Sgt. (CSA), Mark Byrd

Civil War Veteran

Affiliation: Confederate

Enlisted: April 18, 1861

Rank: Corp.

Co.: F & B

Regt.: 10th Va.

Branch: Infantry

Promoted : 3rd Sgt. May 21, 1863

Wounded: Battle of Gettysburg and Battle of the Wilderness

Captured: March 25, 1865/ held until June, 1865 /

Written as recorded in Ancestors of Samuel J. Davis & Sherry L. Kirk:Information about George Byrd

Mark enlisted as a 2nd Corporal in Company F of the 10th Infantry Regiment of Virginia for 12 months on April 18, 1861, at Woodstock, Virginia. The 10th Regiment was accepted into the service of the Confederate States on July 1, 1861, with ten companies, A to K. The company was reorganized in April 1862 and Mark enlisted for three years and received a 30 day furlough. He contacted typhoid fever in July 1861 and was hospitalized and did not return to the unit until September of that year. During his absence the unit fought in the first battle of Manassas. This unit was involved in many of the battles fought on the eastern front of which the more important ones were: 1st Manassas, July 21, 1861; The Seven Days Battles, June 25-July 1, 1862; 2nd Manassas, August 29-30, 1862; Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862; Chancellorsville, May 1-4, 1862; Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864; Spotslvania, May 8-19, 1864; Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864; Petersburg (Fort Stedman), March 9, 1865; and finally surrendering at Appotmattox, April 12, 1865, where less than 10 members of the unit survived. Mark was promoted to 3rd Sergeant on May 21, 1863, and was later wounded in the battle of Gettysburg and did not return to the unit until January of 1864. He was also wounded at the battle of the Wilderness. He was transferred from Company F to B on October 31, 1864. Mark was captured in the battle for Fort Stedman near Petersburg on March 25, 1865, and was a prisoner of war and held a Point Lookout, Maryland until June 23, 1865. He was released after taking the oath of allegiance to the United States and was then furnished transportation to Winchester, Virginia. His records indicate he had a fair complexion, dark brown hair with gray eyes and was 5 feet 6 and 3/4 inches tall. A third cousin, Captain Abraham S. Byrd, was the Regiment Quartermaster. Mark died unmarried.

Links:

http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/a/d/Holly-M-Maddox/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-...

http://civil-war-soldiers.mooseroots.com/l/779300/Mark-Byrd

From: 10th Virginia: “We Almost Whipped The Yankees” Posted on June 16, 2015 by Sarah Kay Bierle “I’m Harold Cooper, a private in the 10th Virginia Infantry,” he added with pride. “And we almost whipped the Yankees.” ~Harold Cooper, from Blue, Gray & Crimson; Written as recorded:

Many Confederate regiments could have said “we almost whipped the Yankees” after the fighting at Gettysburg, but a soldier from the 10th Virginia Infantry would’ve had special bragging rights. They had occupied a Union position for hours!

One of the fictional soldiers from Blue, Gray & Crimson served in the 10th Virginia Infantry and today, I’d like to share a little history about his regiment.

Shenandoah Valley area Men From The Valley

I’ve written about the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia before, but today we actually get to talk about a regiment from that area. In the spring of 1861, Confederate regiments were organized at Harper’s Ferry, and the 10th Virginia was one of them. The men of the regiment came from the central/northern counties of the Valley.

The men’s pre-war occupation was farming or working in a small town. The most of the people of the Shenandoah Valley did not favor secession of the Southern states, but when the war started, they enlisted to defend their state and families, and most Shenandoah soldiers were adamant that they were not defending slavery.

Into Battle

The Battle of First Manassas (July 1861) was the 10th Virginia’s first large battle, and afterward they were transferred to the Shenandoah Valley military district to serve under General “Stonewall” Jackson. They fought in the Valley Campaign, and then joined the Army of Northern Virginia for the Seven Days Campaign, Cedar Mountain, and Second Manassas. They missed Antietam (Sharpsburg) because they were on detached duty elsewhere, but fought at Fredericksburg at the end of 1862. In 1863, the 10th battled at Chancellorsville and then marched northward with the rest of General Lee’s army.

