Organized in Augusta, Georgia, on March 22, 1851, the Clinch Rifles began as a volunteer militia company recruited from the Clinch Engine Company No. 2 firehouse. Known for their distinctive green uniforms and modified Mississippi rifles, the company was among the state troops that occupied the Augusta Arsenal in February 1861, shortly after Georgia's secession. While stationed at the garrison, the unit's formal review on the parade grounds was documented by a field artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. This engraving became a definitive visual record of the secession crisis, offering a rare look at the material culture, uniforms, and weaponry of early-war southern volunteers. In May 1861, the company entered active Confederate service as Company A, 5th Georgia Infantry. The regiment fought throughout the Western Theater—including Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and the Atlanta Campaign—before surrendering at Greensboro, North Carolina, in April 1865. The Augusta Arsenal remained a major Confederate ordnance hub for the duration of the war, eventually returning to federal control and operating until 1955.