A. P. Hill's Light Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division in

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Robert E. Lee's

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Originally including six

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s, the division's first commander starting May 27, 1862 was then Major General

A. P. Hill Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate States Army, Confederate General officer, general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from Confederate ge ...

. Major Generals

William Dorsey Pender William Dorsey Pender (February 6, 1834 – July 18, 1863) was a general in the Confederacy in the American Civil War serving as a brigade and divisional commander. Promoted to brigadier on the battlefield at Seven Pines by Confederate President ...

and Cadmus M. Wilcox commanded a reorganized Light Division in the Army of Northern Virginia after Hill's promotion to corps command and Pender's death at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, respectively.

Component brigades and commanders

Created in the late May and June 1862, the Light Division included six brigades from six Confederate states. The First Brigade was a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

brigade under the command of Brigadier General

Charles W. Field Charles William Field (April 6, 1828 – April 9, 1892) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army and then, during the American Civil War, in the Confederate States Army. His division was considered one of the finest ...

.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 60. The brigade initially included the 40th, 47th and 55th Virginia Infantry Regiments and the 2nd Virginia Infantry Battalion. This brigade was later commanded by Colonel John M. Brockenbrough after Field was severely wounded at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

(Second Manassas) and by Brigadier General

Henry Heth Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War, Eastern Theater of the American ...

from March 5, 1863, until May 3, 1863, when he temporarily assumed command of the division after Hill was wounded at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

. The Second Brigade was a

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

brigade commanded by Brigadier General

Maxcy Gregg Maxcy Gregg (August 1, 1814 – December 15, 1862) was an American lawyer, soldier in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War who was mortally wounded at the ...

. This famous brigade became known as the Gregg-McGowan Brigade. Brigadier General Samuel McGowan was the other major commander of the brigade after Gregg was mortally wounded at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

and died two days later. The South Carolina Brigade included the 1st South Carolina Rifles (Orr's Rifles), and the 1st South Carolina Infantry,

12th South Carolina Infantry The 12th South Carolina Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formation In answer to the call of President of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States ...

, 13th South Carolina Infantry and 14th South Carolina Infantry Regiments. The Third Brigade included

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

troops. First commanded by Brigadier General

Joseph R. Anderson Joseph Reid Anderson (February 16, 1813 – September 7, 1892) was an American civil engineer, industrialist, politician and soldier. During the American Civil War he served as a Confederate general, and his Tredegar Iron Company was a major ...

, the brigade was commanded for most of its existence by Brigadier General Edward L. Thomas. The brigade included the 14th Georgia Infantry, 35th Georgia Infantry, 39th Georgia Infantry and 45th Georgia Infantry Regiments. The Fourth and Sixth Brigades included

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

infantry regiments. Brigadier General

Lawrence O'Bryan Branch Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (November 28, 1820 – September 17, 1862) was an American politician who served as a representative for North Carolina in the Congress of the United States, U.S. Congress and a Confederate States of America, Confedera ...

's brigade included the 7th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 28th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 33rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, and 37th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. After Branch was killed at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

on September 17, 1862, the brigade was commanded by Brigadier General James H. Lane. Brigadier General

's Brigade included the

16th North Carolina Infantry Regiment 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. It is the fourth power of two. In English speech, the numbers 16 and 60 are sometimes confused, as they sound similar. Mathematics 16 is the ninth composite number, and a sq ...

, 22nd North Carolina Infantry Regiment,

34th North Carolina Infantry Regiment The 34th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. As part of the Army of Northern Virginia it fought in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Eastern Theater ...

and 38th North Carolina Infantry Regiment.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 61. This brigade was later commanded by Colonel (from December 13, 1862), later Brigadier General (from June 13, 1862) Alfred Scales. Finally, the Fifth Brigade was a mixed command of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, Georgia and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

regiments under Brigadier General

James J. Archer James Jay Archer (December 19, 1817 – October 26, 1864) was a lawyer and an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War. He later served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army (CSA) during the American C ...

. It mainly included the 5th Alabama Infantry Battalion,

19th Georgia Infantry 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics Nineteen is the eighth prime number. Number theory 19 forms a twin prime with 17, a cousin prime with 23, and a sexy prime with 13. ...

Regiment,

1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment The 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the "First Tennessee", was a line infantry formation of the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was successively commanded by Colonels George E. ...

, 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, and 14th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. It was commanded from January 20, 1865, to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, by Brigadier General William McComb. Artillery batteries initially attached to the Light Division included Captain R. Snowden Andrews's (Maryland) battery, Captain William K. Bachman's (Charleston, South Carolina) German battery, Captain Carter M. Braxton's Battery (Va.) redericksburg Artillery Captain William G. Crenshaw's (Virginia) battery, Captain Greenlee Davidson's Battery (Va.) etcher Artillery Captain Marmaduke Johnson's (Virginia) battery, Captain L. Masters's (Virginia) battery, Captain David G. McIntosh's Battery (S.C.) ee Dee Artilleryand Captain William J. Pegram's Battery (Va.) urcell Artilleryand later Henry Grey Latham's Battery (N.C.) and Fleet's Battery (Va.) iddlesex ArtilleryBurton, Brian K. ''Extraordinary Circumstances: The Seven Days Battles.'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011, paperback. Originally published in hard cover: Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. . p. 418. Major (Lieutenant Colonel by August 1862 at the

Battle of Cedar Mountain The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union Army, Union forces under Major gener ...

