George Right Smith - The Rowland Highlanders

The Rowland Highlanders

After tensions had heightened between the north and south, and news of secession had spread, W.T. Wofford, a businessman, raised a confederate company in Cass County, Ga. (now Bartow County) northwest of Atlanta on April 10, 1861. George enlisted just before his 24th birthday into Company H of what soon became Wofford's 18th Georgia Regiment on June 13, 1861. Later they also became known as the "Rowland Highlanders." The company was assigned to the 18th Georgia Regiment on April 26, only two months before George Smith signed on. At this time, W.T. Wofford was elevated to the rank of Commissioned Colonel and given command of the regiment. Shortly thereafter, the 18th was assigned to the 4th Brigade of Georgia Volunteers and moved to Camp McDonald at Big Shanty, Ga. (now Kennesaw) for training.

On July 31, 1861, just six weeks after George enlisted, a public "Grand Review" of the brigade was held in Big Shanty. This parade of the troops, in fresh uniforms and good shoes, full of fanfare and bravado was shortly followed by the 4th Brigade being assigned to the command of General W. Philips on September 9, 1861. The brigade moved to Lynchburg, Va. to set up camp, awaiting orders to defend the honor of Dixie.

After two long, dull months of patrolling in the Lynchburg area that fall season, the Georgia Volunteers moved to Goldsboro, NC in anticipation of an attack on the North Carolina coast. The attack, however, never came...

November 18, 1861, the 18th Georgia Regiment reported to General W.C. Whiting at Dumfries, VA, north of Fredericksburg, to guard against a possible attack on Richmond. While here on bivouac, the 18th was reassigned to the now infamous Texas Brigade under the command of General Wigfall on Jan 14, 1862. The Texas Brigade at that time consisted of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas Regiments, the 5th Alabama Regiment, and now the 18th Georgia Regiment. For the remainder of the winter of 1861 the 18th patrolled and scouted the Dumfries area.

Then, coincidentally the same day as the great Naval battle between the Monitor and the Virginia, March 9, 1862, Whiting's command joined Holmes's command at Fredericksburg. This was part of a general withdrawal of troops to south of the Rappahannock River. In April, Gen. John B. Hood succeeded Gen. Wigfall as Commander of the Texas Brigade at Dumfries. The unit's official designation was now Company H, 18th Georgia Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, Whiting's Division, Army of Northern Virginia.

Little known to anyone, the war was about to heat up significantly for everyone. Company H, along with the rest of Hood's Texas brigade, would become one of the most engaged units in the war.