VALDOSTA — Believed to be Valdosta’s first mayor, Reuben T. Roberds tried rallying the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Fort Sanders. He was wounded, captured, and Union medical personnel amputated his leg. Roberds is believed to be buried in a grave somewhere outside of Knoxville, Tenn.

Roberds is one of numerous South Georgia stories from the Civil War era to be discovered in James W. Parrish’s book, “Wiregrass to Appomattox: The Untold Story of the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment, CSA.”

The 50th was comprised of soldiers from Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Decatur, Echols, Lowndes, Pierce, Thomas and Ware counties. Under James Longstreet’s First Corps of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, these South Georgians fought and died in battles such as South Mountain, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Fort Sanders, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Cedar Creek and Sailor’s Creek.

The 50th was involved throughout the war in many of the principal Civil War battles throughout the East. Yet, historians rarely tell the 50th’s story. Parrish makes up for this omission with this impressive book. Last year, the Lowndes County Historical Society & Museum awarded Parrish with its Keeper of History Award for his contributions to Valdosta-Lowndes County history through “Wiregrass to Appomattox.”

The Valdosta Daily Times interviewed Parrish by e-mail about his book and the contributions of the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment to the Civil War.



THE VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES: You quote numerous letters throughout “Wiregrass to Appomattox.” How did you come across these letters? How long did you work on this book?

JAMES W. PARRISH: “I spent the better part of 10 years in researching and writing ‘Wiregrass to Appomattox.’ The last two were pretty intensive and spent in pulling everything together, doing rewrites and preparing for publication. I was extremely fortunate in obtaining many never before published letters and personal diary excerpts from the private collections of 50th Georgia descendants. The descendants were extremely generous in sharing priceless mementos of their ancestors. Without that generosity, I would not have been able to personalize the stories of these brave men.”



THE VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES: What drew you to research and write about the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment? Did you have ancestors serve in the regiment?

JAMES W. PARRISH: “The genesis of this book began as a genealogical project to search for my roots. When I first began the search, I found that my South Georgia roots run deep, with ancestors migrating into the area during the late 1700s through the mid 1800s. I had no idea that some of my ancestors served in the Confederate Army. I eventually found that two of my great-great-grandfathers served in the 50th Georgia Infantry Regiment. George Washington Chitty was a farmer in Echols County, and joined the Valdosta Guards (Company D) as a private. Quarterman Staten was a prosperous landowner in Clinch County and joined the Clinch Volunteers (Company G) as a lieutenant.

“While researching information on these ancestors, I began to uncover interesting information on other men in the regiment, and of the many engagements in which the regiment fought. I also found that no single, comprehensive history of the 50th Georgia had ever been published. After learning so much about these men and their sacrifices, I became determined that their story should be told. The rest, they say, is history.”



THE VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES: The 50th was involved in many major battles of the Civil War. How would you describe or rate the 50th’s contributions to the Confederate cause?

JAMES W. PARRISH: “I was amazed that there was so little written about the exploits of the 50th Georgia. From the time it was organized in March 1862, until the tattered survivors surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865, this ‘forgotten’ regiment participated in almost every major engagement in the Eastern Theatre of the War. These brave Wiregrass soldiers fought as hard as any Confederate regiment and earned numerous accolades from their commanders. The regiment’s almost 40 percent fatality rate attests to their courage.”



THE VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES: What do you believe to be the harshest moment for the 50th?

JAMES W. PARRISH: “There were many tough times for the 50th. The regiment was almost annihilated in its first major engagement, suffering an astonishing 86 percent casualty rate on Sept. 14, 1862, at a little-known place called Fox’s Gap on South Mountain, Md. During the East Tennessee Campaign, the temperatures fell below zero in December 1863 and January 1864, as the men fought and marched up and down the rocky hills near Knoxville, many with no shoes and most in tattered, threadbare clothing. The harshest time would have probably been during late 1864/early 1865. By then, most of the remaining men manning the threadbare lines around Richmond, Va., realized the war was lost. The combination of constant bad news from the homefront, harsh weather, limited supplies and ‘starvation’ rations took a toll on morale and had to be the most demoralizing time for the men.”



THE VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES: The 50th was composed of South Georgia men. How would you describe the demographic of these men?

JAMES W. PARRISH: “Most of the men comprising the 10 companies making up the 50th Georgia were simple rural farmers between the ages of 18 and 29. The vast majority owned no slaves or large landholdings, and many probably had not ventured far beyond their home counties before they enlisted.”

Bookshelf

James W. Parrish’s ‘Wiregrass to Appomattox’

Publisher Angle Valley Press offers signed copies of the book at the Web site www.anglevallypress.com.

Copies may also be obtained by contacting the author at jparr82143@aol.com.

It is also available in book stores and book Web sites.

Parrish regularly attends book talks and signings.

Cover price: $39.95.