47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry - Confederate

Brief History
The 47th Virginia Infantry Regiment was organized 11 June 1861 and was accepted into the service of the Confederate States of America (CSA) on 1 July 1861 with ten companies identified as A through K. Later, six more companies were added. In August 1861, five companies were transferred to create the nucleus of the 55th Virginia Infantry. The Regiment was reorganized, again, in April 1862.

Their initial assignment was to defend the Virginia shoreline along the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. Other major actions saw them in action during the Peninsula Campaign, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and the defense of Richmond.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The changes to this regiment's companies are too numerous to list here beyond this cursery listing. For a more in-depth history of these companies, see Homer D. Musselman's book 47th Virginia Infantry, FS Library 975.5 M2vr v. 73 and

Companies as of July 1861:

Company A - Stafford County

Company B - Stafford County and King George County

Company C "Montross Guards" - Westmoreland County

Company D - Richmond County

Company E "Port Royal Guards" - Caroline County

Company F "Lacy Rifles" - Lancaster County

Company G (1st) "Middlesex Rifles" - Middlesex County

Company H (1st) "Essex Sharpshooters" - Essex County

Company I (1st) "Essex Grays" - Essex County

Company K (1st) "Middlesex Artillery" - Middlesex County

Companies of the 47th as of August 1861:

Companies G (1st), H (1st), I (1st), and K (1st) were transferred to Major Ward.

Company G (2nd) - Caroline County company assigned to the 47th

Company H (2nd) "Maryland Souaves" - transferred to the 47th Virginia Infantry.

Company K (2nd) "Tyranny Unmasked Artillery" - transferred to the 47th Virginia Infantry.

Companies of the 47th as of September 1861:

Company I (2nd) - transferred to the 30th Virginia Infantry.

Company I (3rd) - transferred to the 47th Virginia Infantry.

Changes as of May 1862:

Company H (3rd) - assigned to the 47th Virginia Infantry.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in Virginia in the Civil War and United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865.


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Virginia in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Virginia, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Musselman, Homer D. 47th Virginia Infantry, (Lynchburg, Virginia, H.E. Howard: c1991) provides 172 pages of information about this regiment including overall history, campaigns, epilogue, photographs, statistics and roster.


 * Sherrill, Sandra P. The Confederate memorial of Lancaster County, Virginia, erected in 1872 by the Ladies Memorial Society. ([Lancaster, Virginia? : Mary Ball Washington Museum?, 199-?]),.


 * Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1992- 1995. (Family History Library book, Ten Volumes.) This gives organization information for each unit and its field officers, assignments, and battles. It also lists sources further reading. Volume 5 is for Virginia.


 * Wallace, Lee A. A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations, 1861-1865. Lynchburg, Virginia: H. E. Howard, 1986. (Family History Library book .) This gives brief historical sketches of each regiment and lists officers, company names, and commanders.


 * Wingfield, Marshall, A History of Caroline County Virginia, (Baltimore, Maryland, Regional Publishing Company: c1975)