The 12th Regimental History
2008.02.19

The Fourth Battalion as it left Petersburg on the 20th of April, 1861, was made up of the flower of the manhood of the Cockade City. After four years of service it had been so decimated by disease, by death, by promotion, and by transfer that it showed scarcely more than a skeleton of the original body. It was the nucleus upon which was formed the famous Twelfth Virginia Regiment, whose banner bore the device of almost every field on which the Army of Northern Virginia grappled with the enemy, from Seven Pines to Appomattox, and whose flag, stained with the smoke of battle and shredded by ball and shell, was never surrendered, but torn into slips and buried in the bosoms, right over the hearts, of the veteran survivors.

That original Battalion was organized from standing militia companies at Petersburg in January 1861, Major D.A. Weisiger, commanding. Once built to a full regiment, Weisiger became Colonel, and they were brigaded with the 6th, 16th, and 41st Virginia regiments under General William Mahone, late of the 6th. These proud units would serve together for the duration of the War. In August 1862, by then veteran of Seven Pines and Malvern Hill, the 12th was ordered up from duty at Richmond, taking the cars on the Virginia Central RR on 17 August to re-join the ANV. They were in time for furious combat at Second Manassas. General Mahone was wounded there, as was Colonel Weisiger–severely–after taking command of the brigade in relief of Mahone. On the same day, 30 August, at least 8 of the 10 Captains commanding companies in the 12th were killed or wounded, Major John May was mortally wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Fielding Taylor was seriously ill. The senior leadership were all down. There weren’t many soldiers left to answer to the colors, either. From full strength near 1,000 officers and men in 1861, the Regiment was at about 800 present for duty on 1 June 1862, but only 150 on the first of September just before the Army crossed the Potomac. Mahone’s Brigade entered Maryland across White’s Ford above Leesburg, Virginia, on 6 September in the charge of Colonel William Parham of the 41st Virginia Infantry with something between 400 and 500 troops. The 12th Virginia was under the nominal command of Captain Richard Jones of Company I, senior officer present. He shared leadership with Captain Everard Feild, Company F, to 13 September.