifth of that figure . Throughout the day the regiment and Garnett ' s Brigade received a steady bombardment from Federal artillery across Antietam Creek , until elements of George Sykes ' Division crossed the creek and attacked the hill . The regiment , commanded by Captain B . Brown and Lieutenant William N . Wood ( the author of " Reminiscences of Big I " ) held its position for 2 hours , even though its men were spread out in a skirmish line formation . At about 3 : 30 PM , the brigade was ordered to retreat , which was done rapidly , as Federals had nearly surrounded Garnett ' s position . The brigade reformed at the western base of the hill and prepared for a final stand , but Confederate reinforcements under A . P . Hill arrived in time to stall the Federal advance in other quarters , distracting the Federals from advancing on Garnett ' s weak line . The 19th Virginia suffered 8 casualties during its defense of Cemetery Hill out of a total strength of 50 men . The day after the battle , so many stragglers returned to the brigade that it marched back atop Cemetery Hill with nearly twice as many men as it had the previous day . The command withdrew with the rest of the army on September 18 through 19 back into Virginia . Fredericksburg . After Sharpsburg , George Pickett had sufficiently recovered from his Gaines ' Mill wounding to take command of Kemper ' s Division . The division was posted in the center of the Confederate lines during the Battle of Fredericksburg from December 11 – 14 , 1862 , but did not participate in the fighting . Suffolk . In early April , 1863 , Pickett ' s Division was detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and sent with General Longstreet on a three - fold mission in south - eastern Virginia . The first purpose : to gather supplies and forage from the area . Two : to protect Richmond from Federal forces threatening the city . Three : to capture the Federal garrison at Suffolk , Virginia . Longstreet succeeded in the first two purposes , but ultimately failed to destroy or capture the Federal army in the area . On the division ' s return through Richmond , many of its men were reissued clothing and supplies , such as belts , shoes , socks , and coats . Since military woolen blankets were in short supply , many men were issued sections of carpet or rug that the quartermaster had in plenty . Thus Pickett ' s Division , and the 19th Virginia , marched into Pennsylvania better clothed than many men in Lee ' s Army . Gettysburg . Pickett ' s Division marched with Longstreet ' s First Army Corps into Pennsylvania with the rest of Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia in June 1863 . At the rear of Longstreet ' s column of march , Pickett ' s Division was marching toward the battlefield on July 1 , and arrived in the afternoon of July 2 on the field of battle , where Pickett was told to rest his men as they would not be needed that day . Pickett ' s Charge . On July 3 , as the Confederate artillery prepared for the bombardment of the Federal lines in preparation for an assault by the infantry , the 19th Virginia took positions on Seminary Ridge just north of the Spangler House along with the rest of Garnett ' s Brigade . Pickett ' s Division , one of three that would participate in the assault , was deployed with Garnett ' s Brigade in the front line on the left of the division , Kemper ' s Brigade on the right of the Division , and Armistead ' s Brigade in the second line supporting Garnett . The 19th was deployed in the center of Garnett ' s Brigade , considered a position of honor . As the artillery bombardment commenced and the fire returned by the Federal artillery , the Confederates hugged the ground on the slope of Seminary Ridge and waited for the order to advance . Federal artillery on Little Round Top fired shots that enfiladed the Confederate line , causing terrible damage . One such round killed the 19th ' s lieutenant colonel , John Thomas Ellis , as he lay snoozing on his back . As the shot bounced off the ground toward the 19th ' s ranks , someone yelled , " Look out ! " Alarmed , Ellis sat upright just as the ball was about to sail harmlessly over his head . Instead , he caught the ball directly in his face as he sat up . He was nearly decapitated by the shot and died minutes later . At roughly 2 : 30 PM , the attack commenced , led by General Pickett who rode along his line shouting , " Up , men , and to your posts ! Let no man forget that you are from Virginia ! " General Garnett formed his men for the attack and led them out of the treeline on Seminary Ridge . General Garnett was mounted ; he had been recently kicked by a horse and was unable to walk without difficulty . Although he could easily have turned over command and sat out the charge , Garnett was desperate to clear his reputation after being court - martialed by Stonewall Jackson for an unauthorized withdrawal of his command at the Battle of Kernstown in 1862 ( in reality , Garnett ' s withdrawal was entirely practical ; his men were low on ammunition and his line about to be overwhelmed . ) Still , Garnett believed the only way to clear his name was to lead the attack from the front and center . This was an unnecessary action , as Garnett ' s men already admired him and respected him greatly , but Garnett apparently ignored or was unaware of the fact . As Federal artillery opened long - range fire on the Confederate lines , the 19th Virginia suffered a critical command loss . Early in the assault , the 19th ' s commanding officer , Colonel Henry Gantt , was severely wounded in either the jaw or shoulder ( reports and accounts differ as to the location of the wound ) forcing Gantt to stumble to the rear for assistance . Command was turned over to Major Charles S . Peyton ( second in command Lieutenant Colonel Ellis being killed as previously mentioned . ) As the 19th advanced at the center of Garnett ' s Brigade , there was apparently little rush or confusion during the advance across the mile - wide field . Lieutenant Wood wrote in his " Reminiscences " : " Onward we move in common marching time . No excitement . No loud commands . ' Steady , boys , ' ' Don ' t fire , ' ' Close up , ' ' Never mind the skirmish line , ' as that of the enemy hastened to shelter . " After crossing the Emmitsburg Road , the 19th continued toward the Federal line , but now was subjected to severe rifle and short - range artillery fire from General Alexander Webb ' s " Philadelphia Brigade " of Pennsylvanians as well as Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing ' s remaining two guns of the 4th United States , Battery A . Continuing forward in the face of devastating fire , the men of Garnett ' s Brigade rushed headlong for the low stone wall protecting the position . By this time , all order had dissolved and the men of the brigade were rushing forward in a disorganized mass . Elements of the 19th helped force the withdrawal of the 71st Pennsylvania from its position just south of the Angle . Reinforced by Armistead ' s Brigade , Garnett ' s left regiments ( 28th and 56th Virginia , and approximately the left half of the 19th Virginia ) swarmed to within feet of the wall , where perhaps 200 of them were then led over the wall and into Cushing ' s Battery by General Armistead himself , who had raised his hat on the tip of his sword to guide the Confederates . In Major Charles Peyton ' s official report of the battle ( he was senior officer of Garnett ' s Brigade for some time after the battle ) he reported that his line " recoiled under the terrific fire that poured into our ranks both from their batteries and their sheltered infantry . " With much of Garnett ' s left smashed in front of Cushing ' s Battery in front of the stone wall , the right half of the brigade , including most of the 19th Virginia , engaged in a firefight with the 69th Pennsylvania directly to their front . The 69th was slowly driven back from the wall , maintaining a destructive fire on Garnett ' s advancing ranks all the while . Elements of the 19th reached the wall at this point , but few , if any , continued past the wall . To the 69th Pennsylvania ' s left ( the right from the 19th ' s view ) the 59th New York suddenly broke for the rear under pressure from Kemper ' s Brigade in their front . Confederates , primarily from Kemper ' s Brigade but perhaps including some men of the 19th Virginia , leaped over the wall and made a mad dash for Captain Andrew Cowan ' s 1st New York Independent Battery just south of the Clump of Trees . Cowan charged his guns with double canister and blasted a salvo in the face of the onrushing Confederates , completely obliterating the Confederates rushing the battery . Immediately , Federal reserves rushed into the melee . The 72nd Pennsylvania and elements of the 106th Pennsylvania engaged in a firefight with Armistead ' s Confederates that had crossed the wall at Cushing ' s Battery . The 42nd New York and 19th Massachusetts both rushed at a right oblique into any Confederates along the 69th Pennsylvania ' s and 59th New York ' s section of wall , and the 69th Pennsylvania refused to give any more ground upon falling back to the Clump of Trees . In addition , hundreds of Federals positioned elsewhere in the Federal lines spontaneously rushed forward , each wanting to participate in the Federal counterattack and to claim the capture of the many Confederates and their banners near the wall . William Wood was slightly wounded in the leg just yards from the wall , probably by a spent round . Upon reaching the wall , Lieutenant Wood wrote that he : " . . . looked to the right and left and felt we were disgraced . Where were those who started in the charge ? With one single exception I witnessed no cowardice , and yet we had not a skirmish line . " Seeing large numbers of Federal troops moving in a wide flanking movement around the Confederates ' right ( Stannard ' s Second Vermont