Zollicoffer Rifles – Co C, 10th Battalion Georgia Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia

The Zollicoffer Rifles were organized in Sumter County by John Emory Rylander.   Rylander was born in Macon Georgia on Sept 15, 1836. He was a graduate of Emory College (1855) and a prominent local educator who ran a boys academy in Americus before the war. At the outbreak of the war John Emory Rylander was 25 years old.

Rylander joined the Muckalee Guards in June of 1861 and was the First Sergeant of the Company. He served with the rest of the Muckalee Guard in Co A, 12th Ga Volunteer Infantry in the Shenandoah Valley. In the spring of 1862 he was sent back to Sumter County to recruit men for another Company of fighting men for the Confederacy.  Shepherd Pryor, of the Muckalee Guards, wrote home on Feb 1st, 1862, "Rylander will go home for the purpose of raising a company for the Confederate Service. If there is any one down there that you can get off, they could not go under a better Capt. than he would make them. I hope to get an office in his company, so the more of my friends going [with] his company the better it would make it for me." Rylander left Virginia for Sumter County on Feb 23rd, 1862.

John E Rylander was from all evidence a man of God and war time correspondence suggest he also was a preacher. He was addressed as “Reverend” in several war time letters and also in his obituary in the Southern Christian Advocate. In June, 1861 Shep Pryor writing home stated, "Weel have preaching in camps this evening. I attend [prayers] in Broth. Rylander's tent every knight." Later that same year in July, Shep wrote, " Wee had preaching twice Sunday, in the morning by a Mr. Marshall from Eatonton, a Baptist, [and] in the evening by Rylander."

The Company derived it's named from General Felix Kirk Zollicoffer, C.S.A., of Tennessee who was killed in an engagement at Mill Springs (Fishing Creek) Kentucky on January 19th 1862 in the failed campaign to secure that state for the Confederacy.

The Tenth Battalion of Georgia Volunteers was organized on March 17th 1862 at Camp Stephens Georgia, located just north of Griffin Georgia. Captain John Emory Rylander was elected Major of the Battalion consisting of four Companies.

Company A, “Macon County Guards”, Macon County – Capt James D. Frederick Company B, “Worth Rebels”, Worth County – Capt Daniel Henderson Company C, “Zollicoffer Rifles”, Sumter County – Capt Benjamin F. Bell Company D, “Whittle Guards”, Bibb County – Capt W.L. Jones

A fifth Company E was added on July 17th and John L Adderton, formerly 2nd Lt of Zollicoffer Rifles, was elected Captain.

The Battalion remained at Camp Stephens until May 14th 1862 while it was drilled thoroughly by Major Rylander. The Battalion was ordered to Macon to guard several thousand Federal prisoners confined at Camp Oglethorpe. (insert image of Camp Ogelthorpe)

On December 15th 1862 the Battalion received orders to proceed to Virginia to join General Lee's army at Fredricksburg. Arriving in Virginia on the Dec 27th the Battalion was attached to Gen. G.T. Anderson's Brigade, Hoods Division, Longstreet's Corp. Shepard Pryor of the Muckalee Guards, wrote in a letter home on Dec. 30th 1862, “Rylander's Battalion has arrived at Fredricksburg; I reckon [they are] are a sick set of soldiers, scared almost to death at the prospects before them. They are near the old battlefield. The Ga. Regulars have gone to Macon to take their place; they are a happy set of men now, sure. If the war continues, the battalion will learn some thing about it yet. I am sorry for them, but they [may] as well fight some as wee all [do]. I want all to have a showing.” The Battalion's “showing” would come soon.

While encamped near Port Royal in early February 1863, Shep Pryor visited his friends from Sumter County and commented in his letter home, "I visited Rylander's Battl. Sunday; found them tolerable comfortably fixed up......The Maj. is in fine health & spirits."  Pryor visited men from the Zollicoffer Rifles and the Sumter Light Guard that day and wrote of their appearance; "The company begins to look as ragged as ours ever did. They have less clothing than my company; the cause of it is that they have to toat their extra clothing and rather than toat it, they wont have it."  It is unclear which of the two companies Pryor was referring to here but it was typical of new recruits to try and carry too much and cast away extra clothing on a march.

