Hamilton Co., TN, military units in the War of the Rebellion

During the War of the Rebellion (1861-1865), the standard composition of a regiment was ten companies, usually, but not always, organized into battalions.  The number of companies could vary from a few as eight to as many as twelve.  Independent battalions existed with anywhere from two to six companies.

Provisional Army of Tennessee

Inspired like the rest of his peers in the Southern plantocracy by romantic delusions of grandeur derived from the Victorian writings of Walter Scott, Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard initiated an attack on federally-held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor that led to its surrender the next day, 13 April 1861.  Two days later, POTUS Abraham Lincoln issued a call-up to the states remaining in the Union for 75,000 volunteers to defend that Union enforce its laws, making that day, 15 April, one of the worst Mondays in American history commemorated every year on the IRS’ Tax Day.

Musters of militia forces throughout the State of Tennessee began almost immediately after Lincoln’s call-up, but no legal basis for that existed until 6 May 1861.  On that day, the General Assembly passed a declaration of independence and articles of secession, followed the same day by authorization for what became the short-lived Provisional Army of Tennessee.  Gov. Isham Harris became commander-in-chief of the new outfit.  Two major generals supervised operations in the field, Maj. Gen. Gideon Pillow and Maj. Gen. Samuel Anderson.

The first regiment organized was in Virginia days before the secession vote in Tennessee.  The 1st Confederate Infantry, also known as the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, PACS, was organized under Col. Peter Turney at Winchester, Franklin Co., Tennessee, on 29 April 1861, arriving in Virginia to be mustered in on 8 June 1861.  The same day Turney’s organized his regiment, the Hamilton County Home Guards were being organized at Chickamauga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, by Capt. George L. Gillespie, who joined Turney’s regiment three days later.  The first regiment organized for the Provisional Army of Tennessee was Maney’s 1st Tennessee Infantry organized under Col. George Maney at Nashville on 9 May 1861; it was mustered into Confederate service with that designation on 1 August 1861.

Harris divided the Provisional Army of Tennessee into three geographical departments.  He assigned Maj. Gen. Pillow overall command of the Provisional Army of Tennessee with headquarters in Memphis and direct command of the Department of West Tennessee; Maj. Gen. Anderson command of the Department of Middle Tennessee with headquarters in Nashville; and Brig. Gen. Richard Caswell command of the Department of East Tennessee.  In addition, Harris assigned Brig. Gen. Robert C. Foster command of militia forces at Camp Cheatham, Robertson Co.; Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer command of militia forces at Camp Trousdale, Sumner Co.; Brig. Gen. Frank Cheatham command of Camp Brown at Union City, Obion Co.; and Brig. Gen. John L.T. Sneed command of Fort Wright at Randolph, Tipton Co.

These arrangements did not last long as the units, facilities, arms, munitions, and other supplies were transferred into Confederate service.  Initially the state’s Dept. of West Tennessee came under direct Confederate control on 13 July 1861 when Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk, Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana (which he remained until killed in battle) and chief founder of the University of the South at Sewanee, Franklin Co., Tennessee, assumed command of the Confederate Department No.2 (essentially the West that lay east of the Mississippi and south of the Tennessee).  The state’s Dept. of Middle Tennessee was fully Confederate by 31 July.  In the state’s Dept. of East Tennessee, the troops mostly remained in the Provisional Army of Tennessee well into the fall, though Brig. Gen. Zollicoffer, taken into Confederate service on 9 July 1861, was given command of the Confederate District of East Tennessee under Polk’s Department No. 2 on 1 August 1861, though his troops had not yet been mustered into Confederate service and still belonged to the Provisional Army of Tennessee.

Though local units immediately began organizing all across the state, there were two major call-ups for troops state-wide: one at June for volunteers to muster in Nashville, and one in September for volunteers to muster in Memphis.  Interestlingly, state records show that a regiment-sized group of freedmen mixed with a few slaves reported to Nashville in June, while two regiment-sized groups of freedmen and slaves reported at Memphis.  Both groups were accepted into the Provisional Army of Tennessee, but were rejected for Confederate service when the units were transferred.

