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Flag - 33rd Virginia Emerald Guards
The 33rd Virginia Volunteer Infantry Company E, known as the Emerald Guards, was formed in May and June of 1861 by Irish laborers and farmers in the area around Newmarket in Shenandoah County, Virginia and become part of the Stonewall Brigade.

Company H, the Page Grays, complained that "The whole of the Irish company gets drunk save a few" and that while drinking "they get to fighting, in which swords, bayonets and knives are used". When the Emerald Guards reached General Jackson he found their lead officer had deserted and noted that the company "was composed of unmanageable Irishmen".

Those unmanageable Irishmen fought hard, during Chancellorsville Capt. Bedinger (who would later die at Gettysburg) wrote that, "Yesterday we fought the most terrible battle of this war, attacking the enemy in his chosen positions and driving him at every point, our Brigade behaved magnificently, but lost very heavily ... Thank God I am spared to write you this note, tho half of my little company were killed or wounded."

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