12th Virginia Infantry The 12th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in central Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War . It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia . The 12th Virginia was organized at Norfolk , Virginia , in May , 1861 , using the 4th Battalion Virginia Volunteers as its nucleus . Its members were from Petersburg , Richmond , Hicksford , and Norfolk . The regiment was assigned to General Mahone ' s and Weisiger ' s Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia . It participated in many conflicts from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor , then was involved in the Petersburg siege south of the James River and the Appomattox Campaign . This unit totaled 691 effectives in June , 1862 , and sustained 23 casualties at Oak Grove , 69 at Second Manassas , 39 during the Maryland Campaign , 1 at Fredericksburg , and 86 at Chancellorsville . Of the 348 engaged at Gettysburg , only four percent were disabled . It surrendered 12 officers and 177 men . The field officers were Colonels Everard M . Feild and David A . Weisiger ; Lieutenant Colonels John R . Lewellen and Fielding L . Taylor ; and Majors Edgar L . Brockett , Richard W . Jones , and John P . May . Future Virginia governor William Hodges Mann served in the 12th Virginia . He would be the last governor of Virginia who had fought in the Civil War . Companies and uniforms , 1861 . The different companies of the 12th Virginia wore a menagerie of uniforms in the beginning . Here is the brief description of each company : Company A : The Petersburg City Guard . . Navy blue frock coats with light tape trim on the edge of the collar , pointed cuff decoration , and striping on the trousers , following in accordance to VA state regulations of this year . They wore a shako in similar pattern and color as the Richmond Grays ( later Co . G , one of the shakos can be seen in Time Life ' s Echoes of Glory series ) , with the plate and pompom devices . The trim may be sky blue , white , yellow , or gold , however the way photos were taken in the 19th century , yellow and gold often appears dark , almost black , so this is a stretch of whether or not this is a possibility . One photograph depicts three members of Co . A , The one at left wears a battle shirt of lighter colored material than the trousers , a large white stand and fall collar , with a black or navy blue cord - tie coming down from the collar , with 4 - 5 buttons down the front , and no trim is seen ; a white leather or cotton belt with a large plate is worn ; the trousers are Navy blue with the same piping or tape trim down the seam : The center man wears the dress frock coat without the shako and accoutrements , 3 buttons adorn the cuffs , and infantry hunting horns / bugles are present on the collar , approx . 2 inches from the opening ; he too wears the same style belt and plate : The man on the right wears a shell jacket made of a lighter material than the trousers , however it is difficult to say from the image alone whether it is grey or blue in color ; it has the same design trim as the dress frock coat , minus the collar horn insignia and is shorter than the frocks ’ collar is cut ; he too wears the same style trousers . One photograph taken at Poplar Lawn , February , 1861 , shows the Petersburg City Guard in full dress and marching order . They wear the frock coats and white accoutrement straps , with the shakos in similar description to the Richmond Grays , with the officer in center wearing light epaulets , assumedly gold ; however the image is not clear enough to show the detail of the devices on the front of the shakos . Company B , The Petersburg Grays ( old ) . The uniform of the Petersburg Grays was copied from the 7th New York Infantry ( militia ) , and as such evolved from the tail coat to the frock coat during the 1850s . One image of a member of the company from 1861 , ( Private McKenzie Dunlop , ) depicts him in both the Dress uniform and the fatigue uniform . It can be assumed that this uniform may be worn company - wide , as the original unit comprised the middle and upper classes of the city ; however , it is possible that this man could have been one of only a few to wear the uniform . Here is what the dress uniform image shows : The frockcoat is Cadet Grey , being the lighter shade found in VMI and West Point Academy uniforms , 9 button front , the collar has black or navy blue piping along the edge , and gold lace either 3 / 8 ” or ½ ” with approx . ½ ” - 3 / 4 ” space in the center , and a 7 / 8 ” is at the rear of the lace , three gold or yellow squares adorn the cuffs , with a 7 / 8 ” button in the center of each square : White accoutrement straps , ( the image , despite the clarity of it , is not fine enough to show whether or not Pvt . Dunlop wears leather or cotton straps and belting , ) the white accoutrement straps have a brass , circular , ( not oval ) center plate ; he wears the 1850 or 1860 pattern VA state militia belt plate ; He wears epaulettes , either navy blue or black boards , with white fringe , 2 . 5 - 3 ” long ; The image also shows the shako , very similar to the 1861 US artillery or the U . S . M . A . pattern , with the 1821 eagle device on the front , toward the crown , a large wreath ( approx . 