On Feb 17th, 1863 the Battalion marched for five days with the rest of the Army from Fredricksburg to Richmond along the Telegraph Road enduring a horrific Virginia snow storm. The Battalion then participated in the Campaign against Suffolk and was exchanged with the 59th Ga. Regiment near the close of that operation. They were then ordered to Fort Powhatan on the James River and occupied this position under trying circumstances for nearly two months. Fort Powhatan was abandoned under orders of Gen D.H. Hill and the battalion fell back to Petersburg. In mid August 1863 the Battalion was moved to Franklin and held the defensive line there for eight months.

On April 25th 1864 the battalion was ordered to report to Gen Lee at Orange Court House Virginia whereupon arrival it was placed in the brigade of Gen A.R. Wright, Anderson's Division, A.P. Hill's Corp.

The core of Wright's Georgia Brigade consisted of the 3rd, 22nd, 48th Ga. Regiments and 2nd Ga. Btn. The 64th Ga. Regiment and 10th Ga. Btn. joined the Brigade around the time of the Petersburg campaign. The battalion participated in more or less all the battles and marches of this campaign.

The battalion participated in the battle of the Wilderness May 5-7, 1864. – the battalion flag bearer was killed in action here. (from J.Perry) The battalion fought at Spotsylvanira Courthouse May, 8-20th and distinguished itself in the desperate charge upon the fortified position of the enemy on May 14th . Fighting continued at the Battle of North Anna River May 23-26th, Totopotomoy Creek May 28-30th, and Cold Harbor, May 27th through June 13th, 1864

On June 2nd Maj. Rylander was killed in action at Cold Harbor. “He was one of Georgia's most noble and worthy sons, and in his fall the battalion has sustained a most serious loss.” At 28 years of age, John Emory Rylander died for his country. Major Rylander is buried in Americus at Oak Grove cemetery with his half brother Joseph A.B. Rylander who was also killed in action in Virginia August 21, 1864 at 18 years of age probably during the action at the Weldon Railroad near Petersburg, Virginia.

Upon Major Rylander's death the Battalion command was assumed by Major James D. Frederick of Macon County Guards. Wright's Brigade was placed now in Mahones Division and on June 22nd-23rd the battalion participated in an attack on the Federal lines in battle south of Petersburg on the west side of the Jerusalem Plank Road. Gen Mahone who had been an engineer with the railroad before the war, was familiar with the topography of this area. As he watched the Union 2nd Corp moving across the Plank Road, Gen. Lee rode up and Mahone requested an attack along a ravine where he could move his troops and strike the enemy on its flank. Gen. Lee gave his approval. This assault force chosen for this movement included Alabama troops from Sanders Brigade, Virginians under Col. Weisiger and the Georgia troops of Wright's Brigade. A soldier in the 12th Virginia remembered how they “moved out in …. double time in front of the enemy on our left flank and they fired on us all the time, now and then a man would fall wounded, and some died.” Another Virginian described the movement, “we marched across the open field in our front through a deep ravine to a thick wood, which covered our movements and prevented the enemy from observing us.” Mahone moved his three-brigade force to a point beyond the Federal flank, positioning the brigades of Sanders and Wright in front and his own brigade supporting his right while he moved his artillery under McIntosh in the open on the left. Adjutant L.H. Carter in the 10th Ga. Battalion wrote, “When all was ready the word was given and Wright's Brigade, with the deafening Southern yell leaped the fence and dashed into the thick undergrowth, leading the advance. The double line of Yankee skirmishers fled before us as on we pressed, through the dense thicket, making the woods ring with cheers, to the assault of the enemy's breastworks. The left of the brigade coming out into an open field before the rest on the line became visible, and the brigade on our left being behind, received a concentrated cross fire from the Yankee works and suffered severely.” The battles lines were redrawn and Weisiger's Brigade was brought up on Wright's right flank, then the advanced resumed with considerable effect.

