Cobb's Legion


Cobb's Legion was an American Civil War Confederate States Army unit that was raised from the state of Georgia by Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb during the summer of 1861. A legion in the Civil War usually meant a combined-arms unit, consisting of two or three branches of the military: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. When it was originally raised, the Georgia Legion comprised 600 infantrymen in the infantry battalions, 300 cavalry troopers in the cavalry battalions, and 100 artillerists in a single battery. The legion concept was not practical for Civil War armies and, soon after Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862, the individual elements were assigned to other units.

Infantry component

After the infantry battalion was brought up to regimental strength the unit was assigned to Howell Cobb's brigade in Lafayette McLaws's Division of James Longstreet's Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. Howell Cobb was absent after the Battle of Malvern Hill in July 1862 until August 1862 and again in October 1862 before moving to another command. T.R.R. Cobb, commander of the infantry component of the former legion, commanded Cobb's brigade in his brother's absence and took full command in November 1862. Cobb was succeeded in brigade command by Colonel William T. Wofford after Cobb was killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The regiment surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The cavalry became a regiment in Brigadier General Wade Hampton's brigade of Major General J. E. B. Stuart's division and kept the name of Cobb's Legion or the Georgia Legion.

Organization

  • Staff
  • *Colonel Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb. Cobb formed the legion in the late summer of 1861, and served as its colonel. Cobb served as a colonel until he was promoted to brigadier general on November 1, 1862. However, the promotion was not confirmed by the Confederate States Congress before Cobb's death. Cobb was killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. Colonel William T. Wofford, then in command of the 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment which had been incorporated into Cobb's brigade, succeeded to command of the brigade after T.R.R. Cobb's death. Wofford was promoted to brigadier general on January 17, 1863 and served in Major General Lafayette McLaws's division, commanded after McLaws was relieved of command following the Siege of Knoxville in 1864 by Major General Joseph B. Kershaw. After the legion's components were separated, the highest rank in the infantry battalion was lieutenant colonel.
  • *Lieutenant Colonel Jefferson Mirabeau Lamar
  • *Lieutenant Colonel Luther Glenn

    Companies

  • A Company was formed in Newton County, Georgia.
  • B Company was formed in Carroll County, Georgia.
  • C Company was formed in DeKalb County, Georgia.
  • D Company was formed in Clarke County, Georgia.
  • E Company was formed in Burke County, Georgia.
  • F Company was formed in Carroll County, Georgia.
  • G Company was formed in Morgan County, Georgia.

    Battles

The infantry battalion fought in the following battles:
  • Battle of Yorktown
  • Battle at Lee's Mills
  • Seven Days Battles
  • Battle of Malvern Hill
  • Battle of South Mountain
  • Battle of Antietam
  • Battle of Fredericksburg
  • Battle of Chancellorsville
  • Battle of Gettysburg
  • Battle of Chickamauga
  • Third Battle of Chattanooga
  • Siege of Knoxville
  • *Battle of Fort Sanders
  • Battle of the Wilderness
  • Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
  • Battle of North Anna
  • Battle of Cold Harbor
  • Siege of Petersburg
  • Battle of Front Royal
  • Battle of Cedar Creek
  • Battle of Sayler's Creek
  • Battle of Appomattox Court House

    Cavalry component

The cavalry battalion was expanded first to eight companies, then later to eleven companies before finally being decreased to ten companies. It was redesignated as the 9th Georgia Cavalry, but continued to be called Cobb's Legion or the Georgia Legion. It surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

Organization

  • Staff
  • * Colonel Pierce M. B. Young
  • * Colonel Gilbert Jefferson Wright
  • * Lieutenant Colonel William Gaston Delony On September 13, 1862, he assumed command of the cavalry battalion after Lieutenant Colonel Young was wounded. He remained second in command of the Legion until mortally wounded and captured at the Battle of Jack's Shop, Virginia, on September 22, 1863, dying on October 2, 1863, in the Stanton Hospital in Washington City as a POW.

