The 38th Infantry Regiment was organized in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in June, 1861. Its members were recruited in Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Mecklenburg counties. It served under the command of Generals Early, Garland, Armistead, Barton, and Stuart. The 38th participated in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from Williamsburg to Gettysburg, then served in North Carolina. Later it was attached to the Department of Richmond, fought at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor, endured the hardships of the Petersburg trenches, and ended the war at Appomattox. The regiment totaled 544 effectives in April, 1862, and sustained 9 casualties at Williamsburg, 147 at Seven Pines, 94 at Malvern Hill, and 16 in the Maryland Campaign. More than fifty-five percent of the 400 engaged at Gettysburg were disabled and it reported 11 killed, 30 wounded, and 10 missing at Drewry's Bluff. The unit surrendered 12 officers and 82 men. Its commanders were Colonels Joseph R. Cabell, Edward C. Edmonds, George K. Griggs, and Powhatan B. Whittle; Lieutenant Colonel George A. Martin; and Majors Isaac H. Carrington and Henderson L. Lee.