Benning's Brigade

General Henry Lewis Benning described his brigade of Southern warriors as men who would simply not give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Comprised of the Second, Fifteenth (covered in Volume 1), Seventeenth, and Twentieth infantry regiments, Benning's Brigade consisted entirely of Georgia volunteers. These men represented the lifeblood of Georgia and they were determined to defend her sovereignty. These proud men defended Virginia soil while their own homes were being ravished by Sherman's March to the Sea. The mental anguish endured by the Georgian soldiers during the winter of 1864-1865 is painfully evident in their letters and journals. First and primarily, the book is intended to accurately reflect the composition, strength, and disposition of the brigade, chronologically, throughout the Civil War, from its inception to its ultimate demobilization. Secondly, the narrative is filled with excerpts from diaries, journals, correspondence, and reports from the officers and men that wrote them. These personal reflections are intended to provide the reader with an intimate and uniquely southern perspective of the American Civil War. The regimental rosters in this book highlight each individual soldier. Personal information such as: rank; promotions; prisoner/exchange data (if captured); wounds or disabilities (hospitalization data); and either their cause of death and burial data; or parole information was gleaned from both Union and Confederate documents. Numerous vintage photographs, maps, charts, a bibliography, and an index augment the text. Anyone interested in the Civil War, Southern history, or Georgia history will want to add this volume to their library.