    Companies

  • A Company was formed in Richmond County, Georgia. This company was one of the original cavalry companies.
  • B Company was formed in Fulton County, Georgia. This company was one of the original cavalry companies.
  • C Company was formed in Clarke County, Georgia. Members of the company were from Clarke, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, and other counties. This company was one of the original cavalry companies.
  • D Company was formed in Dougherty County, Georgia. This company was one of the original cavalry companies.
  • E Company was formed in Cobb County, Georgia.
  • F Company was formed in Burke County, Georgia.
  • G Company was formed in Morgan County, Georgia.
  • H Company was formed in Clarke County, Georgia.
  • I Company was formed in Richmond County, Georgia.
  • K Company was formed in Richmond County, Georgia. This company was transferred to Phillips' Legion, Cavalry by Special Orders #161, Adjutant and Inspector's General's Office.
  • L Company was formed in DeKalb County, Georgia.

    Battles

The cavalry component fought in the following battles:
  • Yorktown Siege
  • Seven Days Battles
  • Battle of Harrison's Landing, Virginia
  • Battle of Middletown, Maryland
  • South Mountain, Maryland
  • Sharpsburg
  • Battle of Barbee's Crossroads, Virginia
  • Battle of Dumfries, Virginia
  • Battle of Fredericksburg
  • Battle of Occoquan, Virginia
  • Battle of Dumfries and Battle of Fairfax Station, Virginia
  • Battle of Brandy Station
  • Battle of Upperville
  • Battle of Hanover
  • Battle of Gettysburg
  • Battle of Hunterstown
  • Second Battle of Brandy Station
  • Bristoe Campaign
  • Mine Run Campaign
  • Battle of the Wilderness
  • Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
  • Battle of North Anna
  • Battle of Trevilian Station.
  • Siege of Petersburg
  • Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia
  • Battle of Williamsburg Road, Virginia
  • Carolinas campaign
  • Battle of Bentonville

    Troup Artillery

The artillery battery was known as the Troup Artillery. It was from Athens, Georgia. It was commanded by Captain Henry Hull Carlton after the Legion was reorganized, the Troup Artillery was assigned to the Artillery Battalion of Longstreet's Corps. The Troup Artillery disbanded April 9, 1865.

Battles

The battles it took part in were:
  • Yorktown Siege
  • Battle at Lee's Mills, Virginia
  • Seven Days Battles, Virginia
  • Battle of Malvern Hill
  • Battle of South Mountain
  • Battle of Antietam
  • Battle of Fredericksburg
  • Battle of Chancellorsville
  • Battle of Gettysburg
  • Antietam Creek, Maryland
  • Battle of the Wilderness
  • Battle of Spotsylvania Court House May 8 - 21, 1864)
  • Battle of North Anna
  • Siege of Petersburg
  • Battle of Cold Harbor
  • Battle of Appomattox Court House

    Famous members

  • A famous fictional member of Cobb's Legion was Ashley Wilkes, of Gone with the Wind, who was supposedly captured during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864.
  • Future Atlanta Chamber of Commerce President Benjamin Crane served in the legion.
  • Future Mayor of Atlanta Luther Glenn served in the legion.
  • Atlanta businessman, publisher, and Atlanta City Council member Zachariah A. Rice served as Major of B Company in the cavalry battalion of the legion.

    Literature

  • Dooley, Vincent Joseph and Samuel Norman Thomas Jr., eds. The Legion's Fighting Bulldog: The Civil War correspondence of William Gaston Delony, Lieutenant Colonel of Cobb's Georgia Legion Cavalry, and Rosa Delony, 1853-1863. Mercer University Press.
  • Turner, Nat S. 2002. A Southern Soldier's Letters Home: The Civil War Letters of Samuel Burney, Cobb's Georgia Legion, Army of Northern Virginia. Macon GA: Mercer University Press.