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56th Virginia Infantry

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Muster In: Organized September 23, 18611
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel William E. Green
Commander Image

Captain John Richardson
Commander Image

Commander 3
Commander Image

Commander 4
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army3

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army4

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army5

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army6

  • Commander: Captain John Richardson (at least August 9, 1864)7,8
  • Unit Strength: 230 officers and men PFD (August 9, 1864)9
  • Weapons: .58 caliber rifles (presumably a mix of Enfields and Springfields)10

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army11,12

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The 56th Virginia was detached from Hunton’s Brigade and formed part of a temporary Provisional Brigade, Pickett’s Division during the crucial part of the Fifth Offensive which occurred in late September and early October 1864.13,14

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army15

  • Commander: Colonel William E. Green16
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army17,18

  • Commander: Colonel William E. Green (November & December 1864)19,20
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army21,22,23,24,25

  • Commander: Colonel William E. Green (January & February 1865)26,27,28
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Hunton’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army29,30

  • Commander:
    • Colonel William E. Green (at least March 30)(March 1865)31
    • None listed. (April 1-2 1865)32
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles33:

  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • Chaffin’s Farm (September 29, 1864)
  • Five Forks (April 1, 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. 250-251 ↩
      2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 250-251 ↩
      3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 111 ↩
      4. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 111 ↩
      5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 120 ↩
      6. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 128 ↩
      7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 128 ↩
      8. Confederate Inspection Report 23-P-17: Hunton’s Brigade, August 9, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
      9. Confederate Inspection Report 23-P-17: Hunton’s Brigade, August 9, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
      10. Confederate Inspection Report 23-P-17: Hunton’s Brigade, August 9, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
      11. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 137 ↩
      12. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1311. ↩
      13. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 137 ↩
      14. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1311. ↩
      15. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 146 ↩
      16. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 146 ↩
      17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 154 ↩
      18. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 162 ↩
      19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 154 ↩
      20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 162 ↩
      21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 171 ↩
      22. 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 1170: “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. ↩
      23. 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 1180: “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. ↩
      24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 181 ↩
      25. 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 1268: “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. ↩
      26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 171 ↩
      27. 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 1180: “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. ↩
      28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 181 ↩
      29. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 190 ↩
      30. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 200 ↩
      31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 190 ↩
      32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 190 ↩
      33. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 250-251 ↩

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