The 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment was a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

volunteer infantry regiment from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

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 ...

. The regiment was formed 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 ...

in May 1861 shortly after the American Civil War began, enlisting for a year of service. The regiment served at Pensacola for the next several months, with several companies engaged in the

Battle of Santa Rosa Island The Battle of Santa Rosa Island (October 9, 1861) was an unsuccessful Confederate attempt to take Union-held Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, Florida. Background Santa Rosa Island is a 40-mile barrier island in the U.S. state of Florida, ...

. The regiment was sent to fight Unionist guerrillas in response to the

East Tennessee bridge burnings The East Tennessee bridge burnings were a series of guerrilla operations carried out during the American Civil War by Southern Unionists in Confederate-held East Tennessee in 1861. The operations, planned by Carter County minister William B. C ...

in November. Following the suppression of the guerrillas, the 7th Alabama served with the

Army of Central Kentucky The Army of Central Kentucky was a military organization within Department No. 2 (the Western Department of the Confederate States of America). Originally called the Army Corps of Central Kentucky, it was created in the fall of 1861 as a subsec ...

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

. The regiment was disbanded at

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 ...

when its term of enlistment ended just before the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

. Due to the unpopularity of their commander, Colonel John G. Coltart, its men refused to continue their service under him, with the majority re-enlisting in other units.

Organization and Pensacola service

The regiment was organized on May 18, 1861, at Pensacola from the eight companies of John G. Coltart's 3rd Alabama Battalion, organized on April 12, and two mounted companies, the Wilcox Mounted Rifles and the Prattville Dragoons. S. A. M. Wood, captain of the Florence Guards, was elected colonel, Coltart lieutenant colonel, and Alfred A. Russell major. The companies of the regiment, drawn from across the state, enlisted for twelve months of service and had been sent to Pensacola to participate in the blockade of the Union-held

Fort Pickens Fort Pickens is a historic pentagonal United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. It is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacol ...

on Santa Rosa Island. By this time, the Confederate forces at Pensacola had grown to more than 5,000 men under the command of Brigadier General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army Officer (armed forces), officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate General officers in the Confederate States Army, general in th ...

. The companies forming Coltart's Battalion had been at Pensacola since at least early April, and the mounted companies had arrived there by early May. The regiment initially had a strength of at least 808, the total number voting in the election of its officers. Wood received a substantial majority in the election for colonel over the Lafayette Guards' Captain James W. Jackson. Like many volunteer regiments, its officers lacked professional military experience: Wood had been a lawyer, Coltart an insurance agent, and Russell a doctor. However, the mounted companies never actually served with the regiment, being detached by Bragg to serve on picket duty along the coast and as his personal escort.Notes on the History of Co. E, Louisville Blues, 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment, from conversation with John W. James of Montgomery i
folder 2, 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment regimental history files
at Alabama Department of Archives and History At Pensacola, the regiment settled into a routine of guard duty, drilling and building fortifications with the men finding relaxation in "loafing" around the town. The regiment was quartered in tents behind

Fort Barrancas Fort Barrancas (1839) or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas (from 1787) is a United States military fort and National Historic Landmark in the former Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically within Naval Air Station Pensacola, which ...

. The troops at Pensacola faced rampant disease that took the lives of many men of the regiment despite attempts at sanitation. John W. James of the Louisville Blues recalled that Wood was often absent, leaving the regiment under Coltart's command. A strict disciplinarian, Coltart became unpopular among the regiment, with James describing him as "wanting in that something which inspires the confidence of men." Among the disciplinary measures were the banning of gambling and the institution of barracks cleaning details. Russell's initial inexperience with drill caused frustration among the men, but he was considered "a fine officer" in the regiment. Dissatisfied with the lack of action, the officers of the 7th Alabama unsuccessfully petitioned a few weeks after the

First Battle of Manassas The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Pensacola remained a largely quiet sector while the regiment was there. This was broken when Union raiders burned the privateer ''Judah'' at the navy yard before dawn on September 14. In response, Bragg launched a 1,000-man retaliatory sortie against the Union troops on Santa Rosa Island under the command of Brigadier General Richard H. Anderson. The 7th Alabama contributed three companies, the Lafayette Guards, Madison Rifles, and Louisville Blues,Incidents of the Santa Rosa Island Fort, from conversation with John W. James of Montgomery i
folder 2, 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment regimental history files
at Alabama Department of Archives and History to the force, which formed part of Colonel

James Patton Anderson James Patton Anderson (February 16, 1822 – September 20, 1872) was an American slave owner, physician, lawyer, and politician, most notably serving as a United States Congressman from the Washington Territory, a Mississippi state legislator, ...

's ad-hoc 400-man 2nd Battalion together with units from the

1st Florida Infantry The 1st Florida Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised by the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Florida during the American Civil War. Raised for 12 months of service its remaining veterans served in the 1st (McDonell' ...

and

1st Louisiana Regulars The 1st Louisiana Regulars Infantry Regiment, often referred to as the 1st Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Regulars), was an infantry regiment from Louisiana that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Raised in ear ...

in the ensuing

. Patton Anderson's battalion landed from a steamer on the night of October 8–9 along with the rest of the force on a beach four miles east of Fort Pickens. Patton Anderson was directed to advance through the waist of the island and then turn west along the south beach. This movement aimed to capture the Union pickets and isolate Fort Pickens from the camp a mile east of the fort where half of the 6th New York Infantry were located. When a Union picket gave the alarm on the morning of October 9, the 6th New York was alerted, but their camp was captured by

John K. Jackson John King Jackson (February 2, 1828 – February 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and soldier. He served as a Confederate States of America, Confederate General officer, general during the American Civil War, mainly in Florida in the American ...