)

Reuben Lindsay Walker Reuben Lindsay Walker (May 29, 1827 – June 7, 1890) was a Confederate general who served in the artillery during the American Civil War. Early life Walker was born in Logan Village, Albemarle County, Virginia. He graduated from the Virginia ...

commanded the artillery batteries after Lieutenant Colonel Lewis M. Coleman commanded the division artillery during the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army ...

Fighting record

The Light Division saw its first action as a unit in the Seven Days Battles as part of

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Ho ...

's wing of the Army. Some of the regiments had seen action earlier in the campaign on May 27, 1862.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 62. The division was heavily engaged at the Battles of Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, and Glendale. After A.P. Hill feuded with Longstreet in a newspaper, the Light Division was transferred to Stonewall Jackson's wing of the Army. With Jackson, the division again was heavily engaged at the

. The division then took a conspicuous role on the defense of the Confederate line against repeated Union assaults at the

. The Light Division had a prominent role in Lee's

Maryland Campaign The Maryland campaign (or Antietam campaign) occurred September 4–20, 1862, during the American Civil War. The campaign was Confederate States Army, Confederate General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the Northern United Stat ...

. Left behind to parole captured Union troops at

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

, Hill and his men were not on the battlefield at the start of the

. Leaving Harpers Ferry early on the morning of September 17, 1862, Hill's men completed the march in time to arrive and save Lee's Army, which was at that moment facing destruction from the advancing Union

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

. In the battle, Brigadier General Branch was killed. The division took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, but the division's alignment was not well-positioned, with a dangerous gap in the middle of the line.Robertson, Jr., 1992, pp. 160-161. Gregg's brigade was posted behind the gap and in dense woods where they had little ability to see the battlefield. Brigadier General Maxcy Gregg was mortally wounded in the subsequent fighting.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 165. Colonel Daniel H. Hamilton took temporary command of the brigade. The division last served together as a unit of six brigades at the Battle of Chancellorsville where soldiers of the 18th North Carolina Infantry of Lane's Brigade had the misfortune of mortally wounding Stonewall Jackson. In the same rash of firing, A.P. Hill also was wounded, though his wound proved to be minor.

Reorganization

After Stonewall Jackson's death, Lee reorganized his Army. A.P. Hill was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and given command of the Third Corps. The composition of the Light Division was changed.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 196. Two of the brigades —- the Virginia Brigade and Archer's Brigade -— were placed in a new division under Major General

. The remaining brigades stayed together under Major General Dorsey Pender. Heth was actually the division's senior brigade commander, but Hill preferred Pender to have command of his old division, writing "Gen. Pender has fought with the Division in every battle, has been four times wounded and never left the field, has risen by death and wounds from fifth brigadier to be its senior, has the best drilled and disciplined Brigade in the Division, and more than all, possesses the unbounded confidence of the Division." Parts of the division were engaged on July 1 and July 3, 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg. Here, Major General Pender was mortally wounded on July 2 as he moved to engage his men. The division fought under Major General

Isaac R. Trimble Isaac Ridgeway Trimble (May 15, 1802 – January 2, 1888) was a United States Army officer, a civil engineer, a prominent railroad construction superintendent and executive, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was born in Virg ...

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee as part of his plan to break through Union lines and achieve a decisive victory in the North. T ...

on July 3, 1863. After Pender's death, the division continued under the command of Major General Cadmus Wilcox and fought in the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 18 ...

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

and

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. Bearss, Edwin C. with Bryce A. Suderow. ''The Petersburg Campaign: The Western Front Battles, September 1864 - April 1865.'' El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2014. . pp. 31, 52, 54, 59, 117-120, 184, 257, 382, 304, 306, 336, 350, 352-353, 430, 532-534.

Name

The first official reference to the "Light Division" was in a routine communique from Hill's headquarters on June 1, 1862, soon after he took command of the division.Robertson, Jr., 1992, p. 63. The division's name may have been a reference to the famous British

Light Division The Light Division is a light infantry Division (military), division of the British Army. It was reformed in 2022, as part of Future Soldier (British Army), Future Soldier reforms. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 1 ...

. It may have been meant as ironic given that the division was the largest in the Army of Northern Virginia when it was formed. It may also be the case that Hill simply named the division the "Light Division" to instill a sense of speed, esprit de corps, and because he envisioned great things for it. The reasons for this name are ultimately unclear.

Notes

References

* Bearss, Edwin C. with Bryce A. Suderow. ''The Petersburg Campaign: The Western Front Battles, September 1864 - April 1865.'' El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2014. . * Burton, Brian K. ''Extraordinary Circumstances: The Seven Days Battles.'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011, paperback. Originally published in hard cover: Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. . * Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Krick, Robert K. ''Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. . * Rhea, Gordon C. ''The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7–12, 1864''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. . * Rhea, Gordon C. ''The Battle of the Wilderness May 5–6, 1864''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. . * Rhea, Gordon C. ''Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26–June 3, 1864''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002. . * Robertson Jr., James I. ''General A.P. Hill: The Story of a Confederate Warrior''. New York: Vintage Publishing, 1992. .

Component brigades and commanders

Fighting record

Reorganization

Name

Notes

References

Further reading