23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion was formed in January, 1862, with five companies, later increased to eight. It was attached to Echols’ and Patton’s Brigade, fought at Greenbrier River, then lost eighteen percent of the 350 engaged at Droop Mountain. During 1864 it was active in the Shenandoah Valley and in mid-April, 1865, disbanded.

The field officers were Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Derrick; and Majors William Blessing, William P. Cecil, and David S. Hounshell.

[Source: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System]

West Virginia counties contributing soldiers: Mercer, Raleigh, Wyomin

23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion – National Park Service

23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry, Virginia Regimental History Series, by J.L. Scott, H.E. Howard Publishing.

23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia, by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 201-202, entry #349.

23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, A Guide to Virginia’s Military Organizations, 1861-1865, by Lee A. Wallace, Jr., pp. 106-107.