The Battle History of the 44th Georgia Vol. Inf.

     Formed by Governor Joseph Brown on March 10 1862 was sent to Camp of Instructions at Camp Stephens outside Griffen.   Ten companies from the counties of middle Georgia assembled, to form the 44th Regiment of Georgia Infantry. Some owned slaves, however, the majority did not. The regiment was mustered into Confederate service on March 17, 1862.  April 4 1862 moved to Goldsboro NC.  They were Brigade with 1,3 NC and 3 Arkansas under Gen John Walker Holmes Division.  On April 7, the 44th Georgia left for Virginia under Colonel Robert A. Smith.

     Stopping over briefly in Goldsboro, NC the regiment was brigaded under General J.G. Walker with the 3rd Arkansas and the 1st and 3rd North Carolina and assigned to the Division of Gen. T.H. Holmes. the division hastened by rail to Richmond to help in the crisis of McClellan's threatening Richmond.

    May 27 1862 ordered to Richmond Va. to stop Gen McClellan advance.  June 1 1862 Battle of Seven Pines they were on picket duty they 48 Georgia replaced 3 Arkansas in the brigade Ripley is replaced Walker Gen.Hill assumed the Division Command.  June 26 1862 Battle of Mechanicsville attested the Union line at Beaver Dam Creek with heavy looses 335 out of 514 men. July 1, 1862 at Malvern Hill under heavy Union fire lost 13 Dead and 16 wounded. July 3 moved back to Richmond Va. to rest

     Once arriving in Richmond on June 1, the men posted pickett duty until the 26th. The regiment suffered its first battle casualty on June 5, 1862. After being assigned to Ripley's Brigade, the 44th Georgia went into action at Mechanicsville on June 26. The regiment was ordered to charge Union breastworks in the face of supporting artillery fire across a flooded millrace at Ellerson's Mill. The 44th did so with elan, but endured one of the highest regimental casualty rates of the entire Civil War, including the loss of Col. Smith. Brave acts such as this would help save Richmond.

     After the Seven Day's Battles, the regiment marched in the 2nd Manassas Campaign and splashed across the Potomac River on Septembeer 5, 1862 on Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of Maryland.  September 17 at Antietam lie between Mumma farm and the Dunkard Church ignited the Union in Millers cornfield drove back the Union and help to rescue Gen. John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade.  The East Woods, and the maelstrom of the Cornfield.   Gen. Ripley was wounded and replaced with Colonel Doles out of ammunition moved back to the west woods near Dunkard church.  17 Killed 65 wounded 4 missing out of 62 men.   After that battle, the regiment operated in the Shenandoah with Gen George Doles assuming command of the brigade.

    Moved back to the Shenandoah valley were Colonel John B. Estes took command of the 44th. In December 1862 while in Front Royal was order to returned to Fredericksburg on Gen. Lee right under Gen Jackson after Fredericksburg returned to Front Royal for the winter.

     On January 19, 1863, the 12th and 21st Georgia joined the 4th and 44th in the realignment of Dole's Brigade. These four regiments would stay together for the rest of the war.

     In January 1863 the 12 and 21 Georgia replaced the NC units to make all Georgia Brigade moved to Rodes Division of Jackson Corps. On April 29 1863 ordered back to Fredericksburg Va.  May 1 1863 on the Orange Plank road near Chancellors Ville Rodes Division lead the flanking Maneuver. Assaulted union near Chancellor house and drove the union army with heavy losses 13 killed and 64 wounded.   The 44th Georgia participated in Jackson's flank march at Chancellorsville on May 2 and the smashing charge that afternoon, capturing numerous prisoners and some pieces of artillery. 

    That stunning success was followed up at Gettysburg on the first day when men of the 44th pursued retreating Federals through the streets of Gettysburg itself.    On July 1 on the extreme left with the Union 11 corps in front of them.  July 2, 1863 was part of Gen Early's attack on Cemetery Hill was not order to advance of the 364 men 18 killed 41 wounded and 16 missing.21% loses.   It was at Gettysburg that the 44th Georgia lost a second regimental commander, Col. Samuel P. Lumpkin, in action. 

    After the retreat from Gettysburg, the regiment marched and counter marched during the Mine Run Campaign before camping for the winter. During the cold months the regiment shared pickett duty on the Rapidan River. 

    Returned back to Orange Court house till May 4 1864 Wilderness union attack the 4th Georgia exposing there left had to wheeled to the left to meet the attack.  May 7, 1864 at Spotsylvania at the Mule shoe they fought hard but where outnumber 5 to 1 Union General Upton said" Absolute refused to yield the ground" they were forced to leave with 26 Killed 28 wounded and 182 captured.  The unit never regained turn fighting strength again.

    On May 4, 1864, the regiment broke winter camp to grapple with Union forces in almost 60 days of constant combat. The next day, the regiment also participated in one of the few night attacks of the civil war on the same day. After two more days in contact with the Federals, the men marched to Spotsylvania. May 10, 1864, was the darkest day of the war for the 44th Georgia. Just before dusk, the Federal forces massed twelve regiments in column and broke into the brigade's breastworks. Men had time to fire at most one shot and 200 of the 44th were instantly captured, including the third regimental commander lost to combat, Col. William H. Peebles. The rest of the regiment fought savegly hand to hand as documented by many men receiving bayonett wounds. Only this desperate fighting finally drove the Federals out and recaptured all the lost ground. The survivors of the 44th Georgia continued fighting with the Army of Northern Virginia at the Bloody Angle, North Anna, and Cold Harbor. Here Gen. Doles was killed in action and was replaced by Gen. Philip Cook.

     Lee detached Cook's Brigade and sent it with Gen. Early on the Valley Campaign of 1864. The 44th Georgia crossed the Potomac heading north for the third time and closed on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. with Early in mid-July before retiring. The regiment suffered in the reverses of Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek before rejoining Lee in the Petersburg trenches for the winter of 1864-65. Col. Peebles, recently exchanged, was wounded at Winchester and lost to the 44th again, this time for the rest of the war.

     In Autumn 1864 was with Gen Early's Shenandoah Valley campaign   The 44th clawed its way into the Union line around Ft. Stedman in the Army of Northern Virginia's last offensive action on March 25, 1865. The regiment lost a fifth commander in action when Cpt. Thomas R. Daniel was wounded and captured. It would evacuate its trenches one week later and begin movement to Appomattox, but not before several members of the regiment fought in the heroic delaying action at Ft. Gregg.

     Despite a rapid pace, hunger , and other trying circumstances, the 44th Georgia kept its march order on the way to Appomattox. The officer ranks were so depleted that Cpt. John Tucker was loaned from the 21st Georgia to command the regiment. Five officers and seventy five men would answer the surrender roll before returning to Georgia to till the soil, restart their businesses and have a reunion with the families they had left three years and two days earlier.  They were at Appomattox on April 9 1865.

     Over the course of the war, the 44th Georgia Infantry fought in over 50  major engagements and numerous, uncounted skirmmishes. The regiment would lose over 350 killed in action and over 450 wounded. The 44th soldiers proved their bravery in each engagement. Perhaps, though, they should be noted most for their loyalty-only four soldiers deserted during three years of war and hardship.
 
     There were only 62 surveyors present for duty out of the original 1115 men in 1862.  The facts show that the 44th Georgia suffered a greater casualty in killed and wounded in proportion to the number carried into action than any other regiment of the Southern side.  The 44th Georgia was ranked 8 of the 10 best Confederate Regiments.  Ranked 10th 65.1% at Mechanicsville in the Greatest Parentage loss in a Single Action