Units

Company I, Sixth Virginia Infantry, “The Manchester Grays.”

The soldiers of Co. I, Sixth Virginia Infantry mustered into Confederate service in May 1861 and were sent to Norfolk almost immediately “armed with Bowie knives.” They later received boarding pikes- an eight foot long wooden pole with an iron spike at the end of it- to carry into battle. The men finally received smooth bore muskets in November 1861. Composed mostly of men from Manchester and the surrounding Chesterfield County area, the ‘Manchester Grays’ were then organized into the Sixth Virginia Infantry along with units from the surrounding south side and central Virginia area, and received the designation of ‘Co. I.’

The unit served with distinction in Mahone’s Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia, with which they participated in nearly every major battle. Co. I was known for being the ‘best drilled company in the regiment,’ and occasionally won prizes in drill competitions with the other companies.

After the war a member of the Manchester Artilery, Judge William Clopton, inspected the rolls of the ‘Manchester Grays’ and determined that at some point or another, every man on the muster roll was wounded or killed in battle. The regiment formed on the right flank of General Mahone’s line of battle at Appomattox on the morning of April 9th, 1865. However, no assault was made and the regiment surrendered 110 officers and men.

The Manchester Artillery

The Manchester Artillery mustered into Confederate service May 1st, 1861 with Daniel Weisiger in command. The unit served in Richard S. Ewell’s Division of Stonewall Jackson’s Army of the Valley when it fought at the Battle of Cross Keys in June 1862. It disbanded in April 1863, with most of the men folded into Courtney’s Henrico Battery or other units. Men of the Battery fought at Gettysburg under Joseph W. Latimer’s battalion.