Confederate units from Hamilton Co.

These are the Confederate units either organized in Hamilton County or organized elsewhere made up partially or wholly with men from Hamilton County.  Though many of these units were operational locally many months before the first date for them, they are listed in order of the latter for convenience.

During the war, supporters of the Confederates government in or from the county organized one company of artillery, one company of dragoons (mounted infantry), nine companies of cavalry, twelve companies of infantry, one battalion of partisan rangers (mostly men from out of state), two guerrilla companies, and two home guard companies.

PAT = Provisional Army of Tennessee
PACS = Provisional Army of the Confederate States
ACSA = Army of the Confederate States of America (planned as the CSA’s regular army)

(Gordon’s) Mountain Rifles (later the Raccoon Roughs), organized under Capt. John B. Gordon in the tri-state area mid-April 1861 with men from Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, originally as cavalry.  After being refused for service in Tennessee and Georgia, it became Co. I, 6th Alabama Infantry, PACS, on 14 May 1861.  They later became Co. D, 6th Alabama Infantry, PACS.  The regiment surrendered under Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appamattox, Virginia, on 9 April 1865 as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Hamilton County Home Guards organized under Capt. George L. Gillespie at Chickamauga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, on 29 April 1861 with men from the county.  Gillespie signed on with Turney’s 1st Confederate Infantry three days later, but the Hamilton County Home Guards remained local.

Chattanooga Home Guards organized under Capt. Michael Harrington about the same time (April 1861) as the outfit Gillespie organized at Chickamauga.  Needless to say, it ceased operation with the federal occupation of the city in September 1863.

Hamilton Grays, Tennessee Infantry organized under Capt. John D. Powell at Chattanooga in May 1861; originally it was a local militia outfit called simply the Volunteer Company.  On 11 June 1861, it became Co. B, 2nd East Tennessee Infantry, PAT.  On 15 August 1861, it became Co. A, 19th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  The regiment ended the war as Cos. C and H, 3rd Consolidated Infantry, Army of Tennessee, and surrendered under Lt. Gen. Alexander Stewart at Durham Station, North Carolina, on 25 April 1865.

Marsh Blues, Tennessee Infantry organized under Francis M. Walker at Chattanooga in May 1861.  On 11 June 1861, Co. A, 2nd East Tennessee Infantry, PAT.  On 15 August 1861, it became Co. I, 19th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  The regiment ended the war as Cos. C and H, 3rd Consolidated Infantry, Army of Tennessee, and surrendered under Lt. Gen. Alexander Stewart at Durham Station, North Carolina, on 25 April 1865.

(Ragsdale’s) Lookout Rangers, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. William Ragsdale at Knoxville, Tennessee, on 15 June 1861 with men from Hamilton County, Tennessee.  On 29 August 1861, it became Co. A, 4th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS.  On 24 May 1862, the 4th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion consolidated with the 5th Tennessee Cavalry Battlion and Co. A, 4th Battalion became Co. H, (Ashby’s) 2nd Tennessee Cavalry, PACS, then commanded by Hamilton County resident Col. Henry Marshall Ashby.  The regiment surrendered under Lt. Gen. William Hardee as part of the Department of Tennessee and Georgia at Durham Station, North Carolina on 26 April 1865.