One of Mahone's artillerist recalled. “with a wild yell which rang out shrill and fierce through the gloomy pines, Mahone's men burst upon the flank ---- a pealing volley, which roared along the front ---- a stream of wasting fire, under which the adverse left fell as one man ---- and the bronzed veterans swept forward, shriveling up Barlow's division as lightning shrivels the dead leaves of autumn…”

A soldier in the 116th Pennsylvania wrote that the “Rebels had worked around us and were right in our rear, blazing away and cheering like mad men. Well that was no place for us to offer much of a resistance ---- we were taken by surprise. You can bet high that there was some ‘skedaddling' done about that time.”

Even yankee commanders who at first deplored the retreating soldiers to “stand fast men!”, were just minutes later were screaming “Run boys, run! Run like the devil!”

The 15th and 19th Massachusetts Regiments were surrounded and their colors captured during the assault.

The Captain of the 19th Mass., John G.B. Adams wrote, “I saw my men standing up and the rebels as thick as mosquitoes. A major of a Georgia regiment demanded my sword, I presented it to him, omitting the presentation speech.” Later that evening Lee reported to Richmond. “The enemy's infantry was attacked this afternoon on the west side of the Jerusalem plank road and driven from his first line of works to his second on that road by General Mahone with a part of his division. About 1,600 prisoners, four pieces of artillery, eight stands of colors, and a large number of small arms were captured”

Mahone's losses that day included 421 killed wounded for missing. The 10th Georgia Battalion suffered severely losing eighty-one men killed and wounded out of the two hundred men engaged.

General Wright complimented the men of the Battalion for their dashing gallantry: “that this little battalion deserves a great deal of credit, there can be no doubt, as its list of killed and wounded sufficiently attests, and it will be a matter of wonder to many of the readers of this work, that they ever managed to stand and be cut down as they were. The men were unused to fire, having been performing garrison duty almost from the time of its organization until the battle of the 14th of May, and could not be expected to bear themselves through the fight like the old veterans of Lee's army; but they did stand, did fight and proved the efficiency of the noble material of which it is composed. They have reflected great credit upon their noble commander, who so “bravely fighting fell” on the 2d of June.”

The Battalion was on picket duty on July 30 1864 and did not participate in the Battle of the Crater.

The 10th Georgia Btn also participated in the 2nd Battle of Deep Bottom. Maj Frederick was wounded in this battle on August 16, 1864 and sent to hospital in Richmond. A red hot iron administered without anesthetic into the gangrenous wound saved his leg but left him with a slight limp. Maj Frederick survived the war and returned to his home in Macon County. He was very active in the UCV Camp in Macon County serving as its Commander for many years until his death. He served as a Judge for the inferior court of from 1857 till 1868 when they were abolished. He represented Macon County in the state legislature in 1857-58, 1875-76 and 1877 and in the State Senate in 1882-83. He was also the vice president of the State Agricultural Society for many years. He died on 24th June 1899 and is buried behind the Methodist Church in Marshallville Georgia.

In February of 1865 the Battalion was moved into the Howlett Line across the neck of Bermuda Hundred. On April 2nd the yankees break through the Confederate lines at Petersburg at Fort Gregg and the 10th Btn. is withdrawn from the Howlett Line and the evacuation of Petersburg begins.

The Battalion surrendered at Appomattox, on April 10th with Capt. Caleb F. Hill commanding, with 4 officers and 155 men present.


Battalion Statistical Report

Original Strength..........346
Recruits to August 1864....293
Conscripts...................2
Total......................641

Losses
Killed in Battle............34
Died of Disease............156
Total deaths...............190

Maj. John Emory Rylander's son, Arthur Rylander, built the 1916 Rylander building on Lamar Street. One of the building's first official functions was to host the 1916 United Confederate Veteran Georgia Division Reunion. The building currently houses the International Head Quarters for Habitat for Humanity.

Maj. John Emory Rylander's grandson, Walter Rylander built the historic Rylander theater of Americus in 1921.

References

James M Folson Heroes and Martyrs of Georgia, Army of Northern Virginia Series Charles R Adams, Jr. “A Post of Honor” The Pryor Letters 1861-63 Hayes, History of Macon County Noah A Trudeau, The Last Citadel. Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864-April 1865