The 17th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
that served in the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), 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), fi ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
Service
The 17th Alabama Infantry Regiment was mustered in at
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...
in August 1861 under Colonel
Thomas H. Watts. Watts organized the 17th Infantry and led it at
Pensacola
Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...
and
Corinth
Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
, but resigned as its colonel to serve as the
Confederacy's attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
in President
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
' cabinet.
The regiment surrendered at
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
in April 1865.
Total strength and casualties
When regiment was organized at Montgomery, Alabama, it took 900 men hailing from Coosa, Lowndes, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Monroe, Butler, and Russell counties.
The regiment sustained particularly heavy losses in 1864 after it joined the
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...
.
Seventeenth Alabama Infantry Regiment
''Alabama Archives''
Commanders
*Col. Thomas H. Watts
*Col. Virgil S. Murphy
See also
* Alabama Civil War Confederate Units
*Alabama in the American Civil War
Alabama was central to the American Civil War, Civil War, with the secession convention at Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, the birthplace of the Confederate States of America, Confederacy, inviting other slaveholding states to form a souther ...
References
Further reading
*Brewer, Willis. ''Brief Historical Sketches of Military Organizations Raised in Alabama during the Civil War''. Montgomery, Al.: Alabama Civil War Centennial Commission, 1962, pp. 616–618. (Brief history and roster of officers).
*''Confederate Military History'', Extended Edition. Vol. 8: Alabama. Wilmington, NC.: Broadfoot, 1987, pp. 111–113. (Brief unit history).
*Crute, Joseph H. Jr. ''Units of the Confederate States Army''. Midlothian, VA: Derwent Books, 1987, p. 16. (Concise summary of the regiment's service).
*Sifakis, Stewart. ''Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama''. New York: Facts on File, 1992, pp. 80–81. (Unit organizational history).
*Thompson, Illene D. and Wilbur E. ''The Seventeenth Alabama Infantry: A Regimental History and Roster''. Bowie, MD: Heritage, 2001.
External links
State of Alabama Archives page for 17th Alabama Infantry RegimentRoster of the Company C, 17th Alabama Infantry Regiment
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama
1861 establishments in Alabama
Military units and formations established in 1861
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