3 - 4 ” in width ) with a large gothic B in the center , ( indicating that the image may have been taken between 1859 - 1861 ) , and a pompom , barely visible , being black or navy blue : The trousers he wears also has a wide stripe down the center , being 1 . 5 ” - 2 ” in width , the exact pattern cannot be determined from the image , as the skirt of the coat covers most of the trousers . The second image shows the same man in the fatigue dress , most likely worn under the coat . A forage cap , being navy blue , or black , ( one description read dark and light greys used , similar to the 13th VA Inf . Cap , ) in the McDowell design , the center disc being smaller in proportion than the US Regulation 1858 cap , the brim is shined , possibly lacquered : The battle shirt worn is of a lighter shade material than the coat and trousers , with a stand and fall collar , no color trim , 6 - 7 button front , small buttons are used ( possibly civilian ) , two low set pockets , and a cravat is worn : He wears the 11 button suspender pattern trousers , however , the pockets and seams cannot be seen in this image , so as to give reference to the source of his uniform . Company C , The Petersburg Grays , ( new ) . This company was formed in 1859 , as the “ Old Grays ” expanded . It can be assumed that the uniform of the Old Grays may have been worn by the New Greys ; however the information currently available indicates that this must be researched further . One thing that may be assumed is that the shako probably worn , likely had the letter “ C ” in the center . Company D , The Lafayette Guards . One image capturing two members of the Lafayette Guards , shows a man standing behind his seated companion ; wearing grey trousers and a grey shell jacket , trimmed with black or dark blue shoulder straps , a 7 - button front , and a low collar , piped to match the straps . This may be a fatigue style uniform similar to the Richmond Greys ' uniform . The seated man wears civilian clothing ; a black suit , with a white pleated dress shirt and dark coloured cravat . Company E , The Petersburg Riflemen . This Company wears a uniform that is identical to Company A , however the accoutrement straps are shined , black ( possibly lacquered ) leather , with the English cartridge box for an Enfield pattern Rifle / Rifle - musket , there is no strap for the bayonet , as these may be the English frog pattern or the American pattern that attached to the belt . One image of a member , in dress uniform shows him wearing a Navy blue forage cap with a flat brim , and a small wreath on the front with VA in the center , and a pair of black or navy blue , ( including the fringe , ) epaulettes . Company G , The Richmond Grays . This was once Company A of the 1st Virginia Infantry , however it was transferred on July 12 , 1861 , ( one source reads that the transfer was later in august ) . The uniform they wear is similar to the Petersburg Grays , with these exceptions : The trim was black , epaulettes were black with white fringe , shako previously used in descriptions , similar to the 7th NY Militia pattern , collar on frock was completely black with gold lace and button placement as described for Company B , black flashing on cuffs with gold lace on edges . The fatigue uniform was similar to the 7th NY Inf . Jacket and kepi , the difference being that the kepi had no black trim other than the band ; they also possessed double - breasted over coats . Company H , The Norfolk Junior Volunteers . This company was composed of men from Norfolk , Virginia . When the city fell to the Union Army & Navy in 1862 , many of these men left the unit for their families . The oldest volunteer organization of Norfolk ( founded in 1802 ) , enlisted on April 19 , 1861 , for one year . Their uniform at the start of the Civil War was a short blue coat with red and white buttons ; a vest ; pantaloons ; black boots ; and a fur cap with a crest of bearskin bound with white cotton , a black cockade , and a liberty cap front - piece made of tin . On July 1 , 1861 , this company was transferred from the 6th Virginia Infantry Regiment , to the 12th Virginia Infantry , as Company H . Company K , The Archer Rifles . Fletcher Harris Archer was born on February 6 , 1817 , in Petersburg , one of the youngest of five sons and four daughters of Allen Archer , a prosperous miller , and Prudence Whitworth Archer . He attended school in Petersburg before entering the University of Virginia , where he received his bachelor of law degree on July 3 , 1841 . He then returned to his native city and established his practice . On April 2 , 1842 , Archer was elected captain of the 7th Company , 39th Virginia Militia Regiment . He held that rank in December 1846 , when he raised the Petersburg Mexican Volunteers , which became Company E of the 1st Virginia Volunteer Regiment . His was one of the few Virginia units that saw active military service during the Mexican War . The regiment reached Mexico early in 1847 and served on General Zachary Taylor ' s line until the end of the war . By August 1 , 1848 , the company was back in Petersburg , where Archer resumed his law practice . He married Eliza Ann Eppes Allen and they had one daughter , born shortly before her mother ' s death in April 1851 . Title : Petersburg During the Civil War Petersburg During the Civil War Within two days of Virginia ' s