THE THOMSON GUARDS, AN OVERVIEW
“This company was organized in Thomson, Georgia, (then Columbia County), with 104 men and left Thomson May 29, 1861, for Richmond, Virginia, and was mustered into service June 3rd, as Company F of the 10th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers…” Over the course of the four years of war, 128 soldiers became part of this company.
Originally, William Johnston was commissioned as Captain while Richard Henry Bush, Thomas Dooly, and George D. Zachry were commissioned as Lieutenants by the adjutant general’s office in Milledgeville. Captain Johnston served but his lieutenants were instead William G. Green, Thomas Hiram Wood, and Samuel Thomas Neal. On 18 April 1861, in a letter to the adjutant general’s office, Captain Johnston declared the troop ready. “The Thomson Guards” are now ready, willing and anxious to respond to the call of his Excellency whenever the safety, liberty and defense of their Country require their services or wherever a place is found for them. The Company having been formed with a view to the necessity that would call them out, takes pleasure in announcing themselves ready. The Company has increased and continues increasing in numbers and we feel confident eighty will go when we are called.”
Company F was comprised primarily of planters and their sons, overseers of plantations, and merchants. Many of these men were the sons or grandsons of American Revolutionary War patriots. These men came primarily from Columbia County (including what is today’s McDuffie County) and the panhandle area of Warren County. Some others came from Lincoln, Richmond, and Wilkes Counties. There were twenty sets of brothers that joined Company F. Most of the original soldiers that mustered into service on 11 May 1861 were from very prominent and influential families and in many cases were extremely wealthy. These men understood that a way of life was in jeopardy and that it was worth fighting to keep.
Unlike many infantry companies, Company F was extremely cohesive. Once soldiers joined, they were unlikely to transfer out with only four doing so.
Of the original 104 soldiers that mustered into Company F, the Thomson Guards, on 11 May 1861, there were only ten that answered muster at Appomattox Court House in April 1865. These men truly fought the hard fight and emerged as heroes.
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