During the Gettysburg Campaign, the 10th was commanded by Colonel Edward T.H. Warren and was in Steuart’s Brigade, Johnson’s Division, Ewell’s Second Corps. The regiment came to Gettysburg as a “veteran” regiment; they were battle experienced and enthusiastically hoping for one more battle before ultimate victory.

Although part of Ewell’s Second Corps, the 10th Virginia was not in combat on July 1, 1863. Their division arrived late and eventually maneuvered into position near Culp’s Hill, which was the Union’s right flank.

Most of July 2nd passed with skirmishing elsewhere on the battle lines and preparation on an assault. The position in front of the 10th was not going to be easy to capture. The hill was densely wooded, large boulders hid in the trees, and there was a creek in the assault line. Artillery support would be almost non-existent because of the wooded area. The soldiers may have heard their Union enemies digging fortifications and chopping down trees to make their position more secure.

The infantry waited. And they continued to wait, while the sound of battle came from the Union’s left flank.

Twilight Attack

The 10th Virginia was on the far left of the Confederate attack line as they moved toward Culp’s Hill on the evening of July 2. The attack was quite successful, partial because about 2/3 of the Union defenders had been moved to a different part of the battle area (see 27th Indiana: Bayonets & Flags). By dark, the 10th was in the Union fortifications, but fighting continued. It became disastrous as other Confederate soldiers accidently exposed the 10th to friendly fire. Confusion and terror continued throughout the night.

Morning Battle

In the morning of July 3rd, Union troops counter-attacked. Steuart’s Brigade eventually reformed and launched a new attack. The 10th was ordered away from the main unit to clear an area of flank skirmishers, and they were semi-successful. The regiment organized behind a stone wall (side note: different stonewall than the one the 27th Indiana charged; the 10th is facing the 20th Connecticut at this time). Colonel Warren reported that only 50 soldiers remained with him at this point; casualties had been heavy.

Ultimately, the Confederate attacks on Culp’s Hill did not succeed – though from the 10th Virginia standpoint their battlefield was “secure.” They remained in position throughout the day, but retreated under the cover of darkness.

Gettysburg Aftermath for the 10th Virginia

The 10th Virginia lost about 25% of its men at Gettysburg. The wounded who were within the Confederate lines were cared for by surgeons in gray and some were probably taken back to Virginia on the retreat. The injured soldiers outside of the Confederate lines became prisoners and were taken to Union field hospitals. The dead were probably left unburied on the battlefield and would have been interred by Union soldiers or civilians. Confederate soldiers were not buried in Gettysburg National Cemetery, so the fallen of the 10th Virginia would have remained buried on the battlefield, until the Confederate dead were removed and reburied in the South.

Link: https://gazette665.com/2015/06/16/10th-virginia-we-almost-whipped-t...

10th Regiment, Virginia Infanry (Confederate)

Brief History

The 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment had its origins in volunteer militia companies organized in the late 1850's in Rockingham County. Eleven companies made up the Tenth Virginia. Seven companies were drawn from Rockingham County, two from Shenandoah County, one from Page and one from Madison County. A total of about 1,350 men in all served in the Tenth during the time when the regiment was under arms. As part of the Army of Northern Virginia, the regiment saw action in every major engagement that was fought in Virginia, Maryland (except Sharpsburg) and Pennsylvania.Of the 276 engaged at Gettysburg more than twenty-five percent were disabled. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 2 officers and 43 men. The field officers wer Colonels Simeon B. Gibbons and Edward T.H. Warren, Lieutenant Colonels Dorilas H.L. Martz and Samuel T. Walker, and Majors Isaac G. Coffman and Joshua Stover. [1] 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. See FHL book 975.5 M2vr v.55 for a complete muster roster for this Regiment.

Link: https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/10th_Regiment,_Virginia_Infantry_(Confederate)

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