A Hot Time in Virginia: On Cedar Mountain with the 14th Georgia

The initial moments entering combat at Cedar Mountain were anything but encouraging to the men of the 14th Georgia. The regiment had scarcely entered the field when the colonel suffered a wound in his hand, forcing him to turn over command to the lieutenant colonel Once the men got into line, the sight before them dripped with peril as remembered by one veteran. 

    "Emerging from the woods near the road by which the brigade had approached the field, it was met by General Taliaferro’s brigade, Jackson’s division, falling back before the advancing enemy," he wrote. "The 14th was cut off from the brigade by Taliaferro’s retreating men. Some of the men of the 14th faltered for a moment. The danger of a panic was imminent. The enemy, encouraged by the retreat of Taliaferro’s brigade and confident of victory, were advancing and about reaching a point at which their line would have prolonged our battleline and were within a stone’s throw of and on the flank of Purcell’s Battery. This was a critical and trying time, but it lasted only a moment. Colonel Folsom caught the colors of the 14th Georgia and bearing them forward, called upon his officers and men to follow. Nobly and gallantly did they respond to the call. Without flinching, the 14th advanced to meet the confident foe and by their well-directed volleys soon brought them to a stand."

This account of the Battle of Cedar Mountain, penned by a soldier in the 14th Georgia Infantry writing under the penname of “Dixie,” first saw publication in the August 21, 1862, edition of the Atlanta Southern Confederacy newspaper.

 

Colonel Felix Price of the 14th Georgia Infantry was wounded in the hand early in the engagement at Cedar Mountain; regimental command devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel Robert Folsom. 

          There are few regiments from Georgia that have seen harder service than the 14th; since the Battle of Seven Pines, it has been in six general engagements in each of which it has acquitted itself with honor to the state from which it hails. In some of these battles, it lost as high as 25% of the number carried into action.

But the proudest day for the 14th Georgia, as it was for many others, was the 9th of this month at the Battle of Cedar Run between Orange and Culpeper Courthouses. The regiment is in General A.P. Hill’s division and composes part of the Third Brigade, consisting of the 14th, 35th, 45th, and 49th Georgia regiments, commanding by acting brigadier Edward L. Thomas, colonel of the 35th Georgia.

          The day was one of the hottest ever felt and the troops were marched from daybreak until 3 p.m. when the Third Brigade filed off from the road to some woods on a high hill commanding a view of the valley beyond for several miles. This position had been selected by General Jackson as his temporary headquarters. In the distance could be seen a Yankee force of cavalry on picket and still farther on were visible moving bodies of men and wagons rolling up dense clouds of dust. Our artillery was winding along the base of the mountains through thickets and along the little ravines for the purpose of getting into position. Long line of slow marching infantry was following different directions, their bright muskets gleaming in the light of the evening’s sun while now and then a solitary horseman might be seen dashing along the valley now so quiet and peaceful, but soon to be the scene of fearful noise, confusion, pain, and death.

          Meanwhile Old Stonewall sat quietly studying a map spread out before him. At length, a signal flag near him gave a single wave down, an instant after the boom of a cannon away down the valley reverberated through the mountains and along the valley. The ball struck in the midst of the Yankee cavalry and those hitherto statue-like looking beings suddenly became wonderfully animated. They put into exercise their powers of locomotion and went scampering away at the top of their speed. Cannon was answered by cannon and battery by battery. Clouds of smoke and dust went rolling up and spreading out over the valley. It was not about 4 p.m. Colonel Thomas (35th Georgia) was ordered to the field near the center of the line and in supporting distance of Purcell’s Battery. Colonel Felix Price of the 14th Georgia was wounded in the hand and retired before the regiment was brought actively into the engagement; the command then devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel [Robert W.] Folsom.

          Emerging from the woods near the road by which the brigade had approached the field, it was met by General Taliaferro’s brigade, Jackson’s division, falling back before the advancing enemy. The 14th was cut off from the brigade by Taliaferro’s retreating men. Some of the men of the 14th faltered for a moment. The danger of a panic was imminent. The enemy, encouraged by the retreat of Taliaferro’s brigade and confident of victory, were advancing and about reaching a point at which their line would have prolonged our battleline and were within a stone’s throw of and on the flank of Purcell’s Battery.

          This was a critical and trying time, but it lasted only a moment. Colonel Folsom caught the colors of the 14th Georgia and bearing them forward, called upon his officers and men to follow. Nobly and gallantly did they respond to the call. Without flinching, the 14th advanced to meet the confident foe and by their well-directed volleys soon brought them to a stand. The ground was now hardly contested, but the deadly aim of the Georgia boys was too destructive for Yankee ideas of personal safety and their lines began to waver then gave way.


Private John Rigby of Co. D, 35th Georgia Infantry served in the same brigade as the 14th Georgia and fought alongside them at Cedar Mountain. He had been wounded at Mechanicsville during the Seven Days campaign and was later captured at the Wilderness. He died of acute bronchitis nearly a year later in Elmira, New York while still a prisoner of war. 

They were closely followed up for nearly a mile to where the route of the 14th crossed a road. Beyond this road was a small stream and beyond that a wheat field in which was drawn up a strong infantry force of the enemy. The road afforded our men an excellent position from which they poured a most destructive fire into the lines of the enemy. Seeing the advantage and dreading the effects of our deadly fire, one squadron of cavalry was sent out to drive us from the road. We saw the cavalry advancing and without changing our position, we coolly awaited their approach. When within 75-80 yards, Colonel Folsom gave the order to fire and down went horses and men by the score. Again, the valiant Yanks sought safety in hasty retreat and fled precipitately to the woods behind the wheat field, closely followed by Georgia’s daring sons.

The regiment had advanced but a short distance when Colonel Folsom fell from utter exhaustion. It was now nearly dark, the troops being much exhausted from the long march, hard fighting, and excessive heat. General Jackson though, under the circumstances, it would be better to close the action for the night and accordingly pursuit of the flying enemy was given up. They had been driven from the field and left hundreds of their dead and wounded behind. It was said by one of the generals who examined the filed that the 14th Georgia killed and wounded more men than it carried into the field.

But it is not pretended that the 14th Georgia was the only regiment in Colonel Thomas’s brigade that acted gallantly. All did well. The 49th Georgia fired until they had shot away their last cartridge. They then took what they could find on the Yankees they had killed and afterwards charged the enemy with empty guns. The conduct of the 35th Georgia and 45th Georgia is spoken of in the most flattering terms. It is said that this battle made the 24th time that Colonel Thomas has been under fire. His conduct in action is characterized by great coolness and unflinching bravery. It is understood that he has received the appointment of brigadier general; the appointment is a good one.

The loss of the enemy is estimated at 1,700 killed and wounded plus 800 prisoners; our total loss was 550. Our force engaged was about 14,000 men while that of the enemy was near 30,000. The Yankees had one regiment busy all day burying their dead it is though they did not get through. If our men had not been so exhausted and had been able to follow up the enemy, there is no doubt the enemy would have resulted in a complete rout. As it was, however, the victory was a decided one and has added fresh laurels to the battle-worn heroes who so gallantly won it.

Source:

“Battle of Cedar Run,” from “Dixie,” an unknown soldier in the 14th Georgia Infantry, Atlanta Southern Confederacy (Georgia), August 21, 1862, pg. 2

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