Shortly after the secession of the Confederate States, and amidst the sudden flurry of military activity that gripped Virginia, the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment was raised at Leesburg, Virginia, during May to July of 1861. It drew recruits from the nearby counties Loudon, Prince William and Fairfax, with Company H being formally instated in the regiment on the 13th of July, 1861, just 8 days before the First Bull Run. As part of Cocke’s brigade the regiment played an important role in the Confederate counter-attack during the afternoon of the First Bull Run, advancing alongside the 18th Va. to push several Yankee regiments back in disarray. In October 1861 they were involved in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, and in March 1862 left Loudon County to join the Peninsula Campaign. After Gaine’s Mill, where the regiment went forward stoically into Yankee fire, Colonel Hunton began referring to his men as ‘The Bloody Eighth’, in recognition of their bravery and readiness to fight regardless of the odds.
During the Battle of Antietam the Bloody Eighth defended Sharpsburg, drawn up on the eastern face of the town with the rest of Garnett’s Brigade. By 17:00, the 8th and 18th were sent forward to defend the line of guns drawn up before Sharpsburg, until they were forced back by the Union advance.
The regiment served on through the rest of the war, suffering heavily at Gettysburg. There, on the third day, the regiment took part in Pickett’s Charge, going through the hellish advance for 30 minutes. Such was the volume of fire they received that their colour was lost when there was nobody left to carry it, each successive bearer having been gunned down. Such was the hammering the 8th had taken that their moniker ‘The Bloody Eighth’ proved apt - they recorded a 90% casualty rate for the battle. They would never recover their strength, as by the war’s end the 8th Va. only had 12 men left to surrender, one of those being a surgeon.
The 'virtual' 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment is the War of Rights persona for the Lucky Dogs, a group of friends who've been gaming & socialising together for the past four years. As a group we have been active across a wide variety of multiplayer games; Mount&Blade: Warband (vanilla plus mods: Vikingr, The Deluge & others), ArmA2 & 3 (& DayZ), IL2 Sturmovik games (notably Cliffs of Dover), Naval Action & others. Whilst not a large group, it is certainly a close one. Geographically the group is primarily European, but we do have members further afield (including a true Virginian, no less!).
Our group prides itself on our combined interest in history and take pains to get the units/personas we represent 'right'. As such with our approach to representing Company H of the 8th Va. we will be looking to bring as close a representation to Confederate line infantry as possible, whilst enjoying ourselves at the same time. We are a very relaxed group who like to avoid the strict nature of many clans. We don't really bother too much with strict training, and our officers/NCOs take up their positions voluntarily as a means of giving direction for our other members to enhance their experience, rather than to achieve gratification through a virtual 'rank'.
We are currently recruiting, however we are looking for those over the age of twenty-one and of a similar mind to ourselves. Exceptions can be made under certain circumstances. Feel free to contact for more information!
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Originally Posted by Gandalf
