"At 7 a.m., February 17, Floyd arrived at Nashville by steamboat with parts of various regiments, including "all of the 51st [Virginia] who were not killed or wounded" and "the greater portion of the 36th [Virginia]." Only a small portion of the 50th was present, however. How large a segment of the regiment got separated from General Floyd after leaving Fort Donelson is not clear. There is no doubt that a good portion of the regiment, as Sergeant Greever later described it, had "scattered and raced pellmell across Tennessee to Murfreesboro...." At least three companies were involved in an overland trek. Lieutenant Jonas A. Lipps, leading Company H, and Lieutenant John C. Johnson, leading Company A, were "cut off from the main body of the Confederate army, and they marched through the country in an easternly direction toward Virginia....and saved their companies from being captured." On February 16, Captain Snead started Company F on a nine-day, 140-mile overland march to Murfreesboro. "I marched through the mountains and woods...making my way as best I could through snow and rain....[my men were] totally destitute of clothing and blankets except what they have on." He had to "trust to the good citizens of Tenn for subsistence." Most of all he was proud that "I brought up all my men. I was the only man in the Brigade that brought up their men. I stuck to them all the time while other Captains ran off and left them...."
"On February 21, General Floyd arrived at Murfreesboro. Newspaper accounts noted that on that day "large squads of our Donelson troops continue to straggle in." McCausland reported that his brigade arrived at Murfreesboro on February 23. Morning reports that day showed 285 officers and men present in the 50th Virginia and 243 in the 36th Virginia.
"When Snead reached Murfreesboro on February 24 he found a city in military disarray. At the railroad depot, Confederate officers and men were looting stocks of government shoes and clothes. Private John J. Reynolds of Company K saw much clothing and shoes scattered all over the ground. Jackson observed at least two officers with shoes in hand. Another officer told Jackson and others, "Come and get clothing -- it was a free thing." Jackson helped himself, but was soon arrested with eight others (none from the 50th) and charged with "plundering public property." A court-martial the next day dismissed the charges, not because the soldiers were innocent of taking government property, but rather because:
"...from the wholesale distribution and destruction of public property at Bowling Green and Nashville, and...the fact that staff officers...have give[n] away army supplies...without vouchers, and that the camps are full of clothing thus obtained, an impression has been created in the army that all public property not taken possession of by the troops would have to be abandoned....The court would....submit that the blame to a large extent [for the impressions held by the troops] should attach to the staff officers of the army....
"Floyd, ordered to defend Chattanooga, marched overland with his army from Murfreesboro on February 25. After a march of 120 miles, his advance elements arrived there March 6, including Captain Snead of Company F who had the mission of finding a steamboat to assist the army in crossing the Tennessee River. Floyd's Brigade completed crossing into Chattanooga on March 8. On that day Floyd described his army as "in good health and excellent spirits" following the 250-mile retreat from Fort Donelson. Captain Snead's assessment was: "We are much worn and generally look badly....We are all anxious to go to Va and it would afford us great pleasure for the Brigade to [go] thence."
"The brigade remained in Chattanooga at Camp Bettie Childress for the next week."
The history of the 51Va in the Va Regimental Histories series, says that the 51st arrived by rail at Murfreesboro on 22 February