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46th Virginia Infantry

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this unit’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: Organized on August 8, 1861.1
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel Randolph Harrison
Commander Image

Lieutenant Colonel Peyton Wise
Commander Image

Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Harrison (of the 34th VA)
Commander Image

Captain John H. White
Commander Image

Captain George Norris
Commander Image

Commander 4
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army3

  • Commander: Colonel Randolph Harrison (at least June 9 and 16, 1864)(wounded severely in the neck on June 16, 1864)4,5
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army6

  • Commander: Captain John H. White7
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army8

  • Commander:
    • Captain John H. White9
    • Captain George Norris10
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: Enfield Rifles (.577 caliber) (July 30, 1864)11

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army12

  • Commander:
    • Captain John H. White (at least August 29, 1864)13,14
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle:

  • Commander:
    • Captain John H. White15
    • Lieutenant Colonel Peyton Wise (at least September 30, 1864)16
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army17

  • Commander:
    • Lieutenant Colonel Peyton Wise (captured late October, 1864?)18
    • Colonel Randolph Harrison (captured October 27, 1864)19
    • Captain John W. White20
    • Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Harrison (of the 34th Virginia)(jointly commanding 34th and 46th VA)(at least October 31, 1864)21
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army22,23

  • Commander:
    • Captain John H. White (at least November 30 and December 31, 1864)(took a leave of absence starting on an unspecified day in December)(November & December 1864)24,25,26
    • ? (while Captain White was away on his leave of absence (December 1864)27
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army28,29,30,31,32

  • Commander: Captain John H. White (January & February 1865)33,34,35,36
  • Unit Strength: 338 officers and men PFD (January 29, 1865)37
  • Weapons: Enfield Rifles (.577 caliber) (January 29, 1865)38

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Wise’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army39,40

  • Commander:
    • Captain John H. White (captured March 29)(March 1865)41
    • ? (after White was captured)(March 1865)42
    • None listed. (April 1-2, 1865)43
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Lt. Col. Peyton Wise had been captured on August 27, 1864 and was held for the rest of the war.  The Official Records appears to be incorrect on this one.

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles44:

  • Petersburg (June 9, 1864)
  • Second Battle of Petersburg (June 15-18, 1864)45,46,47
  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • Sayler’s Creek (April 6, 1865)
  • Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 235-236 ↩
    2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 235-236 ↩
    3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    4. “Southern News.” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), June 20, 1864, p. 2, col. 1-2 ↩
    5. “From the Front.” The Daily Express (Petersburg, VA). June 17, 1864, p. 2 col. 2-4 ↩
    6. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    8. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
    9. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124: Sibley erroneously lists the captain as John “W.” White rather than John H. White, which is correct. ↩
    10. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
    11. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 80 ↩
    12. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 133 ↩
    13. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 78 ↩
    14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 133 ↩
    15. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 141 ↩
    16. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 78 ↩
    17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
    18. Meade, George G. The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Volume II. (Charles Scribner’s Sons: 1913), p. 238: “In our recent move we captured Peyton Wise, Lieutenant Colonel Forty-sixth Virginia Infantry.”  Meade wrote this on October 31, 1864, so the implication is that Wise was captured during the Sixth Offensive, occurring mainly on October 27-28, 1864. ↩
    19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150: This is NOT the Randolph Harrison from the 34th Virginia.  There were apparently two Randolph Harrisons  in Wise’s Virginia Brigade commanding regiments at the same time. ↩
    20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
    21. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 78 ↩
    22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
    24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    25. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
    26. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 78 ↩
    27. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
    28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
    29. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1174: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, January 31, 1865”; This list contains many commanders who were not there.  They were the “official” commanders but may have been gone on leave.  I have used none of the leaders from this list as a result. ↩
    30. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1183: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from January 26-31, 1865, and the leaders should be accurate for this time frame. ↩
    31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
    32. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1273: “Organization of the Infantry and Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, February 28, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from February 28, 1865.  However, leaders listed are from January.  I’ve chosen to ignore the leaders and just use this source for the organization of the order of battle. ↩
    33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
    34. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1183: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from January 26-31, 1865, and the leaders should be accurate for this time frame. ↩
    35. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
    36. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 78 ↩
    37. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 87: The book lists 25 officers and 313 men “present”, but a quick look at other inspection reports in my possession reassures me this is truly a present for duty number.  I will double check when I transcribe this specific inspection report. ↩
    38. Sherwood, G. L. and Weaver, Jeffrey C. 59th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1994), p. 87 ↩
    39. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
    40. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    41. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
    42. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
    43. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    44. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 235-236 ↩
    45. “Rebel Accounts of Affairs at Petersburg.” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), June 20, 1864, p. 1, col. 5 AND p. 8, col. 1: At sunset the enemy charged our batteries commanding these roads, coming up in line of battle six and seven columns deep.  The brunt of the assault was sustained by the Twenty-sixth (Virginia) and Forty-sixth (Virginia) Regiments of WISE’S Brigade and STURDIVANT’S Battery of four guns.  Five previous assaults were made, the enemy coming up with a yell and making the most determined efforts to carry the works. ↩
    46. “From the Front.” The Daily Express (Petersburg, VA). June 17, 1864, p. 2 col. 2-4 ↩
    47. “From the Front.” Daily Constitutionalist (Augusta, GA), June 19, 1864, p. 2, col. 2-3, originally printed in The Daily Express (Petersburg, VA), June 16, 1864, page and column(s) unknown. ↩

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