Snow’s Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. William Snow at a Methodist campground in northwestern Bradley County, Tennessee, on 7 August 1861, with men from eastern Hamilton County.  It soon became Co. C, (Brazelton’s) 3rd Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS.  On 27 March 1862, the company was redesignated Co. B, Brazelton’s 1st Tennessee Cavalry, PACS, but that unit never fully materialized.  On 12 May 1862, the battalion was reorganized and the company became Co. C, (Carter’s) 14th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS.  On 14 November 1862, with the addition of four companies, including two from Thomas’ Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders, the battalion finally did upgrade to a regiment, and the company became Co. B, (Carter’s) 1st Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  At the end of the war, it was in the Department of East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia under Brig. Gen. John Echols, who disbanded his command at Christiansburg, Virginia, on 12 April 1865.  However, Brig. Gen. Echols and several units formerly of the command, including Vaughn’s Brigade of which Carter’s 1st Tennessee Cavalry was a part, attempted to link up with Gen. Joe Johnston’s command then others.  Carter’s 1st Tennessee Cavalry surrendered under Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn as part of his brigade at Washington, Georgia, on 9 May 1865.

Spiller’s Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. C. C. Spiller at Chattanooga on 11 August 1861, with men mostly from the Third Civil District of Hamilton Co. (North Chattanooga, Red Bank), Tennessee and some from North Alabama.  The company became Co. B, (McClellan’s) 5th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS, on 29 August 1861.  When the battalion became part of Ashby’s 2nd Tennessee Cavalry on 24 May 1862, this unit became Co. B, Spiller’s Cavalry Battalion, PACS (the other known unit was Ingles’ Co. F, also formerly of McClellan’s Battalion).  In August 1862, the battalion dissolved and this company became Co. H, (Murray’s) 4th Tennessee Cavalry (while Ingles’ company became Co. B of that regiment).  On 23 January 1863, Murray’s regiment dissolved and this company became Co. H, 8th Tennessee Cavalry (also known as Baxter Smith’s 4th Tennessee Cavalry).  This last regiment ended the war as part of Wade’s Cavalry Command and surrendered under Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton at Charlotte, North Carolina, on 3 May 1865.

Bird Rangers, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. John F. White at Knoxville on 24 August 1861, with men from the Fifteenth Civil District of Hamilton County (southeast corner, east of Ooltewah Creek), Tennessee, North Georgia, and North Alabama.  On 7 January 1862, it became Co. F, (Roger’s) 1st Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  On 12 August 1862, it became Co. A, 13th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS.  On 16 December 1862, it became Co. A, (McKenzie’s) 5th Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  On 9 April 1865, the regiment was with Hampton’s Cavalry Command, but surrendered with the Army of Tennessee as part of Wheeler’s Cavalry Corps at Durham Station, North Carolina, on 26 April 1865.

Co. G, 3rd East Tennessee Infantry, PAT, organized under Capt. C.D. McFarland at Knoxville in August 1861 with men from Hamilton County, Tennessee.  In October 1861, it became Co. G, 26th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  On 8 November 1862, it became 2nd Co. K, 1st Confederate Infantry, ACSA.  The regiment surrendered under Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appamattox, Virginia, on 9 April 1865 as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Co. H, 3rd East Tennessee Infantry, PAT, organized under James Clark Gordon  at Knoxville in August 1861 with men from Hamilton County, Tennessee, and North Georgia.  In October 1861, it became (1st) Co. H, 26th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  On 8 November 1862, it became (2nd) Co. I, 1st Confederate Infantry, ACSA.  The regiment surrendered under Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appamattox, Virginia, on 9 April 1865 as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Co. D, 1st East Tennessee Rifles, PAT, organized under Capt. Rufus M. Tankesley at Chattanooga in August or September 1861 with men from the Second and Third Civil Districts of the county (Moccasin Point, North Chattanooga, later Red Bank, Browns Chapel).  On 26 October 1861, it was redesignated Co. D, 7th Tennessee Infantry, PACS, as part of a temporary brigade under Brig. Gen. William H. Carroll, the regiment’s former commanding officer. In December 1861, the unit’s designation was changed to Co. D, 37th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  On 9 June 1863, the 37th Tennessee Infantry consolidated with the 15th Tennessee Infantry as the 15th/37th Tennessee Infantry.  On 28 September 1864, the 15th/37th Tennessee Infantry was consolidated with other regiments as the 2nd/10th/15th/20th/30th/37th Tennessee Infantry.  At the end of the war, the unit was part of the 4th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry (2nd, 3rd, 10th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 26th, 30th, 32nd, 37th, 45th regiments), which surrendered under Lt. Alexander P. Stewart at Durham Station, North Carolina, 26 April 1865.

