The "Hall Light Guard" along with "Brown's Boys" were formed on March 10th of 1862 in Hall County, Georgia. They then traveled by wagon or rail to
Camp McDonald for organization and training. Camp McDonald was the largest of the three training camps and the destination of men from forty-three counties in Georgia,
about half of the new recruits. It was located seven miles north of Big Shanty (Marietta), a railroad depot on the railway line that
ran from Atlanta to Chattanooga.
Once the men arrived at Camp McDonald, the "Hall Light Guard" became Company F, and "Brown's Boys" became Company K of the 43rd Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
As there were enough men to form six new regiments, the following units came into being and were designated the 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 52nd as well as a new battalion,
the 9th. Over the course of the war, most of these units would serve together in the same brigade.
The 43rd Regiment, Georgia Volunteers, Army of Tennessee, came into being on March 19, 1862. After about a month at Camp McDonald, where there were many
fatalities due to disease, the regiment along with the "Hall Light Guard" and "Brown's Boys" left for its first assignment with the District of East Tennessee under the command of Maj. Gen. E. Kirby Smith.
History of the 43rd by Michael Kimball