Brigade of the I Federal Corps ) , Wood realized that staying in place would mean capture , but retreat meant running the gauntlet of fire back across the field . Despite the risk , he chose the latter , and made it safely back across the field to Seminary Ridge , although being wounded by a ball that punctured his coat , vest , and shirt , but failed to penetrate his skin . Many of the Confederates along the wall , including the much of the 19th , were not so fortunate . General Armistead was struck down in the Federal lines near Cushing ' s guns ; General Kemper was wounded , captured , but then taken back by his soldiers and carried to the rear ; General Garnett was shot from his horse ( reports vary as to his cause of death ; most reports say a canister round blew him from his horse and tore his body to ribbons , but a report by a man in the 19th said that he was killed by a minie ball and fell dead from his horse . ) Either way , Garnett was killed at the front of the charge . Years later , former Confederate General George H . " Maryland " Stuart would stumble upon General Garnett ' s sword in a Baltimore pawn shop . The sword is now in the collection of the Museum of the Confederacy . Another article in the Museum ' s collection is the 19th Virginia ' s regimental battle flag ( restored by the modern day re - enactors of the 19th VA Co B and Co K ) , captured during Pickett ' s Charge on July 3 . Color bearer Polk Points was wounded in the charge , and gave the banner to an unidentified soldier who carried to the stone wall . Lore has it that this second color bearer was wounded and lying midst a pile of corpse on the east side of the stone wall . Sergeant Benjamin Falls and Corporal Joseph H . De Costro of the 19th Massachusetts saw a corner of a Confederate battle flag beneath a body and went forward as the firing died down to claim the valued prize of an enemy banner . Upon turning over the body they presumed to be a corpse to retrieve the flag , the " corpse " turned out to be the barely alive bearer of the 19th ' s flag . Falls tried to wrest the flag from the hands of the man , but the wounded Confederate refused to surrender the treasured banner . Falls threatened to run the man through if he did not surrender the flag . Apparently , it did not come to that , and Benjamin Falls and Joseph De Costro of the 19th Massachusetts thus captured the battle flag of the 19th Virginia . The men of the 19th Massachusetts , realizing the irony of capturing the flag of another " 19th , " cut out the " 19th " from the Confederate banner and sew it onto their own flag . To this day , the 19th Virginia ' s regimental flag , preserved at the Museum of the Confederacy , is still void of a small rectangular piece where the " 19th " was cut out by the Massachusetts men . Although soundly beaten , the Confederates reformed behind Seminary Ridge . The 19th was badly cut up : its colonel and lieutenant colonel were both incapacitated , its flag captured , its major promoted to command the brigade as all the other ranking field officers of the brigade were also incapacitated , its numbers sadly diminished . Retreat from Gettysburg . The 19th returned with the rest of Pickett ' s Division to Virginia via Williamsport . It was tasked with guarding prisoners on the march to the Potomac , where it was forced to wait several days due to the rising of the river . August 1863 - May 1864 . For the next several months , the Pickett ' s Division was only lightly engaged . The 19th Virginia did not participate in another battle as a unit until the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864 . During this time , many men of the 19th were sent on furlough or leave to visit their families back home . William Wood , on his furlough in late February 1864 , actually fought independently in a small action near his homestead at the Skirmish at Rio Hill north of Charlottesville . In late July 1863 , Garnett ' s ( now , again , Eppa Hunton ' s ) Brigade marched to Culpeper . They then marched in early August to Somerville Ford south of the Rapidan in Orange County . On September 8 , the they marched for Chaffin ' s Farm seven miles east of Richmond . Wood described the next few months as " the most comfortable quarters we had occupied during the war . " He described the winter encampment there as " jolly , " although rations were " scarce , " tempting some men to endeavor to cook a stray cat they found . After a full day of cooking , the cat had still not tenderized and , as Wood recalled , " the dinner was spoiled . " On May 22 , 1864 , the 19th marched from Chaffin ' s Farm to Anderson ' s Crossing , " where Pickett ' s Division was again united , and became once more an active arm of that grand army , whose fame , so honestly won , has been the admiration of the world . " Cold Harbor . On June 1 , the 19th was subjected to shelling from Federal batteries near the Cold Harbor battlefield . Many men of the 19th dug comfortable