06/02/2026
Georgia's Barton-Stovall Brigade Carries On
Cliff Roberts | June 1, 2026 | Blue and Gray Education Society
On March 17, 1865, in what would be the final battle fought by the Confederate Army of Tennessee, 376 men—all that was left of Stovall's Georgia Brigade—lay concealed among blackjack oaks and pine trees 3 miles south of the village of Bentonville in eastern North Carolina.
In three years of war, these Georgia veterans had fought in 21 battles across six Southern states. They marched roughly 2,200 miles and traveled another 2,000 miles in crowded boxcars, all in a desperate and ultimately unsuccessful effort to stop the advance of Union armies.
Now, directly before them across Willis Cole’s fallow farm field, six Federal regiments under George P. Buell advanced steadily forward. These Union soldiers were veterans of Sherman’s March to the Sea and, in an audacious winter campaign, they had marched across the Carolinas while facing but few pockets of Confederate resistance.
Colonel Lovick P. Thomas of the 42nd Georgia later recalled, “It was a grand sight to see them moving on us, ‘Old Glory’ floating in the breeze so proudly.” Soon Thomas heard “the sharp click-clack of muskets being cocked” along his camouflaged line.
The unsuspecting Federal front line—four Midwestern regiments—closed to within 40 paces of the tree line before Stovall’s men suddenly rose and unleashed a devastating volley at point-blank range. Two Ohio regiments immediately fell back, but the 88th Indiana and 13th Michigan stood firm, returning fire even as officers fell wounded or dying around them.
After several furious exchanges, Buell ordered a retreat across the Cole farm. In response, Stovall’s Georgians waved their hats and erupted with a loud Rebel Yell.
The Battle of Bentonville had begun in earnest.
This all-Georgia brigade consisted of the 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 52nd Georgia Infantry regiments. Most of the men came from the Piedmont and mountain regions north, east, and west of Atlanta. Unlike many early-war volunteers, they were older, often married, and fathers of young children. They did not enlist until the spring of 1862 and were among the first Georgians sent west to fight in the Confederate Army’s Western Theater.
Their first commander was Seth Barton of Virginia. At Champion Hill, Mississippi, Barton famously drew his sword and led four regiments in a desperate charge into Grant’s Union army. The attack ended in disaster for both the Georgians and the Confederates.
During the brutal 42-day siege of Vicksburg, the brigade endured starvation and disease, losing scores of men. After the prisoners were exchanged, General Marcellus Stovall of Augusta, Georgia, assumed command.
Under Stovall, the brigade fought with distinction during the Atlanta Campaign and earned the trust of General Joseph Johnston, who frequently relied upon the Georgians to shield Confederate withdrawals. At Nashville, Stovall’s men defended Overton Hill even as the Confederate line collapsed to their left. Through snow, mud, and bitter cold, Stovall’s Georgians helped cover the retreat of Hood’s shattered army for two days and two nights.
Finally, the remnants of the brigade arrived at Bentonville for one last stand.
For the past 24 years, descendants of the brigade have gathered each spring for a three-day “Congress” near the places where their ancestors fought. Organized by the General Barton and Stovall History/Heritage Association, these gatherings have been held at Cumberland Gap, Vicksburg, Franklin, Dalton, Cartersville, Atlanta, and Bentonville.
The annual Congress includes battlefield tours, lectures, a banquet, and, above all, fellowship among those dedicated to preserving the brigade’s history and legacy.
Cliff Roberts is the co-author of "Atlanta’s Fighting 42nd: Joseph Johnston’s “Old Guard” (Mercer University Press). He is a past president of the Barton-Stovall Association and currently serves as president of the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table in Charleston.
Below is a Rick Reeves painting of Stovall's Brigade defending the cemetery at New Hope Church, Georgia. | courtesy of Rick Reeves
