45th Virginia Infantry

45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Flag of Virginia, 1861
Active	May 1861 – Spring 1865
Country	Confederacy
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Role	Infantry
Engagements	American Civil War: Battle of Carnifex Ferry-Battle of Giles Court House-Battle of Lewisburg-Battle of Charleston-Battle of White Sulphur Springs-Battle of Blountville-Battle of Cloyd's Mountain-Battle of Piedmont-Battle of Monocacy-Battle of Fort Stevens-Battle of Heaton's Crossroads-Battle of Cool Spring-Battle of Kernstown II-Battle of Berryville-Battle of Opequon-Battle of Fisher's Hill-Battle of Hupp's Hill-Battle of Cedar Creek-Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia
Disbanded	1865
Commanders
Notable commanders	Colonel Henry Heth Lt. Colonel William Elisha Peters Colonel William Henry Browne Maj. Francis Miller

The 45th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in the Commonwealth of Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in the mountainous area that today encompasses the border regions of Virginia and West Virginia, and was part of Jubal Early's Army of the Valley during the Valley Campaigns of 1864.

Companies of militia in southwest Virginia began to form as soon as secession occurred on April 17, 1861. Ex-governor John B. Floyd was made a brigadier general and asked to organize these militia into a fighting force. Floyd called the militia to assemble at the central railroad hub of Wytheville and appointed West Point graduate Henry Heth to drill and organize the volunteers.

By May 29, Heth had formed ten companies of roughly 900 men into a fighting unit and it was mustered in as the 45th Virginia.

The original ten companies were:

On June 17, Heth was promoted to colonel and made commander of the regiment. Born in Tidewater Virginia, Heth was unpopular with the mountain farmers and was known as a strict disciplinarian. In turn, Heth was frustrated by the illiteracy and lack of discipline of his men, as well as General Floyd's actions as commanding officer. He wrote of Floyd, "I soon discovered that my chief was as incapacitated for the work he had undertaken as I would have been to lead an Italian opera."

The regiment also elected Gabriel Colvin Wharton, a Virginia Military Institute graduate from Culpeper as major, but within a month he was made a colonel, in command of the 51st Virginia Infantry.