rifle pits using their bayonets . On the 2nd , the 19th advanced so that it was online with the rest of the army and prepared for action that was sure to come the next morning . On the morning of June 3 , the 19th formed a thin line of battle which covered twice the front of a regularly deployed regiment , its companies being spaced to cover a wider front . Company K under Lieutenant Robertson was advanced as a guard . Unlike much of the Confederate line , Hunton ' s Brigade did not have the shelter of protective earthworks to help fend off the Yankee attack that morning . The Federals charged the 19th and the fighting in the woods the 19th was positioned in dissolved into a " bushwhacking affair . " In the hour long fight that followed , Company K ' s officers would all become casualties and regimental Sergeant Major Luther Wolfe was killed . The most severe command blow was that of Captain James G . Woodson of Company K , who was killed while in command of the regiment . When the list of casualties published in the " Richmond Examiner " incorrectly stated Woodson as " acting major , " Wood and several other officers of the regiment wrote the " Enquirer " to say that Woodson was in command of the regiment at the time of his death . This was to justify the memory of an officer as highly respected as Captain Woodson was . Chester Station . On the 17th of June , the 19th was positioned near Petersburg to counter the moves made by Grant ' s army as it worked its way around Lee ' s right flank toward Petersburg . Company A , under Lieutenant Wood ' s command , was sent forward as skirmishers . After advancing several hundred yards , Wood sent a message back to ask for orders , but received no new instructions and was sent Company C under the command of Captain Charles Irving . Advancing further , the two companies encountered several Federals around a barn and drove them off with no fight . Wood and Irving agreed that to advance was the best tactic , and they came upon formidable earthworks to their front manned by Federals . Wood and Irving decided to charge this Federal line , and with only 40 men routed the Federals in the trenches with hardly a shot being fired . The rest of the regiment was called up and took position in the captured trenches the next morning . The brigade stayed in this position for " many months . " August 1864 - March 1865 ; " Howlett Line " . For months , the 19th was positioned in what Lieutenant Wood called , " the trenches on the Howlett line , extending from the James to the Appomattox . . . " The men made the trenches like home , constructing Masonic lodges and chapels , where apparently " many a soldier was born into the kingdom of Christ . " The men hosted debating societies which pondered philosophical questions of the day . Chess clubs were formed as well , where " several men learned to play a good game of chess blindfolded . " Newspaper correspondents were present as well . Reading clubs were formed . " Nearly every one played checkers , " Wood wrote , " And not a few ' threw the papers ' as card - playing was called . " Wood kept a set of chess - men he constructed during this time and took them home after the war was over . Athletics were also a common pastime . These included wrestling , running , jumping , and boxing . Several marriages also occurred during this time between soldiers in the trenches and their visiting brides - to - be . Dinwiddie Court House . On March 31 , 1865 , Hunton ' s Brigade was moved to near Hatcher ' s Run outside Petersburg . Hunton ' s Brigade was dispatched from the rest of the division . As it formed for battle , General Robert E . Lee personally oversaw the deployment of the brigade ( or so Lieutenant Wood remembered ) . The brigade was advanced through some woods at the double - quick and drove back a Federal line . General Lee spurred his horse , Traveller , into the midst of the fighting , but the men of the 19th shouted " Don ' t go with us General , but watch us ! " After reforming in a pine thicket , the 19th blazed away at the Federals to their front . Lieutenant Wood and other officers picked up rifles and fought alongside the privates in an attempt to put as much firepower into the fight as they could muster . During this fight , Wood was wounded in the neck by a ball and hurried to the rear , where the wound was diagnosed as minor and dressed . Wood was soon sent back into the fight , although the scar from the wound remained visible for the rest of his life . The 19th gradually fell back , having advanced far ahead of its supports , to near its original position where it had started the fight . Hunton ' s Brigade was not at the Battle of Five Forks with the rest of Pickett ' s Division , " . . . consequently did not share " the defeat of the war " . . . " as Wood would later call that disastrous battle . Retreat from Petersburg . Pickett ' s Division participated in the withdrawal of the Confederate forces from Richmond and