| 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry | |
|---|---|
Flag of Virginia, 1861 |
|
| Active | May 1862 – Spring 1865 |
| Country | Confederacy |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Disbanded | 1865 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel John J. McMahom Lt. Colonel David C. Dunn Colonel James M. French Lt. Colonel Connally H. Lynch |
63rd Virginia Infantry was a Confederate regiment during the American Civil War.
It was organized May 24, 1862, with 10 companies, A to K, all enlisted for 3 years or the duration of the war. These companies were raised under an order from the Secretary of War, April 9, 1862 to Major John J. McMahon. McMahon was rewarded by being made Colonel of the 63rd in May, when the regiment was formally organized at Abingdon in Washington County, Virginia.
Colonel McMahon was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel David C. Dunn. Major James M. French, who was later promoted to Colonel, succeeded Colonel Dunn, and the 63rd ended the war with Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel) Connally H. Lynch in command. Lynch was also commander of the 54th Battalion, a consolidation of the 54th and 63rd Virginia Infantry regiments.
The 63rd saw action in ten states, and by the time of its surrender on April 26, 1865, at Durham Station, North Carolina, it had fought in over 70 engagements. The 63rd took part in fighting at places that will be forever etched in the annals of the American Civil War, places with names such as Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Ringold Gap, Resaca, Peachtree Creek, New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Franklin, and Stones River, among others.
After it became a part of the Army of Tennessee, the 63rd served under some of the Confederacy's ablest generals: James Longstreet, Patrick Cleburne, Nathan Bedford Forrest, William J. Hardee, Stephen D. Lee, and Daniel Harvey Hill.