Co. H, 1st East Tennessee Rifles, PAT, organized under Capt. Isaac B. Nichols in Hamilton Co. Tennessee, in August or September 1861 with men from the Fifth and Fifteenth Civil Districts of (southeast corner, Concord, Chickamauga, Tyner, Zion Hill), Hamilton Co. and North Georgia.  On 26 October 1861, it was redesignated Co. H, 7th Tennessee Infantry as part of a temporary brigade under Brig. Gen. William H. Carroll, the regiment’s former commanding officer. In December 1861, the unit’s designation was changed to Co. H, 37th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  On 9 June 1863, the 37th Tennessee Infantry consolidated with the 15th Tennessee Infantry as the 15th/37th Tennessee Infantry.  On 28 September 1864, the 15th/37th Tennessee Infantry was consolidated with other regiments as the 2nd/10th/15th/20th/30th/37th Tennessee Infantry.  At the end of the war, the unit was part of the 4th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry (2nd, 3rd, 10th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 26th, 30th, 32nd, 37th, 45th regiments), which surrendered under Lt. Alexander P. Stewart at Durham Station, North Carolina, 26 April 1865.

Co. I, 5th East Tennessee Infantry, PAT, organized under Capt. John Pack at DeKalb County, Alabama, in early September 1861, mostly with men from that county but also from Hamilton and Bledsoe Cos. in Tennessee.  It was soon redesignated (1st) Co. I, 35th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  The company disbanded April 1862 and its men were redistributed to other companies in the regiment.

Co. K, 5th East Tennessee Infantry, PAT, organized under Capt. Lawson Guthrie at Ooltewah, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, on 17 October 1861 with men from eastern Hamilton County.   On 14 December 1861, it became Co. K, 43rd Tennessee Infantry, PACS, the regiment commanded by Col. James W. Gillespie of Euchee in Rhea Co., Tennessee.  At the end of the war, it was in the Department of East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia under Brig. Gen. John Echols, who disbanded his command at Christiansburg, Virginia, on 12 April 1865.  However, Brig. Gen. Echols and several units formerly of the command, including Vaughn’s Brigade of which the 43rd Tennessee Infantry was a part, attempted to link up with Gen. Joe Johnston’s command then others.  The 43rd Tennessee Infantry surrendered under Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn as part of his brigade at Washington, Georgia, on 9 May 1865.

McKenzie’s Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. George W. McKenzie on 1 November 1861 at Decatur, Meigs Co., Tennessee, with men from Meigs and Hamilton Cos.  On 7 January 1862, it became Co. B, Rogers’ 1st Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  On 12 August 1862, it became Co. C, McKenzie’s 3rd Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS.  Finally, on 16 December 1862, it became Co. C, McKenzie’s 5th Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  On 9 April 1865, the regiment was with Hampton’s Cavalry Command, but surrendered with the Army of Tennessee as part of Wheeler’s Cavalry Corps at Durham Station, North Carolina, on 26 April 1865.

