George S. Barnsley

Co A, 8th Georgia Regiment

On March 8 begins the retreat from Manassas and the destruction of stores there. He marched with the soldiers through Warrenton to Culpepper Court House. They left there March 16, crossed the Rapidan, and camped near Orange Court House. Barnsley was appointed as clerk in the office of Dr. Thomas H. Williams, one of the Medical Directors, on April 4. He went on a strenuous march with no baggage in bitter weather from 6-9 April and, on April 10, began work with Williams at Richmond, 2 June, with Williams who served as Medical Director and Inspector of Hospitals at Staunton, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Petersburg.

From 27 June to 8 July, 1862, Barnsley was with the troops at the Seven Days battles. Hearing from the fighting, he obtained leave from Dr. Williams to rejoin the 8th Georgia Regiment temporarily but was not able to find them at the battlefields so he ended serving as clerk for Drs. Johnson and Guild. In July Barnsley returned to Danville, and on September 16 he moved to Lynchburg.

In January 1863 Barnsley moved to Richmond and on April 19, he visited Petersburg and Danville. On May 10 he joined a company of volunteers from the city during a period of threatened attack. He helped treat the wounded from Fredericksburg being brought to Richmond. Barnsley left on 15 September to join the Army of Tennessee hoping for a temporary volunteer staff position with General Goode Bryan, which he did not get.

On 21 February 1864 he returned to Richmond where he got a position in a hospital and attended lectures at the Medical College. Prior to this he had been studying medicine at night for some time. On 19 June 1864 he was assigned to the Surgeon General's Office. He was on active duty against Sheridan's army in May and was called out again in June but became ill and returned to Richmond. He was on duty at Drury's Bluff building breastworks on 21-29 June, and was back in Richmond by 9 October. He returned to medical school by 31 December 1864 and was on duty at Chimborazo Hospital.

By March 13 1865 Barnsley had taken his M. D. examination and the army examinations for assistant surgeon. He was assigned to Chimborazo Hospital of Richmond and remained there until the occupation of Richmond when he was taken prisoner. He was soon allowed to go home by way of Norfolk, New Bern, and Raleigh.

In 1867 George Scarbrough Barnsley and his brother Lucien immigrated to Brazil where he practiced medicine.

[Biographical information provided by Godfrey Barnsley. From: Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Southern Historical Collection. Doc 1591. More about immigration of southerners to Brazil after the Civil War is in the book "The Elusive Eden, Frank McMullan's Confederate Colony in Brazil," by William Clark Griggs, University of Texas Press, 1987.]