Organized at Macon in the spring of 1861, the Georgia Regulars included mostly men from Atlanta and Brunswick, as well as Glynn and Montgomery counties. In April 1862, it contained 367 effectives.
Sent to Virginia, the regiment joined Anderson's Brigade and fought with the Army of Northern Virigina in most of the major battles of 1862, from the Seven Days' Battles to Fredericksburg, before being sent back to its home state to recruit due to its losses of men to wounds and disease. It then was ordered to Florida and assigned to Colonel George Harrison's Brigade.
Stationed along the Apalachicola River in Florida during 1863, the regiment suffered heavily from disease and sickness, with a corresponding lowering of morale and effectiveness. Recalled John Porter Fort, a member of Company B:
"This [location] was useless from a military point of view, and our ranks were more decimated by malaria than if we had been in many battles."Sent to reinforce Finegan shortly before the battle, at Olustee the Regulars probably numbered fewer than 200 muskets. Captain Henry A. Cannon led the unit at Olustee, where it served on the Confederate left. The unit suffered losses of three men killed and twenty-five wounded. A detachment from Abel's Artillery also served with the Regulars at Olustee and suffered several casualties.
Later in 1864, the regiment served at Charleston and Savannah. It later saw action in North Carolina and surrendered at the end of the war. Only 45 officers and men surrendered with the Army of Tennessee.
Pvt William Askew, Company A, (Newman Guards)
External Web sites related to the Battle of Olustee
Short history of the regiment with emphasis on Antietam
Battle flag from http://www.georgiahistory.com
Book - Footprints of a Regiment: A Recollection of the 1st Georgia Regulars, 1861-1865 by W. H. Andrews - see various book sites
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Confederate Order of Battle
Battle of Olustee home page
http://battleofolustee.org/
