Editor’s Note: Bryce Suderow shared this original research on Confederate Army casualties at the Battle of Burgess Mill (aka the Battle of Boydton Plank Road) on October 27, 1864. He used a variety of sources to determine these casualty figures, including regimental histories, period newspapers, and various archival sources. He has given written permission to reproduce this research here and this article may not be reproduced without his consent. When you finish here, please also check out Bryce’s original article on the First Battle of Boydton Plank Road, or Burgess Mill.
October 27, 1864 Burgess Mill
Mahone’s Division
Weisiger’s V[irgini]a. Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Wounded & Missing | Captured | Total Casualties |
| 6th Va. Inf. | 2 k | 9 w | 0 w & m | 81 c | 92 |
| 12th Va. Inf. | 3 k | 9 w | 4 w & m | 83 c | 99 |
| 41st Va. Inf. | 1 k | 4 w | 1 w & m | 56 c | 62 |
| 61st Va. Inf. | 7 k | 11 w | 0 w & m | 57 c | 75 |
| Total: | 13 k | 33 w | 5 w & m | 277 c | 328 |
The 6th, 12th’s and 41st’s figures come from the rosters in the back of the regimental histories published by H. E. Howard. The 61st’s come from a statement in the regiment’s record of events.
Sanders’ Ala[bama]. Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Total Casualties |
| 8th Alabama Inf. | 0 k | 9 w | 9 |
(Mobile Evening News, Nov. 21, 1864, p. 1 col. 2)
The brigade probably lost 40 or 50 casualties.
Harris’ Miss[issippi]. Brig.
Participated in the fight against Eagan at the bridge over Hatcher’s Run, along with Scales and Dearing. The brigade probably lost only a score of casualties.
Mahone’s Division Total:
| Brigade | Total Casualties |
| Weisiger | 328 |
| Sanders | 50 |
| Harris | 20 |
| Total | 398 |
Heth’s Division
McRae’s N[orth] C[arolina] Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 11th N. C. Inf. | 0 k | 13 w | 102 m | 115 |
| 26th N. C. Inf. | 2 k | 16 w | 60 m | 78 |
| 44th N. C. Inf. | 2 k | 14 w | 109 m | 125 |
| 47th N. C. Inf. | 4 k | 19 w | 128 m | 151 |
| 52nd N. C. Inf. | 4 k | 11 w | 32 m | 57 |
| Total: | 12 k | 73 w | 431 m | 516 |
(MC R479 Papers of Gen. Harry Heth “Report Casualties on the 27th”).
Davis’ Miss[issippi]. Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 2nd Miss. Inf. | 2 k | 1 w | 0 m | 3 |
| 11th Miss. Inf. | 1 k | 5 w | 0 m | 6 |
| 26th Miss. Inf. | 3 k | 5 w | 0 m | 8 |
| 42nd Miss. Inf. | 1 k | 5 w | 0 m | 6 |
| 55th N. C. Inf. | 3 k | 14 w | 0 m | 17 |
| Total: | 11 k | 30 w | 1 m | 42 |
(MC3 H-479, Papers of Gen. Harry Heth)
Cooke’s N[orth] C[arolina] Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 15th N. C. Inf. | 0 k | 1 w | 0 m | 1 |
| 27th N. C. Inf. | 0 k | 1 w | 0 m | 1 |
| 46th N. C. Inf. | 0 k | 6 w | 0 m | 6 |
| Total: | 0 k | 8 w | 0 m | 8 |
(Heth Papers, Museum of the Confederacy, Cooke’s List of Casualties)
Heth’s Division Total:
| Brigade | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| McRae’s Brig. | 12 k | 73 w | 431 m | 516 |
| Davis’ Brig. | 11 k | 30 w | 1 m | 42 |
| Cooke’s Brig. | 0 k | 8 w | 0 m | 8 |
| Total: | 23 k | 111 w | 432 | 546 |
Wilcox’s Division
Scales’ N[orth]. C[arolina]. Brig.
