Confederate volunteers of 1861—officers of the ‘nottaway grays’
After John Brown's attempt at Harper's Ferry, the people of the border states began to form military companies in almost every county and to uniform, arm, and drill them. In the beginning, each of these companies bore some designation instead of a company letter. There were various ‘Guards,’ ‘Grays,’ and ‘Rifles’— the last a ludicrous misnomer, the ‘rifles’ being mostly represented by flint-lock muskets, dating from the War of 1812, resurrected from State arsenals and carrying the old ‘buck and ball’ ammunition, ‘caliber 1869.’ On this and the following illustration page are shown some members of Company G, Eighteenth Virginia Regiment, first called Nottaway Rifle Guards and afterward Nottaway Grays. The company was organized on the 12th of January, 1861. Its original roll was signed by fifty men. April 13, 1861, its services were tendered to Governor Letcher ‘to repel every hostile demonstration, either upon Virginia or the Confederate States.’ This sentiment of home defense animated the Confederate armies to heroic deeds. The company from Nottaway, for example, was active in every important combat with the Army of Northern Virginia; yet it was composed of citizens who had, with possibly one exception, no military education, and who, but for the exigencies of the time, would never have joined a military company.
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