19th Virginia Infantry

19th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Flag of Virginia, 1861
Active	May 1861 – Spring 1865
Country	Confederacy
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch	Confederate States Army
Role	Infantry
Engagements	First Battle of Bull Run Seven Days' Battles Second Battle of Bull Run Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Siege of Suffolk Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg Battle of Five Forks Battle of Sailor's Creek
Disbanded	April 1865
Commanders
Notable commanders	Colonel Philip St. George Cocke

The 19th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 19th Virginia, organized at Manassas Junction, Virginia, in May, 1861, contained men recruited at Charlottesville and in the counties of Albemarle, Nelson, and Amherst.

It fought at First Manassas under General Cocke, then was assigned to General Pickett's, Garnett's, and Hunton's Brigade. The 19th participated in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg except when it was with Longstreet at Suffolk. Later it served in North Carolina, returned to Virginia, and was active at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. Continuing the fight, it was engaged in the Petersburg siege north of the James River and the Appomattox Campaign.

It reported 6 casualties at First Manassas and in April, 1862, totalled 650 effectives. The regiment had 138 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles and lost forty-two percent of the 150 in the Maryland Campaign and more than forty-five percent of the 328 engaged at Gettysburg. Many were captured at Sayler's Creek, and only 1 officer and 29 men surrendered.

The field officers were Colonels Philip St. George Cocke, Henry Gantt, Armistead T.M. Rust, and John B. Strange; Lieutenant Colonels John T. Ellis, Charles S. Peyton, and Bennett Taylor; and Majors Waller M. Boyd and William Watts.

The 19th Virginia Infantry service begins on April 17, 1861, at Charlottesville, Virginia, when Virginia secedes from the United States. Two militia companies, the Monticello Guard and the Albemarle Rifles, along with two companies, the Southern Guard and the Sons of Liberty, formed in front of the Charlottesville Court House. The Monticello Guard was formed in May 1857, by William B. Mallory. It is unknown what they wore in the pre-war years. One record says they wore uniforms similar to the Continentals of the American Revolution, while one report claims they wore red battleshirts with red fezzes when they participated in a shooting competition in 1859. The Albemarle Rifles were formed in 1860, by William T.W.R. Duke. The pre-war uniform consisted of Gray frock coats with blue trim and blue trousers. They wore white leather goods, and according to Richard Duke's son, carried either US Springfield or Mississippi Rifles. The other two companies, the Southern Guard and the Sons of Liberty, consisted of students from the University of Virginia. At 10:30 pm, they were loaded onto a train bound for Staunton. They became known as the Charlottesville-University Battalion. They arrived at Harper's Ferry and stayed there until April 23, when they were ordered back to Charlottesville.