secession from the Union , Archer raised a company of one hundred men that was designated Company K , " Archer Rifles , " 12th Virginia Infantry Regiment . He was elected its captain . Shortly thereafter , on May 5 , 1861 , he was appointed lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Virginia Infantry Regiment . After brief intervals of service in command of the Naval Hospital in Norfolk , as lieutenant colonel of the 5th Battalion Virginia Infantry , and as commander of the 1st Brigade , Department of Norfolk , Archer retired in May 1862 to civilian life in Petersburg . On March 31 , 1863 , he married Martha Georgianna Morton Barksdale , a widow with three sons and one daughter . As the armies moved ever closer to the Richmond - Petersburg front , Archer again offered his military expertise to the Confederacy . On May 4 , 1864 , he was commissioned a major commanding the 3rd , or " Archer ' s Battalion , " Virginia Reserves . Composed of men between the ages of sixteen and eighteen and between forty - five and fifty - five from Petersburg and the counties of Dinwiddie and Prince George , the reserves were to be used for state defense and detail duty . They participated in Archer ' s greatest military accomplishment , his defense of Petersburg on June 9 , 1864 , in what has come to be called the Battle of Old Men and Young Boys . Title : General August V . Kautz General August V . Kautz As more than 1 , 300 Union cavalry troops led by Brigadier General August Kautz attempted to ride into Petersburg from the south and Union infantry threatened the defenses east of the city , 125 members of Archer ' s unit and 5 men and one gun from an artillery unit answered a call for reserves and militia to assemble at Battery 29 on the Jerusalem Plank Road . Later Archer recalled that details for special service and guard duty in Richmond had left him with barely a company of inadequately armed men in civilian clothes , combining those " with head silvered o ' er with the frosts of advancing years " and others who " could scarcely boast of the down upon the cheek . " His command repelled the first attack by the Northern troops but a second assault forced him back into the city . The arrival of Confederate cavalry and artillery put a check to further Union movement , but at the cost of 76 casualties to the reserves , more than half of those who had gone into action . Promoted to lieutenant colonel , Archer led his unit in the defense of Petersburg during the subsequent Union attack of June 15 – 18 and throughout the nine - and - one - half - month siege of the city . Wounded in the arm at Petersburg , he was hit again during the retreat to Appomattox , where his combined force of the 3rd and 44th Battalions of Virginia Reserves surrendered sixty - five men . After the war ended Archer returned to Petersburg and began to rebuild his law practice . Active in the local Conservative Party , he eventually became its chairman . He sought the party ' s nomination for mayor in 1876 and 1878 but lost both times to William E . Cameron , who had aligned himself with the Readjuster movement before the second campaign . In 1879 Archer and tobacconist Charles A . Jackson were the Conservative nominees for seats in the House of Delegates , but both lost as the Readjusters carried the city with 55 percent of the vote . Following this defeat Archer was elected to the Petersburg City Council and his fellow councillors elected him president of that body . By virtue of this position Archer became mayor on January 2 , 1882 , when Cameron was sworn in as governor . At this point the council still had a Conservative majority , but the Readjusters controlled all of the elective executive offices in Petersburg except the mayor ' s office and vowed to oust Archer in the May 1882 election . To counter a Readjuster – Fusionist Republican coalition , the Conservatives formed an alliance with the Straightout Republicans and ran as the Citizens ' Party . Archer received their nomination for mayor but lost to Thomas J . Jarratt , and the Readjusters won a narrow majority on the city council . The Conservatives then tried to keep the Readjusters from taking their seats by alleging a violation of the city charter , and on July 1 Archer refused to vacate his office at the end of his term . He did not finally step down as mayor until a lawsuit confirmed Jarratt in the office on March 23 , 1883 . Title : Blandford Cemetery Blandford Cemetery In 1884 Archer was a delegate to the state Democratic convention in Richmond and tried to encourage dissident white Readjusters to rejoin the Democratic Party . He did not run for another public office thereafter . Archer died at his home on High Street on August 21 , 1902 , after having been in " feeble health by reason of his advanced age for some months . " He was interred in Petersburg ' s Blandford Cemetery . The Legacy of the 12th Virginia . The 12th Virginia Infantry lives on today in the form of a living history and reenactment unit bearing its designation . Companies ' B ' and ' C ' live on in the Richmond - Petersburg region of the Commonwealth of Virginia ; with one company not associated having formed in California as company ' G ' . The Virginia unit is a family - friendly , non - profit organization , and participates in numerous events in Virginia and bordering states .