Crews' Tennessee Battalion

[BumpusTN]

I'm looking for any information that relates to the roster and organization of Crews' Tennessee Infantry Battalion. The outfit was from Savannah, Hardin County Tennessee, but only fought under the above designation at the battle of Shiloh, afterwhich it was absorbed into the 5th Kentucky Inf. and later Co. B of the 23rd Tennessee Battalion. This is the only information I have on this unit. I'm trying to locate a roster of it's officers and men. I believe this is the unit which one of my great-great grandfathers served. His name was B.A. Fitzgerald and spent the years prior to the war living in Adamsville, Tennessee, just down the road from Savannah. I have his sword, a Leech and Rigdon (Memphis) CS foot officer's sword with the enscription "Capt B.A. Fitzgerald--Adamsville" on the blade. I also have a Mississippi "I" button that came off his uniform when he returned from the war. I'd never been able to locate him on any roster of field officers. I thought perhaps he might have served in a staff officer capacity. A few days ago, I came across a report from a staff officer of Adm Foote who's report talked about "engaging a group of Confederate Infantry encamped at Savannah. He states, "I have captured JB Kendrick of Captain (BA) Fitzgerald's company, Colonel Crews' regiment, Tennessee Volunteers." This is the only reference I can find attaching him to the outfit and area. A look at the records of Co. B or the 23rd Battalion show an "R".A. Fitzgerald. I think that this may be a typo of BA. To many coincidences not to be. I guess I'm just interested to see if anyone has access to or has ever seen anything else that might be related to this obscure group of men.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!!

Scott Bumpus
Jackson, TN

[Dignann]

Re: Crews' Tennessee Battalion

Scott,

A look through Tom Broadfoot's The Roster of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 reveals a listing for a Capt. B.A. Fitzgerald in Co. B, 23rd Battalion Tennessee Infantry.

Eric

[BumpusTN]

Re: Crews' Tennessee Battalion

Eric,

Wow, thanks! Do you have access to this volume of work, or is it available anywhere online?

Scott Bumpus
Jackson, TN

[Dignann]

Re: Crews' Tennessee Battalion

Scott,

I do have access it, but it doesn't say anthing more than what I wrote above. These volumes are simply lists of soldiers, their rank and unit affiliation. With that information, however, you can obtain his compiled service records (CSR) from the National Archives in Washington, DC.

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records.html

Eric

[boozie]

Re: Crews' Tennessee Battalion

Here is another twist, looking on a paid genealogy site, I found "Capt. B.A. Fitzgerald in co. F, 9th Kentucky Inf. It states he enlisted Jan. 2, 1862 and transfered to the 23rd artilley battn., co. B on April 14, 1862." A couple of notes; Jan. 2nd 1862 is the time period Crews was recruiting his battn. in Hardin Co., there is no real record for men in Crews battn. until they are put in the 9th (formally 5th) KY.

There was also not a 23rd artillery battn., co. B from Tenn., from past experience, it is more likely a misprint. If you send of to the National Archives for a service record, I would get the 9th KY. record for him. You can get the 23rd battn. record at the state archives in Nashville. This Battn. was later consolidated with the 45th Tenn, I did not find Mr. Fitzgerald in these rolls.
I hope this helps.

Its hard searching for alot of the Hardin County men period, it was not a good place to live during this time. I had to do alot of searching for my grandfather W.D. Lee, and found him after a long search in the 51/52nd Tenn, one of the groups I looked at early on was Crews Battn. He was from the Olive Hill area of Hardin Co., i'm lucky enough to have an image.

[BumpusTN]

Re: Crews' Tennessee Battalion

Thanks Scott.

I'm rubbing bleary eyes this morning because I was up into the wee hours pouring over the O.R's looking for information. I was able to trace Crews' into the 9th (also called the 5th) KY, until November, '62. At that time they were incorporated into the newly formed 23rd TN Battalion as Co. B. The 9th KY were with Crew's Battalion at Shiloh as part of Trabue's Brigade, Breckinridges corps, and I guess remained with them until the November reorganization. They were moved to the 23rd due to the fact that they were all Tennesseeans. I also found the records placing them with the 45th Regt, although, they always kept separate muster rolls (thus indicating the reason for no BA Fitzgerald in their ranks). As far as a Co. B., 23rd Tennessee Battery, I'm sure that the original listing was for the 23rd Tennessee Batt. and battery was confused for battalion. In "Tennesseeans in the Civil War", There is a Captain BA Fitzgerald listed for Co. B, 22nd Tennessee Battalion, but I again have to assume that was a typo, and that the 23rd was intended. Interesting that you mentioned the 51st/52nd Tennessee. My other GG Grandfather was in Co. I of the 51st, from Henderson, Madison (now Chester) county. His name was Sgt. Willis Renfro, and his brother was Lt. Tazewell Renfro. Small world.

Again, thanks for the comments.

Scott Bumpus
Jackson, TN