The following information is provided by Terry and Darlene Dempsey of The Farmville Church. Terry and Darlene live on land which was purchased by their forebears in the original lottery for the Cherokee lands. Several of their ancestors fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Names of their family members who fought are in bold type.

8^TH INFANTRY BATTALION, COMPANY B

LITTLEFIELD VOLUNTEERS, GIST’S BRIGADE

Source: History of Gordon County War Between the States

Page 116

PRIVATES

Adams, Columbus; Adams, Clayton; Adcock, Gus; Alexander, W. H.; Alexander, J. T.; Allen, Elisha; Andrews, Coatsworth; Autry, James; Bell, A. J.; Bennett, James; Bennett, Charley; Bennett, Lee; Bennett, Dabney; Blalock, W.D.; Bowen, M. P. (*); Bowles, John; Bowles Gus; Bowles, William; Boyd, James; Boyd, Graves; Bradley, William; Brookshire, Riley; Brookshire, Brazeal; Brown, Henry; Brown, Frank; Brown, Daniel Drummer; Campbell, Mid; Cannon, Wiley; Cooper, John; Cooper, Calvin; Cook, John: Dawson, Larkin; Dawson, John; Dawson, Joe; Dayell, John; Dempsey, George; Dempsey, Jerry; Dempsey James; Dempsey, Calvin; Dickard, Henry; Dillingham, John; Dillinghan, A.; Elrod, Dock; Elrod, Joe; Elrod, Crock; Floumora, John Floyd, Casey; Floyd, Pontell; Floyd, Farrow; Free, John; Free, Peter; Free, Joe; Garner, Georgel Garner, William; Garner, David; Gass, Nat; Gass, Pink; Gass, Hardy; Gibson, James; Hayes, Marion; Hayes, Richard (X); Hefner, Ben; Hefner, William; Henry, Ben; Hill, James (X); Hipps, John; Hollis, John; Hollis, Green; Hollis, Daniel; Holt, John; Johnson, John,; Johnson, Joe; Johnson, Ben; Kay, A. M.; Kay, R. W.; Kay, Jesse; Kay, Barney; Kay, Emory; Kay, Elisha; Knight, Marion; Knight, Greel Knight, Matt; Lane, Patrick; Layton, George; Lewis, James; Littlefield, Jefferson; Littlefield, L. M.; Littlefield, D. H.; Littlefield, G. W.; Long, John; Long, Jack; Love, John A. ; Love, Uriah; Mathis, John; Frank; Mathis, William; Mathis, Henry; McEntire, Phillip; McEntire, William, Sr.; McEntire, William, Jr.; McEntire, Larkin; McEntire, E.P.; Miniard, Ton; Morgan, ______(*X); Nichols, Mat; Ownes, Mulkey; Owens, John, Owens, Anderson; Parker, Wesley; Pass, John; Phillips, Brown; Phillips, Andrew; Phillips, Charley; Ponnell, Wiley; Pon, Adlophus; Powell, William; Puckett, Tom (X); Reed, Dr. T.; Reed, John L.; Reed, Jasper; Pich, William’ Rich, Jesse; Robberds, Thomas; Sewell, Henry; Sexton, Young (X)’ Silks, George; Simmons, Joe (**); Smith, Nat; Smith, Benjamin; Smith, Ham; Stewart, J.F.; Stevens, Thomas; Tate, N.W.; Thompson, George; Thorn, George; Thorn, E. L.; Thorn, Jack; Underwood, A.; Villiard, William; Walker, Bud; Walker, Harrison; Winburn, Dock; Wood, Thomas; Woodward, W.; Woodward, J. W.

(*) Promoted to Captain

(X) Promoted to Lieutenant

(**) Promoted to Sergeant

Source: Roster of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865, Volume IV

Dempsey, A.M., GA Infantry 8^th Battalion Company B.

Source: Units of the Confederate States Army:

By: Joseph H. Crute, Jr.

Page 89

8^th Infantry Battalion was organized with six companies during the early spring of 1862 at Savannah, Georgia. Some of the men were from Adairsville, Thornbrough and Gordon Counties. For a time the unit served in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, then it was assigned to Gist’s Brigade, Army of Tennessee. After the operations in North Mississippi, they fought with the army from Chickamauga to Nashville and ended the war in North Carolina. This Battalion contained 232 men and 183 arms in December 1963 and was included in the surrender on April 27, 1865.

The field officers were Lieutenant Colonel Asah Littlefield, Leroy Napier Jr., R. T. Reid and Zachariah L. Watters and Majors John W. Gray, B. F. Hunt and Edward Morgan.

170. Georgia 8^th Infantry Battalion

Page 198

Organization

Organized with seven companies in early 1862. Field consolidation with the 65 infantry Regiment from late 1864 to April 26, 1865. Additional field consolidation with the 2^nd Sharpshooters Battalion in April 1865. Surrendered by General Joseph E Johnston at Durham Station, Orange County, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

First Commander: Thomas J. Warthen, SR. (Lieutenant Colonel)

Field Officers: John W. Gray (Major)

Benjamin F. Hunt (Major)

Asahel Littlefield (Lieutenant Colonel)

Edward F. Morgan (Major)

Leroy Napier, Jr. (Lieutenant Colonel)

J.T. Reid (Lieutenant Colonel)

Zachariah L. Watters (Major, Lieutenant Colonel)

Assignments

Mercer’s Brigade, Military District of Georgia, Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (April-May 1862)

Military District of Georgia, Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (May-September 1862)

1^st Military District of South Carolina, Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (September 1862-May 1863)

Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division 2^nd Corps, Army of Tennessee (August-September 1863)

Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, Reserved Corps, Army of Tennessee (September 1863)

Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division 2^nd Corps, Army of Tennessee (September 1863)

Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, Longstreet’s Corps, Army of Tennessee (September-November 1863)

Gist’s Brigade, Walker’s Division, 1^st Corps, Army of Tennessee (November 1863-July 1864) Gist’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division, 1^st Corps, Army of Tennessee (July 1864-April 1865)

Battles

Capture of the Isaac Smith on the Stono River (January 30, 1863)

Vicksburg Campaign (May-July 1863)

Jackson (May14, 1863)

Jackson Siege (July 1863)

Chickamauga (September19-20, 1863)

Chattanooga Siege (September-November 1863)

Chattanooga (September 1864)

Atlanta Campaign (May-September 1864)

Dalton (May 5-11, 1864)

Calhoun (May 1864)

New Hope Church (May 25-June 4, 1864)

Pine Hill (June 15, 1864)

Kennesaw Mountain (June 27, 1864)

Smyrna Campground (July 4, 1864)

Chattahoochee River (July 5-17, 1864)

Peach Tree Creek (July 20, 1864)

Atlanta (July-September 1864)

Atlanta Siege (July 22, 1864)

Jonesboro (August 31-September 1, 1864)

Franklin (November 30, 1864

Nashville (December 15-16, 1864)

Carolinas Campaign (February-April 1865)

Source: Confederate Military History, Volume VII Georgia

Page 135

The Eight Battalion Georgia Infantry had at it’s organization the following officers: Lieutenant Colonel J. T. Reid, Major B. F. Hunt, Assistant Quartermaster H. S. Cranford, Adjutant J. W. Gray, Capts. (A) H. M. Lumpkin, (B) M. Y. Sexton, (C) William Holsonback, (D) Z. L. Walters, (E) John A. Hooper, (F) L. N. Jackson, (G) T. J. Paxton. The battalion served in 1852 in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Fifty men of the battalion under Lieutenants R. Hays and George Johnson, in which a Federal Gunboat had ventured past the Confederate batteries was cut off and forced to surrender. In May of 1863 the battalion went with Gist’s Brigade to Jackson, Mississippi to reinforce General J. E. Johnston, who was gathering an army with which to attempt the relief of Vicksburg.

After the campaign in north Mississippi, the battalion participated in the campaigns of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta and Nashville, and in the spring of 1865, after being consolidated with the Second Battalion Sharpshooters and the Sixty-fifth regiment, it served in the Carolinas, surrendering with Johnston at Goldsboro.

The following officers succeeded those first named: Lieutenant Colonel A. Littlefield, Leroy Napier and Z. L. Watters, the last named commanding Gist’s Brigade at the battle of Nashville; Captains (D) J. A. Hardin, (E) John A. Penn, (F) J. W. Boaz.

Source: Confederate Military History, Volume VII, Georgia

Page 687

Colonel John W. Gray, of Adairsville, a veteran of W. H. T. Walker's division, army of Tennessee, was born near Augusta, Ga., in 1829, and reared from infancy in Bartow county, of which he has been one of the most prominent citizens since the war. When the war began he had the rank of colonel, commanding a regiment of the State militia, and he promptly gave aid to the Confederacy by organizing a battalion of infantry, himself defraying the cost of forming the battalion. He was chosen Lieutenant-Colonel in the preliminary organization for a regiment, but when they reached Savannah, only seven companies being present, they were organized as the Eighth Georgia battalion, with but two field officers, and he was elected major. Subsequently, upon reorganization in 1862, he was made Adjutant of the battalion, the capacity in which he served during the active campaigns of his command.

They were on duty at Charleston, S.C. and the Georgia coast, until May 1863, when they were sent as a part of Gist’s brigade, from South Carolina, to the reinforcement of General Joseph Johnston at Jackson, Mississippi. They were in battle at Jackson in May and July and participated in the march to the Big Black River, via Yazoo City, for the relief of Vicksburg. After the evacuation of Jackson, they were transferred to the army of Tennessee in time to take part in the battle of Chickamaugh. Adjutant Gray participated in the two days conflict and in the siege of Chattanooga and the battle of Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, including the battles of Rocky Face, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta (July 22^nd), Jonesboro, and the winter campaign in Tennessee, made memorable by the terrible experiences of the army at Franklin and Nashville and on the retreat. After the return to Tupelo, Mississippi, Adjutant Gray was assigned by the war department to the position of adjutant general and chief of staff for General W. T. Wofford in command of the district of North Georgia. There he labored efficiently for the relief of the troops and people, reduced almost to the point of starvation, and finally, after Lee and Johnston had capitulated, surrendered with General Wofford’s command at Kingston, May 12, 1865. He was slightly wounded at Chickamauga and in front of Atlanta. At the expiration of this creditable Confederate service, Colonel Gray began his career as a merchant at Adairsville, which he has continued with much success to the present time. He has also been a leader in public affairs.

He was the Democratic nominee to the first constitutional convention after the war, but was defeated by the interference of Federal soldiers. In 1868 he was nominated to the legislature but declined. In 1870 he was elected. Since its organization he has been commander of the Adairsville camp, United Confederated Veterans. His children living are James R. Gray, a prominent lawyer at Atlanta and third owner of the Atlanta Journal; Lucinda, wife of W. W. Trimble, of Bartow County and Josephine M. Gray.

George W. Dempsey was the only one of the five Dempsey Brothers that made it through the war. He returned to Gordon County, Georgia and lived until he was 80 years of age. He is buried in the Dempsey/Gray Cemetery in Gordon County, GA.

Andrew M. Dempsey died on May 2, 1864 in the war and is buried in the Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. The stone has A. W. Dempsey, Co. B, 8^th Georgia Infantry on it.