The 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

regiment during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. The regiment was composed of ten companies that came from various counties across

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. It is one of the few regiments that served both in the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

and

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

. It is not to be confused with another 26th Alabama (Coltart's) which was formed around the same time in Mississippi; that unit being renumbered as the

50th Alabama Infantry Regiment The 50th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was originally named 26th Alabama (Coltart's), but was renamed 50th Alabama on June 6, 1863. It is not to b ...

on June 6, 1863.

Organization and muster

The 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment was formed at

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. The city is part of The Shoals metropolitan area. Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller, who lived at ...

, on March 27, 1862, by increasing the 3rd Alabama Battalion to a regiment. Two companies of the 3rd battalion had been captured at

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, and were not part of the redesignation. The regiment was consolidated with the 1st, 16th, 33rd and 45th Alabama Infantry Regiments on April 8, 1865, and redesignated 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment Consolidated and surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

History

After forming at Tuscumbia, the regiment was ordered to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

on March 24 and reported to General John B. Magruder at Yorktown. It was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General Gabriel J. Rains. They were engaged at the

Battle of Seven Pines The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, nearby Sandston, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was th ...

where their regimental commander, Col. Edward A. O'Neal was wounded. The brigade saw further action at Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill as part of General

D.H. Hill Lieutenant-General Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil Wa ...

's Division. Missing the action at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confedera ...

since D.H.Hill's Division was sent to Richmond to guard the capital, the regiment was engaged at the battles of

South Mountain South Mountain or South Mountains may refer to: Canada * South Mountain, a village in North Dundas, Ontario * South Mountain (Nova Scotia), a mountain range * South Mountain (band), a Canadian country music group United States Landforms * Sout ...

, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville as part of Rodes Brigade. After the reorganization of the

in the spring of 1863, Col. O'Neal took charge of the brigade, as General Rodes went on to command the Division as part of the Second Corps. The regiment took part in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the ...

. Cullen A. Battle later replaced O'Neill as brigade commander and the regiment went on to participate in the Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns, before being on special duty. On February 15, 1864, the regiment was ordered by Inspector General John H. Winder to convey prisoners to Andersonville, Georgia. The regiment served as guards at Andersonville until May. The regiment was intended to go back to Virginia but instead left for

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...

, on May 22 by order of Adjutant General

Samuel Cooper Samuel or Sam Cooper may refer to: *Samuel Cooper (painter) (1609–1672), English miniature painter *Samuel Cooper (clergyman) (1725–1783), Congregationalist minister in Boston, Massachusetts * Samuel Cooper (surgeon) (1780–1848), English surge ...

, dated May 14.Official Records No.66 p 484, 487, 496 In June the regiment was part of the brigade of General

James Cantey James Cantey (December 30, 1818 – June 30, 1874) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was a lawyer, slave owner, state legislator in South Carolina and officer in the Mexican–American War, and a ...

; sent north to be assigned to the

. Canteys Brigade served in Walthall's Division, Polks Corps and was engaged in the Atlanta Campaign, the battles of Franklin and Nashville; serving until the final surrender at Durham Station near Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

References

* U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. * Stewart Sifakis. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama. Facts on File, NY 1992

Notes

External links

{{Authority control Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama 1862 establishments in Alabama Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Organization and muster

History

See also

References

Notes

External links