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Equipage of the Stonewall Brigade

The following is excerpted from Fredrick Todd’s classic reference work, American Military Equipage, 1851-1872, Volume II – State Forces, Chapter 56 – Virginia. Todd does not detail the specific sources behind each datapoint he presents, but his work draws heavily on the annual reports of the Adjutant General of Virginia, as well as the expertise of the Virginia Historical Society and Museum of the Confederacy (now the Museum of the American Civil War). The portions of Chapter 56 dealing with units of the Stonewall Brigade are presented below with minimal edits. 

Lt. Edward C. Shepherd, 4th Virginia

2nd Regt Vols (Jefferson County) 1860-1861; Become 2nd Vol Inf Regt (1st Regt, Stonewall Brig; Allen’s) 1861-1865
(Included Jefferson Guards and Cadets, Hamtramck Guard, Botts Grays, etc.)
1861: Companies largely clothed in gray uniforms; some companies wore blue or red shirts; most had knapsacks; percussion musket. Regiment carried state flag until late November 1861, when given Army of Northern Virginia [ANV] battle flag [Editor’s Note: The flag presented to the 2nd Virginia, as well as all other Virginia regiments, in November 1861 was actually a Virginia state flag rather than the ANV battle flag, which did not enter wide production until summer 1862].

4th Regt (Preston’s) 1861-1865
Liberty Hall Volunteers: gray shirt and pants, trimmed presumably with blue. Grayson Dare Devils: “flaming red shirt and carried Harper’s Ferry rifles with sword bayonet. Regiment carried ANV battle flag, 1861-1865.

James W. Bare, West Augusta Guards (5th Virginia Co. L)

Augusta County Regt Vols (Baylor’s) 1861; Became 5th Vol Inf Regt (3rd Regt, Stonewall Brig) 1861-1865
(Included West Augusta Guard, Southern Guard, Augusta Rifles, Staunton Artillery, etc.)
Regimental band 1861 included members of Staunton Mountain Sax Horn Band organized in 1855; officially designated Stonewall Brigade Band 1863; reorganized 1865 as Stonewall Brigade Band and still exists. 1861: West Augusta Guard wore state regimental blue dress; Rifles adopted “French Zouave drill.”

27th Regt (Gordon’s; also called 6th Vol Regt in state service) 1861-1865
[Editor’s Note: Todd includes no further information on the 27th Virginia]

33rd Regt (Cummings’)
1861: armed largely with converted and flintlock smoothbore muskets.

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