's troops as its occupants hastily departed. After Patton Anderson's troops killed or drove away the pickets opposing them, they joined the rest of the force in looting the camp. With the element of surprise lost and dawn approaching, Richard Anderson ordered a retreat. The Confederates were able to halt the Union troops responding from Fort Pickens and burned the camp before boarding the steamer back to Pensacola. Their departure delayed by a jammed propeller on the ship, they were subjected to a heavy fire from their pursuers before the steamer finally cast off. The 7th Alabama lost at least one killed, two wounded, and six missing, two of which were captured by Company C of the 3rd U. S. Infantry. James recalled that those captured had failed to heed the order to retreat from the camp.

Tennessee, Kentucky and disbandment

As the weather turned colder, the men of the regiment began building winter quarters in late October. Meanwhile, in November the

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...

Unionists started a guerrilla war against the Confederates, burning railway bridges in the region. The 7th Alabama, leaving behind the mounted companies, was sent north on November 11 to assist the Confederate troops already stationed there in suppressing the uprising. The regiment was railed through Montgomery and

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, their arrival at

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

on November 14 delayed by the burned bridges. In the mountains near Chattanooga, local Confederate commander Brigadier General

William Henry Carroll William Henry Carroll (1810 – May 3, 1868) was a wealthy planter, a postmaster, and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Carroll was born in Nashville, Tennessee to William Carroll, ...

threatened an advance on a Unionist camp, forcing them to disperse. The 7th Alabama was transported the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

by steamboat and reached the deserted camp on November 15. The Cherokee Grays and Dale Guards were sent to capture Unionist leader William D. Clift at his home but were unsuccessful, settling for looting the residence. The regiment captured several Unionists before camping outside of Chattanooga at Tyners Station, from which Wood dispatched scouting parties to arrest suspected Unionists. Many of the latter were released upon taking the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, and the Carroll considered the uprising suppressed by late December when he lifted

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

in the region. In his report to Bragg, Wood took credit for Carroll's dispersion of the Unionist camp and denounced him as a "stupid, but easily controlled" alcoholic. While the regiment was at Tyners Station, Bragg issued a general order calling out its company commanders for abandoning their sick in camp when they left for Chattanooga. Private James P. Stephens of the Cherokee Grays wrote in his diary on December 4 that the men of the regiment were dissatisfied at an order from Coltart that forbade them from going out for wood and water without being accompanied by a sergeant and limiting the number of men who could be out of the lines. Stephens wrote that the Madison Rifles, Coltart's old company, were in a state of mutiny, but the situation had resolved itself by the next day. Alcohol created difficulties in the unit, with Russell striking the regimental drum major for being caught with a whiskey bottle and a civilian publicly whipped for selling whiskey to the soldiers. During this period, companies of the regiment were dispatched to Georgetown and Loudon to guard rail bridges. This duty met with resentment, with one soldier of the regiment complaining to his hometown newspaper that guarding rail bridges was a task for militiamen and that the regiment had departed Pensacola just before the action they had sought in the Union bombardment of

Fort McRee Fort McRee was a historic military fort constructed by the United States on the eastern tip of Perdido Key to defend Pensacola and its important natural harbor. In the defense of Pensacola Bay, Fort McRee was accompanied by Fort Pickens, located ...

. With the Unionist revolt dying down, the 7th Alabama departed Chattanooga by train on December 16 to join the Confederate

. During this period, men of the regiment were detailed to build fortifications around Bowling Green. Wood was promoted in January to command a temporary brigade in Hardee's Division that included the regiment. Coltart was promoted to colonel and Russell to lieutenant colonel on February 5, with the position of major being left vacant as the end of the regiment's term of service approached. After the fall of Fort Donelson on February 16, the

was opened up for a Union advance against the critical rail junction of the Memphis and Charleston and the

Mobile and Ohio Railroad Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

s at

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,622 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. His ...

. Confederate army commander

Albert Sidney Johnston General officer, General Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) was an American military officer who served as a general officer in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States ...

abandoned Bowling Green and retreated to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. The 7th Alabama was among the rear guard of the army and protected the evacuation of cannon from Fort Zollicoffer at Nashville. The regiment camped at

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

on February 23 and retreated further with the army until reaching Corinth where the Confederate armies in the west united in March. In the final days of March, the service terms of the companies of the regiment began to expire. A majority of the companies refused to continue serving under Coltart.Letter
James T. Brooks to Thomas M. Owen, June 24, 1910, in folder 4, part 3, 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment regimental history files at Alabama Department of Archives and History Bragg wrote to Coltart that he regretted having to part with the 7th Alabama but hoped to see them in service again. Addressing the unit, Coltart blamed officers who argued that their men would not re-enlist under Coltart's command. Coltart claimed that "the truth is it is yourselves that want office and are afraid that you will not get it." Attempts were made to get the regiment to re-enlist as a unit, with Wood offering a fifty dollar bounty and thirty days of leave to those who would re-enlist for two years. He also promised them that they would be armed with Enfield rifles. Despite these incentives, there was little support for re-enlisting as a unit among the men and they were accordingly mustered out, handing over their muskets to other units. The regiment was fully disbanded by the first week of April 1862, just before the

. Most of its men promptly re-enlisted in other units, including some from Company B in Company K of the 48th Alabama in May 1862 and some from Company E in Company H of the 39th Alabama and Company B of the 4th Alabama Battalion. Wood commanded a brigade and Coltart the newly organized 26th Alabama at the Battle of Shiloh. The two mounted companies formed part of Thomas F. Jenkins' cavalry battalion at Shiloh.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , author=Warner , first=Ezra J. , title=Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders , date=1959 , publisher=Louisiana State University Press , isbn=978-0-8071-0823-9 , location=Baton Rouge Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1862