17th Georgia Infantry
| 17th Georgia Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
.svg)
Georgia State flag prior to 1879
|
|
| Active | August 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865 |
| Country |
 Confederate States
|
| Allegiance |
 State of Georgia
|
| Branch |
 Confederate Army
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Henry Lewis Benning |
The 17th Georgia Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
The regiment was raised from eight different counties in Georgia (mostly in the western part of the state) and officially organized in Atlanta from August 12 to August 15, 1861, and armed with British Enfield pattern rifles. The regiment's first commander was Col. Henry L. Benning, a prominent lawyer and judge in Muscogee County (Columbus area).
The 17th Georgia was composed of ten companies, each initially with roughly one hundred men.
The 17th Georgia was sent to northern Virginia via railroad through Tennessee and Lynchburg. It was brigaded with the 1st, 2nd, 15th, and 20th Georgia regiments. The 1st Georgia transferred out in October 1861 when the army was being restructured. The 17th Georgia eventually became part of Toombs' brigade, D.R. Jones' Division, Army of the Potomac. It saw its first combat in May 1862 on the Peninsula, serving in the wing of Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder as he opposed the Federal Army's advance under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. After periods of intense rain and small insignificant actions, the 17th Georgia fell back towards Richmond and did not participate in the counterattack led by General Joseph E. Johnston at the Battle of Seven Pines. After this battle, General Robert E. Lee took command of the army and renamed it the Army of Northern Virginia.
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