History
My sources for this quick summary are “The Fourth Virginia Infantry Regimental History” by Dr. James I. Robertson, and “Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures” edited by Bettye Lou Fields and Jene Hughes. I commend both of these works to anyone interested in learning more about our unit.
After studying the histories, it seems that the Fourth Virginia, and the Grayson County Daredevils in particular, became victims of the Stonewall Brigade’s success. The Fourth Virginia regiment almost singlehandedly saved the Battle of First Manassas, preventing what could have been a collapse of Confederate forces.
The Fourth went on to serve gloriously throughout Jackson’s astonishing Valley Campaign in the Spring of 1862. Later that year the regiment participated in the capture of the largest number of federal troops and supplies in history (at Harper’s Ferry), and then later that week rushed to help prevent defeat at the Battle of Sharpsburg. This was the true high watermark for the Grayson Dare Devils. The Fourth had earned its stellar reputation.
Early on Sunday, May 3, 1863, hours after Jackson had been mortally wounded, Confederates renewed their initial success at Chancellorsville. The Fourth Virginia, consisting of 355 soldiers, led a charge through dense forest toward high ground. However, the Second Virginia “drifted away” in the fight, exposing the Fourth’s left flank. In ten minutes nearly half of the Fourth (160 out of 355) was gone. After pausing in abandoned earthworks, the survivors of the regiment rallied and rose as one when J.E.B. Stuart called for the “Old Stonewall” soldiers to renew the assault. They charged directly into “A shower of leaden hail.” The Fourth Virginia took more casualties than any other unit in the Stonewall Brigade.
Two months later the Fourth Virginia again took the most casualties suffered in the Brigade, pinned down among the boulders of Culps Hill, high above Gettysburg. The regiment suffered an estimated loss of seventy-five percent.
The Fourth Virginia consisted of only sixty-six men when it retreated to Virginia in mid-July 1863.
On November 26, 1863, as this little band of men marched with the other remnants of the Stonewall Brigade to the Rapidan River defenses near Mine Run, federals launched a surprise attack on the marching column’s left flank. After two hours’ fighting the Union troops began to fall back, and the Stonewall Brigade charged in counter-attack. Concealed federal troops unleashed withering fire into the Brigade’s flank. Again, the Fourth Virginia suffered the most casualties in the Brigade.
The few remaining soldiers in the regiment retired to winter quarters lacking socks and shoes. Twelve soldiers and a lieutenant from the regiment – most of the Fourth – were captured at Morton’s Ford in February 1864. In the Spring, conscripts, recruits, and recovering wounded brought the entire regiment up to approximately 200 soldiers. In early May, 1864, the Fourth Virginia played a critical role in repulsing a Federal assault upon the Stonewall Brigade at The Wilderness, and again suffered significant losses. The battle evolved into a footrace for a critical road junction at Spotsylvania. Confederates reached the junction first and the Stonewall Brigade was placed “in a sharp parabola” on a ridge facing northward. “The Salient,” as it was first known, jutted to within 150 yards of woods where Union troops were massing. Federals launched a major assault at dawn on May 12 after a night of heavy raining. Three Union divisions emerged from the gloom and converged upon the Fourth Virginia, then only 175 soldiers strong. The Confederates ordered a volley into the advancing enemy, but their powder had become wet in the rain and failed to fire. Union soldiers poured over the trenches and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand killing, turning The Salient into has since been known as The Bloody Angle. The Stonewall Brigade was overwhelmed. The Fourth Virginia lost 139 of its 175 soldiers, and largely ceased to exist after May 12. Its remnants were re-organized with other fragments of the Old Stonewall into a new “brigade” that served in Jubal Early’s army of about 12,000 in the Shenandoah Valley. In late-summer 1864 Early conducted a raid into Maryland but was hounded by Philip H. Sheridan’s forces. Early suffered defeats at Winchester and Fisher’s Hill in September 1864, but his surprise attack at Cedar Creek on October 19 was initially successful. The advance could not be sustained after his starving soldiers stopped to forage through abandoned Federal campsites. Sheridan counter-attacked that afternoon and drove the Confederates from the Valley for good.
What little was left of the Fourth Virginia joined Lee’s trenches surrounding Petersburg in December 1864. The regiment suffered more losses at Hatchers Run in February, and participated in a futile assault at Fort Stedman in March 1865.
Of the 1,487 soldiers who had served in the Fourth Virginia, only forty-six remained on duty at the Surrender at Appomattox. Here is the breakdown of how many were left in each company at the surrender:
COMPANY A – “WYTHE GRAYS” - 4
COMPANY B: – “FORT LEWIS VOLUNTEERS” – 2
COMPANY C: – “PULASKI GUARDS” – 10
COMPANY D: – “SMYTH BLUES” – 5
COMPANY E: – “MONTGOMERY HIGHLANDERS” – 5
COMPANY F: – “GRAYSON DARE DEVILS” – ZERO
COMPANY G: – “MONTGOMERY FENCIBLES” – 5
COMPANY H: – “ROCKBRIDGE GRAYS” – 2
COMPANY I: – “LIBERTY HALL VOLUNTEERS” – 9
COMPANY L: – “ROCKBRIDGE RIFLES” – 4