Petersburg on the evening of April 2 to the early morning hours of April 3 . Wood recalled that it often took an hour to advance a single mile due to the terrible condition of the roads they were marching on . He described their daily rations as " unparched corn , " but said that faith in General Lee never faltered and that their powder was kept dry , implying that they were still full of fight . On April 5 , Wood , commanding Company A , dispatched two men to forage rations for the company from the surrounding countryside . Neither of these men returned . Sayler ' s Creek / Sailor ' s Creek . On April 6 , 1865 , the 19th halted its march on a hill overlooking what William Wood would later assume to be Sayler ' s Creek ( or " Tayler ' s " Creek , as he calls it in the original manuscript ) . The men took this opportunity to cook some of their corn , but a fire had hardly been lit when Wood received orders to take his company and deploy them as skirmishers and drive a small body of Federals from some pines at the base of the hill . For the final time , the 19th Virginia formed a line of battle and , following Wood ' s Company A , marched down the hill into the thicket . After recapturing several pieces of artillery , the 19th continued on until they reached a road in a clearing . In front of them , thousands of Federal cavalrymen , probably from George A . Custer ' s Division , were forming for an attack . Rapidly preparing for the onslaught , the men of the 19th threw up a breastwork of fence rails in their front and prepared for the assault . Lieutenant Wood ' s account describes what happened next : " I had just said to Dick McMullen , ' Be sure not to fire until they reach that mullein stalk , ' when a commotion in the rear of our line caused me to look behind us , and to my dismay , my eyes rested upon the largest line of cavalry I had ever seen . There seemed to be no end to the line . There they stood in double ranks within forty feet of us . They were well mounted and admirably armed . How they got there in our immediate rear I know not , and from what direction they came I have never learned . The fact is , they were there in overpowering numbers , with pistol or gun ready to do damage upon the least show of resistance . Major [ Waller M . ] Boyd , commanding our regiment , quickly said : ' We are prisoners , ' and that was the end of the Nineteenth Virginia Infantry as a body of armed soldiers . " The 19th surrendered " en masse . " How many men were in the 19th at this time is impossible to estimate . It was certainly no more than 200 men and probably less that half of that . Some individuals might have escaped , but as Wood states the 19th Virginia would never form an organized body of soldiers again . Appomattox . While the 19th was captured as a unit at Sayler ' s Creek ( along with their general , Eppa Hunton , and many more of his men ) , 29 men and 1 officer of the 19th Virginia Infantry were listed as having been paroled at Appomattox Court House with the rest of Lee ' s Army . Most of these men were probably deserters who only returned to the Army after the surrender so that they would receive a parole which would grant them safe passage on their return journey home . As Prisoners of War . Like many of his comrades , Lieutenant Wood was sent to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington , DC , and was there when mobs roamed outside the structure , demanding that they be allowed in to punish the prisoners within who were suspected of assassinating Abraham Lincoln on the evening of April 14 , 1865 . Wood was then sent to Johnson Island on Lake Erie . Since Wood and his comrades had surrendered before Lee surrendered at Appomattox , Wood and his comrades were not paroled and were treated as Prisoners of War . Wood recalls that the prisoners were paroled by alphabetical order , meaning that he was among the last released . When he was released in June 1865 , he had no food or money to aid in his journey home except useless Confederate bills . Bartering some blankets for some United States money , Wood returned home by way of Cleveland ( although he wrote that he returned through Milwaukee , which seems unlikely as that would be far out of his way ) , then to Baltimore , then to Richmond and on to Charlottesville , where he walked to his father ' s residence north of town . Many of the 19th ' s members performed similar odysseys on their way home after the war . William Wood summed up the feelings of most ex - Confederate soldiers when he wrote , " I was glad to don clean citizen ' s clothes , that my mother had kept for me through the war , and to eat a good dinner . Though greatly crushed by the final outcome of our struggle , I felt proud that I had been permitted to do my part , and even to suffer for the cause I loved . Some comfort was derived from the contemplation that there would be no more blood shed ; but peace , with all it meant to a tired soldier , was at hand . "