The 12th Georgia

During the Battle of McDowell, the Confederate 12th Georgia Infantry held a ridge overlooking the village of McDowell. The regiment began the battle on a knoll, a "large hilly old field," in advance of the main Confederate line before being pushed back. In an exposed position, the ground forced the regiment to form an inverted "V," leaving it open to attack from left, right, and center, and it suffered heavy casualties. It was also outgunned, carrying .69 caliber smoothbore muskets with a range of just over 100 yards, while Federal troops used rifled muskets with greater range and accuracy. A Union charge forced the regiment back into a basin higher up the hill, but it did not retreat entirely. Whenever Confederate Colonel Z. T. Conner persuaded one wing to withdraw, the other wing advanced again to its forward position. When later asked why they would not withdraw, one soldier replied, "We did not come all this way to Virginia to run before the Yankees." As evening fell, the regiment moved to the middle of the Confederate line and fought desperately to help hold off Federal attacks. Silhouetted against the clear sky by the setting sun, the men were easy targets and continued to suffer heavily, but helped hold the line. By the end of the battle, the 12th Georgia had suffered more losses than any other Confederate unit on the field, with 52 killed and 123 wounded out of 540 engaged, a loss of over 32 percent.

Virginia · United States