 (Lea’s) Lookout Rangers, Tennessee Cavalry organized by Capt. Allen Lea at Nashville on 1 November 1861, with men from DeKalb Co., Alabama, and Marion and Hamilton Cos., Tennessee, as part of (Smith’s) 10th/11th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, PACS, which later grew into Smith’s 2nd Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  In the summer of 1862 Smith’s 2nd Tennessee Cavalry dissolved.  Some of the former Lookout Rangers joined Co. A, 11th Alabama Cavalry Battalion; most reorganized under Capt. Lea as Co. D, 19th Alabama Partisan Ranger Battalion (aka 2nd Alabama Partisan Ranger Battalion), PACS.  From 15 April 1863 forward,  it was Co. I, 7th Alabama Cavalry, PACS, which later became the 9th Alabama Cavalry, PACS.  The regiment surrendered under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart as part of the Army of Tennessee on 26 April 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina.  Lea, by then a major, resigned his commission on 30 January 1863; he later enlisted in the 1st Tennessee and Alabama Vidette Cavalry, USA, on 19 September 1863, ultimately rising to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Co. H, 36th Tennessee Infantry, PACS, organized under Capt. James Warren Clift with men from northern Hamilton County, Tennessee, and became part of the 36th Tennessee Infantry when it organized at Knoxville on 26 February 1862.  The regiment only survived until the end of June, and on 30 June 1862 this company was combined with Cos. I and K of the same regiment as Co. L, 35th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  From September 1863, the 35th Tennessee Infantry formed a consolidated regiment with the 48th Tennessee Infantry, but by July 1864 it was separate again.  At the end of the war, the regiment formed Cos. A and F, 3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry (4th, 5th, 19th, 24th, 31st, 33rd, 35th, 38th, 48th regiments), surrendering under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart on 26 April 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina, as part of the Army of Tennessee.

Co. K, 36th Tennessee Infantry, PACS, organized under Capt. John A. Smith with men in the vicinity of Harrison, Hamilton County, Tennessee, and its environs, and became part of the 36th Tennessee Infantry when it organized at Knoxville on 26 February 1862.  The regiment only survived until the end of June, and on 30 June 1862 this company was combined with Cos. H and I of the same regiment as Co. L, 35th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  From September 1863, the 35th Tennessee Infantry formed a consolidated regiment with the 48th Tennessee Infantry, but by July 1864 it was separate again.  At the end of the war, the regiment formed Cos. A and F, 3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry (4th, 5th, 19th, 24th, 31st, 33rd, 35th, 38th, 48th regiments), surrendering under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart on 26 April 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina, as part of the Army of Tennessee.

Tyner’s Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized at Tyner under Capt. John S. Tyner with men from Tyner, Harrison, and Ooltewah in Hamilton County, Tennessee.  On 1 April 1862, the company joined with three other Tennessee companies, two Alabama companies, and Major Henry Clay King’s Kentucky Cavalry Battalion as the (2nd) Co. K, 1st Confederate Cavalry, ACSA (also known as 12th Confederate Cavalry) organized at Spring Creek, Madison County, Tennessee.  Ultimately it became part of Wheeler’s Cavalry Corps, then was detached from the regiment as Tyner’s Company of Sappers and Miners.  The company later transferred to Forrest’s Cavalry Corps, PACS, and surrendered under Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest at Gainesville, Alabama, 9 May 1865.

Lookout Battery,  Tennessee Light Artillery, also known as Barry’s Company, organized under Capt. Robert L. Barry at Chattanooga on 15 May 1862 with men from Hamilton Co., Tennessee.  Attached to several brigades and sometimes operating independently, on 12 June 1864, it became part of Myrick’s Artillery Battalion.  It surrendered under Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor as part of his Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana on 4 May 1865.

Carter’s Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized under George W. Carter at Chattanooga on 14 June 1862, and in August 1862 became  Co. A, (Murray’s) 4th Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  After Murray’s regiment dissolved on 23 January 1863, Carter formed Carter’s Battalion of Mounted Scouts, an independent partisan unit.  In September 1864, the company consolidated with Windle’s 1st Co. A of Gore’s (previously Dibrell’s) 13th Tennessee Cavalry (aka 8th Tennessee Cavalry) as (2nd) Co. A, 13th Tennessee Cavalry, PACS.  At the end of the war, it formed part of Hampton’s Cavalry Command and served as part of President Jefferson Davis’ escort under Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn, who surrendered at Washington, Georgia, on 9 May 1865.

