26th Virginia Infantry Battalion was organized in May, 1862, with men of the 59th Regiment Virginia Infantry who escaped capture at the Battle of Roanoke Island. It contained seven companies, but was increased to nine in June, 1863. The unit was assigned to Echols’ and Patton’s Brigade, and saw action in Tennessee, western Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley. During April, 1865, it disbanded.

The field officers were Lieutenant Colonel George M. Edgar and Major Richard Woodram.

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

West Virginia counties contributing soldiers: Greenbrier, Kanawha, Mercer, Monroe

26th Virginia Infantry Battalion – National Park Service

26th Battalion Virginia Infantry, Virginia Regimental History Series, by Terry Lowry, H.E. Howard Publishing, 1991.

26th Virginia Infantry Battalion, Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia, by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 207-208, entry #354.

26th Virginia Infantry Battalion, A Guide to Virginia’s Military Organizations, 1861-1865, by Lee A. Wallace, Jr., pp. 109-110.