On March 4, 1862 a document was issued from Springfield. To: Doctor Francis R. Stone, For inspecting the below named men, who volunteered in this place (Springfield) this 4th day of March 1862, and organized as the Empire State Guards: Capt. A.C. Edwards, 1st Lt. T.P. Hines, 2nd Lt S.A.Wilson, 3rd Lt. T.E. Bourgrine, 1st Sgt. R.G. Norton, 2nd Sgt. K.S. Blitch, 3rd Sgt O.E. Edwards, 4th Sgt. Paul R. Duggger, 5th Sgt. T.S. Hurst, 1st Corp. T.P. Broughton, 2nd Corp. L.E. Shuptrine, 3rd Corp. R.I. Groover, 4th Corp. R.W. Tullis.

The following men were listed as privates: G.A. Arnsdorff, Jashua, Arnsdorff, J.E. Arnsdorff, John E, Arnsdorff, E.I. Brown, Paul Bevill, Clayborne Bervill, George Burns, W.I. Crosby, I.R. Crosby, D. Coddington, Thomas Dasher, B.B. Dasher, R. Junior Dotson, F.S. Exley, Benjamin Flood, Pessee Floyd, John Futrrel, G.W. Hurst, S.E. Helmly (exempt), John Jackson, J.C. Lee (exempt), John A. Lee, P.P. Morel, Dr. W.M. Marsh (exempt), D.A. Metzger, Milton Pevee, S.S. Pitman (exempt), J.M. Rahn, A.R. Pormeroy, Lamar A. Smith, A.L. smith, G.W. Seckinger, I.A. Tullis, Thomas Usher, A.V. McRoy, W.W. Gnann, E.E. Kessler, Isreal Hinely (exempt), H. Wheeler, D.E. Wilson, William Wheeler, Thomas Wheeler, H.H. Wilson, I.W. Wilson, O.G. Watt, H.P. Watt, Thomas Wakefield, McLin Wiles, D.E. Gnann, I.G. Morgan, Charles C. Bebee, S.C. Elkins.

There were other Effingham citizens who joined the Confederate Army and some of those may have gone to Camp Davis initially, but we have no record available of those names.

The 47th Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Davis. Company I of the 47th, known as Empire State Guards, was Company I of the 11th Battalion before the designation to the 47th Regiment. This company was commanded by Capt. Aaron Coon Edwards. There were also men from Effingham in Company E of the 47th Regiment, called Chatham Volunteers and commanded by Capt. William S. Philips. The 47th had an effective date of May 12, 1862. Other regiments formed at Camp Davis were: the 48th, 49th, 50th and 51st.

The staff of Camp Davis in March 1862 were: Maj. Edward Cumming Corbett, commander; Col. W. Schley, inspector and mustering officer; doctors assigned to the camp were: Francis B. Stone, Jonathan Toole, R.S. Dawson, Williams B. Wilson, W.W. Wilson, listed as surgeons.

From information available it appears that at least some of the volunteers came with their own rifles. The issue for training the men was not so much as that of firing rifles; they knew how to do that as part of their everyday life before the war. The training was that of teaching them how to be soldiers, formations, marching, perhaps the use of cannons and military life.

The number of troops training at Camp Davis in March, April and May was 4,125 men. The 47th Regiment (made up of Effingham volunteers) was 693 men.

In providing food the men in training the quartermaster shipped most supplies by rail, the camp site was adjacent to the railroad. Total rations issued in March and April were: pork and beans, 6,399 lbs.; fresh beef, 8,878 lbs.; salt beef, 393 barrels + 10 pounds; bacon, 2,315 lbs.; salt pork, 18,130 lbs.; flour, 231 barrels + 27 lbs.; hard bread, 2,213 lbs.; corn meal, 47,832 lbs.; rice, 23,609 lbs.; coffee, 3,001 lbs.; sugar, 11,443 lbs.; vinegar, 961 gallons; candles, 1,119 lbs.; soap, 1,907 lbs.; salt, 57 bushels + 19 qts.; molasses 1,005 gals.; rye, 1,957 lbs.

Information regarding other Quartermaster items, i.e. tents, utensils, medicines, firearms and other equipment is not available. But there is no doubt that it was a tremendous undertaking to supply these 4,125 men that were sent out in the five regiments.

On Saturday, as part of the Commemoration of the Civil War, a special event will take place on the actual site of Camp Davis. The activities of the day will include several groups of Sons of Confederate Veterans in a re-enactment of the life of soldier in training at Camp Davis. There will be a number of other actitivies including food vendors with period food, women and children acting out the daily activity of families, suttlers with items of interest from the era. More details of these activities will be released in future columns.

(Note: information for Camp Davis comes from a document by Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Norman V. Turner. His sources list local, state, and national archives as well as other books and publications.)