Clark’s Independent Company, Tennessee Cavalry organized under Capt. J.W. Clark at Chattanooga on 31 August 1862.  Much of its duty consisted of being the escort of various generals, most often Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, under whom (by then a Lieutenant General) the company surrendered at New Orleans, Louisiana, along with the District of Arkansas and West Louisiana of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi and the Army (but not the Department) of the Trans-Mississippi on 26 May 1865.

Mitchell’s Mountain Rifles, Tennessee Infantry organized under Capt. Thomas Mitchell at Chattanooga on 1 October 1862.  On 23 January 1863, it became (3rd) Co. F, 35th Tennessee Infantry, PACS.  From September 1863, the 35th Tennessee Infantry formed a consolidated regiment with the 48th Tennessee Infantry, but by July 1864 it was separate again.  At the end of the war, the regiment formed Cos. A and F, 3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry (4th, 5th, 19th, 24th, 31st, 33rd, 35th, 38th, 48th regiments), surrendering under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart on 26 April 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina, as part of the Army of Tennessee.

Co. D, Avery’s 23rd Squadron of Georgia Dragoons, PACS, organized under Capt. William J. Rogers at Wauhatchie, Hamilton County, Tennessee, in October 1862.  In January 1863, that battalion became the nucleus of (Avery’s) 4th Georgia Cavalry, PACS, which in January 1865 was redesignated the 12th Georgia Cavalry, PACS.  It surrendered under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart as part of the Army of Tennessee on 26 April 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina.

19th Alabama Partisan Ranger Battalion, PACS, usually called the 2nd Alabama Partisan Ranger Battalion, PACS, organized under Maj. Zachariah Thomason at Chattanooga on 21 November 1862, intended to be part of Howard’s Legion (3rd Confederate Cavalry).  In practice, that never happened and the battalion operated independently or alongside Mead’s Partisan Rangers.  On 15 April 1863, Thomason’s battalion combined with Maj. John C. Malone’s 14th Alabama Partisan Ranger Battalion as the 7th Alabama Cavalry, PACS, known after 5 September 1864 as the 9th Alabama Cavalry, PACS.  The regiment surrendered under Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart as part of the Army of Tennessee on 26 April 1863 at Durham Station, North Carolina.

Snow’s Scouts organized under Capt. William Snow in the Snow Hill and Ooltewah vicinity after his resignation from the army on 12 May 1862.  Apparently his plantation house had substantial earthworks around it, probably qualifying it as a fort, since it is reported to have withstood a cannon barrage by Union troops during the occupation.  The unit dissolved when Snow and his family moved to what became Lake County, Tennessee, near the end of the war.

Osborne’s Scouts organized under Capt. Thomas Osborne in what was then the Fifth Civil District, Hamilton Co., Tennessee (Spring Creek, Concord, Chickamauga, Tyner), probably in 1863.  The unit operated in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.  After Osborne was killed in June 1864 during a raid by Col. George W. Kirk of the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, himself an irregular, the unit was known as Jenkins’ Scouts, after its new leader, Capt. Lafayette Jenkins, operating into the spring of 1865.  Jenkins’ Scouts surrendered under Gen. Joe Johnston as part of the Division of the West.

Postbellum Confederate Veterans & Allied Orders

United Confederate Veterans Association

On 15 September 1885, former Capt. Joseph Shipp organized Confederate veterans of Hamilton County as N.B. Forrest Camp No. 3, Confederate Veterans.  Shipp became the chief instigator and organizer of UCVA.

N.B. Forrest Camp No. 4, Chattanooga & Hamilton County, 1889, one of the founding camps of the UCVA.

United Sons of Confederate Veterans

In the summer of 1890, N.B. Forrest Camp No. 4 organized the Francis M. Walker Camp No. 1, Sons of Confederate Soldiers, which later became the county’s chapter of this organization, which dropped the “United” in 1912 to become just the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Jonathan W. Bachman Camp No. 3, Chattanooga & Hamilton County, one of the founding camps of USCV, 1896

United Daughters of the Confederacy

Precursors to the Chattanooga chapter of this organization include the Confederate Memorial Association and the Confederate Monument Association, both founded in 1867, combining in 1874 as the Chattanooga Confederate Memorial Association.

