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38th Virginia Infantry

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this regiment’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: Organized in state service on June 12, 18611
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel George K. Griggs
Commander Image

Commander 2
Commander Image

Commander 3
Commander Image

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

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

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

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

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

  • Commander:
    • ? (prior to 7/29/64)
    • Colonel George K. Griggs (resumed command July 29, 1864)6,7
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army8

  • Commander: Colonel George K. Griggs (August 1, 1864)9,10,11
  • Unit Strength: 254 officers and men PFD (August 10, 1864)12
  • Weapons: .58 caliber rifles (presumably a mix of Enfields and Springfields)13

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army14,15

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army16

  • Commander: Colonel George K. Griggs17
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army18,19

  • Commander: Colonel George K. Griggs (at least November 27-December 2 & 15, 1864)20,21,22
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army23,24,25,26,27

  • Commander: Colonel George K. Griggs (at least January 1-2, 21 & 24-25, 1865)(January & February 1865)28,29,30,31
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Steuart’s Brigade | Pickett’s Division | First Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army32,33

  • Commander:
    • None listed. (March 1865)34
    • Colonel George K. Griggs (April 1-2, 1865)35,36
  • Unit Strength: 73 officers and men (surrendered on April 9, 1865)37
  • Weapons:

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles38:

  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • 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. 225-227
  2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 225-227
  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. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), p. 98: The roster entry for Griggs states: “Returned to duty 7/29/64.”
  7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 120
  8. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 128
  9. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), p. 55: The book’s text indicates Griggs first resumed command on August 1, 1864
  10. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 128
  11. Confederate Inspection Report 21-P-17: Barton’s Brigade, August 10, 1864Inspection 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.
  12. Confederate Inspection Report 21-P-17: Barton’s Brigade, August 10, 1864Inspection 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.
  13. Confederate Inspection Report 21-P-17: Barton’s Brigade, August 10, 1864Inspection 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.
  14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 137
  15. 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.
  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 146
  18. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 154
  19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 162
  20. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), pp. 58-59
  21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 154
  22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 162
  23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 171
  24. 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.
  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 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.
  26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 181
  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 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.
  28. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), p. 60
  29. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 171
  30. 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.
  31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 181
  32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 190
  33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 200
  34. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 190
  35. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 200
  36. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), pp. 64-66, 98: Colonel Griggs himself wrote about his role at the battles of Five Forks and Sayler’s Creek.  The roster entry for Griggs states: “Surrendered with army at Appomattox 4/9/65”, but on page 66 the author indicates Griggs commanded the brigade from April 7, 1865 on.
  37. Gregory, G. Howard. 38th Virginia Infantry (H.E. Howard: 1988), p. 67
  38. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 225-227
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