Scales was engaged by the Mill Pond, along with Dearing and Harris. He probably lost 12 or 15 men.
Lane’s N[orth]. C[arolina]. Brig.
McGowan’s S[outh] C[arolina] Brig.
Artillery:
Pegram’s Battalion
Infantry Total:
| Division | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| Heth | 23 k | 111 w | 432 m | 546 |
| Mahone | 398 | |||
| Wilcox | 12 | |||
| Total: | 956 |
Hampton’s Cavalry Corps
W. H. F. Lee’s Division
Barringer’s N[orth]. C[arolina]. Cav. Brig.
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 1st N. C. Cav. | 0 k | 34 w | 1 m | 35 |
(Raleigh, NC Daily Confederate, Nov. 5, 1864, p. 1 col. 1)
The Brigade lost 3 killed, 65 wounded, 2 missing, a total of 70.
(Raleigh, NC Daily Confederate, Feb. 23, 1865, p. 2 col. 3-4)
Beale’s V[irgini]a. Cav. Brig.
The brigade probably lost 50 or 60 casualties.
W. H. F. Lee’s Division probably lost 130 casualties.
Butler’s Division
[South Carolina Cav. Brig.]
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 4th S. C. Cav. | 1 k | 12 w | 3 m | 16 |
| 5th S. C. Cav. | 4 k | 17 w | 0 m | 21 |
| 6th S. C. Cav. | 7 k | 20 w | 5 m | 32 |
| Total: | 12 k | 49 w | 8 m | 69 |
(Charleston Daily Courier, Nov. 3, 1864, p. 1 col. 1)
Young’s [Cav.] Brigade
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| Jeff Davis Legion | 1 k | 4 w | 1 m | 6 |
| Cobb’s Legion | – | – | – | – |
| Phillips’ Legion | – | – | – | – |
| Total: | – | – | – | – |
The brigade probably lost 20 or 25 casualties.
Butler’s Division probably lost about 90 casualties.
Dearing’s [Cav.] Brigade
| Regiment | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| 8th Ga. Cav. | 5 k | 22 w | 5 m | 32 |
| 4th N. C. Cav. | 4 k | 20 w | 1 m | 25 |
| 7th Conf. Cav. | 6 k | 15 w | 3 m | 24 |
| Graham’s Batty | 1 k | 6 w | 0 m | 7 |
| Total: | 16 k | 63 w | 9 m | 88 |
(The Daily Express, Nov. 8, 1864, p. ? col. 1-2)
Horse Artillery
| Battery | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Casualties |
| Hart’s Battery | 2 k | 8 w | 0 m | 10 |
| McGregor’s Batty | – | – | – | – |
| [Total:] | – | – | – | – |
(Charleston Daily Courier, Nov. 5, 1864, p. 1 col. 5)
Cavalry Corps total:
| Unit | Total Casualties |
| W. H. F. Lee | 90 |
| Butler | 130 |
| Dearing | 88 |
| Artillery | 10 |
| Total: | 318 |
| Infantry: | 956 |
| Cavalry: | 318 |
| Grand Total: | 1,274 |
Source/Notes:
- Bryce Suderow Note: See “General James Dearing” in Confederate Veteran, May, 1901, p. 216. ↩
Weisiger’s Brigade lost 410. George S. Bernard Diary, George S. Bernard Papers, Alderman Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. The 12th Virginia lost 3 killed, 13 wounded, and 89 missing. Three of the wounded fell into enemy hands, and three of the wounded died. Rolls 514-534, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Virginia, M324; Henderson, 12th Virginia Infantry, 106-167. Suderow’s account omits the 16th Virginia. His casualty studies are important starting points.
The roster of the H. E. Howard book on the 12th Virginia is incomplete. I hired Suderow as a researcher for my book on the 12th Virginia (currently under contract with Savas Beatie) and we found many soldiers who belonged to the 12th but were not listed in the H. E. Howard book roster by looking at Rolls 514-534, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Virginia, M324.