Founded in Nashville in 1894 as the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, UDC was and is not connected to the UCVA or the (U)SCV.  It is not a veterans organization but one promoting Confederate heritage and the memory of the Lost Cause.

Gen. A.P. Stewart Chapter No. 81, Chattanooga, 5 September 1896

Gen. Francis Marion Walker Chapter No. 784  (founded as Gen. John B. Gordon Chapter), St. Elmo, 1904

Children of the Confederacy

A subsidiary of the UDC founded in 1896.

Jonathan W. Bachman Chapter No. 21, Chattanooga

Union units from Hamilton County

These are the Union units either organized in Hamilton County or organized elsewhere made up partially or wholly with men from Hamilton County.  Though many of these units were operational locally many months before the first date for them, they are listed in order of the latter for convenience.

During the war, supporters of the Union government in or from the county organized one company of cavalry, one regiment of dragoons, one company of dragoons, four regiments of infantry, one regiment of militia, and one company of home guards.

7th Tennessee Federal Militia, referred to in some Confederate dispatches as Clift’s Home Guards (not to be confused with the later unit raised by Capt. James Clift of Warren Co.) organized under Col. William Clift at Sale Creek Campground on 10 August 1861.  It was based on the county’s prewar 37th Tennessee Militia of which Col. Clift had been commander.  The regiment voted to disband on 13 November 1861, with one group dispersing to the mountains, one group traveling north to join the federal army, and the smallest group, including Col. Clift and Lt. Col. Shelton, trying to carry on guerrilla warfare.

Co. I, 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, USA, organized under Capt. William H.H. Robins at Sale Creek, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, on 27 November 1861 (probably with vets from Clift's 7th Tennessee Militia), and mustered into the regiment at Cumberland Ford, Kentucky, on 28 February 1862 for a 3-year term of service dated from the unit's organization.  The unit, known locally as the Sale Creek 65, was among the majority of the regiment captured at the Battle of Rogersville on 6 November 1863 by the troops of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry, CSA.  They were first sent to Richmond, Virginia, for a few months before being transferred to the notorious camp at Andersonville, Georgia, where they were reportedly singled out for especially harsh treatment.  Most of the unit died there, with only a handful returning home after the war.

For more on these soldiers, see:  David Brown’s “The Sale Creek 65 And Their Civil War Fate” at https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/12/5/460420/The-Sale-Creek-65-And-Their-Civil-War.aspx

Co. C, 5th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, USA, organized under Capt. Charles McCaleb at Harrison, Hamilton Co., Tennessee on 25 February 1862 with men from the county.  It was mustered into service on 28 March 1862.  It mustered out 4 April 1865.

Co. G, 5th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, USA, organized under Capt. Judge B. Clingan at Pine Knot, Campbell Co., Tennessee, in May 1862 with men from Hamilton and Bradley Cos.

In addition to the above two companies, Hamilton Co. men served individually in Cos. E, F, H, I, and K of the 5th Tennessee Volunteers.

7th (East) Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, USA, organized under Col. William Clift at Huntsville, Scott Co., Tennessee, beginning 1 June 1862, with men from Hamilton (many of them veterans of Clift’s previous regiment), Scott, Anderson, and Morgan Cos.  After serving for a year as a partisan unit, the regiment disbanded on 1 June 1863 and its men distributed to other units, most of them previous to that date.  Cos. A and F, 8th Tennessee Volunteers, USA, were initially composed entirely of 7th Tennessee veterans, including their commanders.  The regiment’s cavalry soldiers mustered into Cos. A, E, and G, 11th Tennessee Cavalry, USA; the regiment later consolidated with the 9th Tennessee Cavalry, USA.  Other units with 7th Tennessee Volunteer veterans were Co. I, 1st Tennessee Volunteers, USA; Co. I, 5th Tennessee Volunteers, USA; and Co. I, 2nd Tennessee Volunteers.  Col. Clift himself was assigned to the staff of Brig. Gen. John M. Shackleford of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, XXIII Corps.

44th U.S. Colored Troops, USA, organized under Col. Lewis Johnson at Chattanooga from 7 April-16 September 1864.  It was based at Chattanooga throughout its existence, though it did garrison duty in various parts of North Georgia, took part in the Nashville Campaign, and fought guerrillas in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia.  It mustered out 30 April 1866 at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

42nd U.S. Colored Troops, USA, organized under Col. Joseph R. Putnam at Chattanooga and Nashville from 20 April 1864-6 July 1865.  This regiment was specifically organized as an invalid regiment, one for men unfit for the rigors for combat, and it remained at Chattanooga doing garrison and fatigue during its entire existence.  It mustered out 30 January 1866 at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Co. E, 5th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, USA, organized uder Capt. Polasky W. Norwood at Cleveland, Bradley Co., Tennessee,  on 8 October 1864 with men from Hamilton, Bradley, and Meigs Cos.  It mustered out at Chattanooga on 17 July 1865.

Co. D, 10th Tennessee Cavalry mustered under Capt. Calvin Simmons at Nashville on 25 Janaury 1864 with ment from Hamilton and McMinn Cos.  It mustered out with the rest of the regiment at Nashville on 1 August 1865.

18th Ohio Veteran Infantry, USA, organized under Capt. John M. Benedict at Chattanooga on 31 October 1864 with veterans of the 1st, 2nd, 18th, 24th and 35th Ohio Infantries.  It mustered out 9 October 1865 at Augusta, Georgia.

6th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, USA, organized under Lt. Col. George A. Gowin at Chattanooga on 24 October 1864.  It mustered out at Nashville on 30 June 1865.

Civic Guard of Chattanooga organized under Col. Edwin McCook at Chattanooga on 3 December 1864.  It was dissolved on or before 30 April 1866, the day the last military units of the federal occupation mustered out.

Postbellum Union Veterans & Allied Orders

The Grand Army of the Republic was first established in 1866, but activity waned significantly.  A revival in the 1880s brought expansive growth to the organization and its off-shoots.

Grand Army of the Republic

In addition to Chattanooga being headquarters for the Tennessee Department of GAR, Hamilton County supported these chapters.

Lookout Post No. 2, Chattanooga, est. 28 February 1882

Chickamauga Post No. 22, Chattanooga (for veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops), est. 25 September 1884

Robert L. McCook Post No. 36, Soddy

Mission Ridge Post No. 45, Chattanooga, est. 5 June 1886

Gordon Grainger Post No. 84, Sale Creek

Sons of Veterans U.S.A.

Created by the G.A.R. in 1881, this association adopted the name Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 1925.

Chattanooga Camp No. 7, est. 1914

National Woman’s Relief Corps

The GAR organized this association as its official women’s auxiliary in 1883, and it still exists nationally.  Units of the NWRC were attached to brother posts of the GAR and carried the same name, except in the case here of Liberty W.R.C.

Mission Ridge W.R.C. No. 1, Chattanooga, est. 3 December 1886

Lookout W.R.C. No. 2, Chattanooga, est. April 1888

Chickamauga W.R.C. No. 7, Ridgedale, est. 1880s

Liberty W.R.C. No. 4, Chattanooga, est. 1915

Daughters of Union Veterans

Originally named the National Alliance of the Daughters of Veterans of the United States of America

Mary West Gahagan Tent No. 5

Society of the Army of the Cumberland

This organization established in 1870 for veteran commissioned officers of that particularly Union field army had two chapters in the county. 

Lookout Mountain Camp, SAC

Moccasin Point Camp, SAC

In the 1880s, the two camps merged as the Mountain City Club.