Federal Units from the South

[Rear Guard]

I am preparing for a school presentation and was wondering: Once in a while, I read of a Union Regiment that came from a border state or even a state that had succeeded from the Union. Can anyone give me examples of this? Especially from succeeded states in the deep south.

[LHV1861]

Re: Federal Units from the South

There were a number of Union regiments from North Carolina. Heres a link to a list. Hope this helps. http://www.nctroops.com/union.htm




Jeff Felton
Liberty Hall Volunteers

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Florida,too, had its share of Federal units made from a combination of unionists and galavanizers from Confederate units. The most well known of these is the 2d Florida Cavalry (US), of which a quick search can turn up its unit history that including shirmishing throughout Florida and a rear-guard action at the battle of Natural Bridge.

[Dignann]

Re: Federal Units from the South

From Frederick Dyer's A Comendiumof the War of the Rebellion (1908):

Alabama
1st Regt. Cav.
1st Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
3rd Regt. Infy. A. D
4th Regt. Infy. A.D.

Arkansas
1st Regt. Cav.
2nd Regt. Cav.
3rd Regt. Cav.
4th Regt. Cav.
1st Batty. Light Arty.
1st Batty. L. A.--A. D.
1st Regt. Infy.
1st Batt'n Infy.
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Infy.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
3rd Regt. Infy.
3rd Regt. Infy. A.D.
4th Regt. Infy.
4th Regt. Infy. A.D.
5th Regt. Infy. A.D.
6th Regt. Infy. A.D

Florida
1st Regt. Cav.
2nd Regt, Cav.

Georgia
1st Batt'n Infy.

Louisiana
1st Regt. Cav.
2nd Regt. Cav.
1st Reg. Heavy Arty. A.D.
1st Batty. L. A.--A. D.
2nd Batty. L. A.--A. D.
3rd Batty. L. A.--A. D.
1st Regt. Infy.
1st Regt. New Orleans Infy.
2nd Regt. Infy.
2nd Regt. N. O. Infy.
1st Regt. Native Guard Infy.
2nd Regt. Native Guard Infy.
3rd Regt. Native Guard Infy.
4th Regt. Native Guard Infy.
5th Regt. Infy. A.D.
6th Regt. Infy. A.D.
7th Regt Infy. A.D. (60 dys.)
7th Regt. Infy. A.D.
8th Regt. Infy. A.D.
9th Regt. Infy. A.D. (Old)
9th Regt. Infy. A.D. (New)
10th Regt. Infy. A.D.
11th Regt. Infy. A.D.
12th Regt. Infy. A.D.

Mississippi
1st Regt. Cav. A.D.
1st Regt. Mounted Rifles.
1st Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
2nd Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
3rd Regt. Infy. A.D.
4th Regt. Infy. A.D.
5th Regt. Infy. A.D.
6th Regt. Infy. A.D.

North Carolina
1st Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
1st Regt. Infy.
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Infy.
2nd Regt. Mounted Infy.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
3rd Regt. Mounted Infy.
3rd Regt. Infy. A.D.

South Carolina
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
3rd Regt. Infy. A.D.
4th Regt. Infy. A.D.
5th Regt. Infy. A.D.

Tennessee
1st Regt. Cav.
1st Middle Tenn. Cav. (5-Cav.)
1st West Tenn. Cav. (6-Cav.)
2nd Regt. Cav.
2nd West. Tenn. Cav. (7-Cav.)
3rd Regt. Cav.
4th Regt. Cav.
5th East Tenn. Cav. (8-Cav.)
5th Regt. Cav.
6th Regt. Cav.
7th Regt. Cav.
8th Regt. Cav.
9th Regt. Cav.
10th Regt. Cav.
11th Regt. Cav.
12th Regt. Cav.
13th Regt. Cav.
14th Regt. Cav.
Bradford's Batt'n Cav.
Tenn. and Ala. Vidette Cav.
1st Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
2nd Regt. Heavy Arty. A.D.
Batty. A. Light Arty.
Batty. B. Light Arty.
Batty. C. Light Arty.
Batty. D. Light Arty.
Batty. E. Light Arty.
Batty. F. Light Arty. ,
Batty. G. Light Arty.
Batty. K. Light Arty.
Memphis Batty. L. A. A.D.
1st Regt. Infy.
1st Regt. Infy. A.D.
1st Regt. Mounted Infy.
1st Regt. E. M. Infy.
2nd Regt. Infy.
2nd Regt. Infy. A.D.
2nd Regt. Mounted Infy.
2nd Regt. E. M. Infy.
3rd Regt. Infy.
3rd Regt. Mounted Infy.
3rd Regt. E. M. Infy.
4th Regt. Infy.
4th Regt. Mounted Infy.
4th Regt. E. M. Infy.
5th Regt. Infy.
5th Regt. Mounted Infy.
6th Regt. Infy.
6th Regt. Mounted Infy.
7th Regt. Infy.
7th Regt. Mounted Infy.
8th Regt. Infy.
8th Regt. Mounted Infy.
9th Regt. Infy.
10th Regt. Infy.
Nashville Union Guards.

Texas
1st Regt. Cav.
2nd Regt. Cav.
2nd Batt'n Cav. Partizan Rangers.

Virginia
Indpt. Batt'n Loudon Rangers

Note: A.D. stands for "African Descent."


Eric

[Bivouac_of_the_Dead]

Re: Federal Units from the South

This web site lists all Union military organizations from every state, North, South, East and West:

http://www.civilwararchive.com/regim.htm

[J_V]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Another interesting angle for your study would be to research the counties from which many of those regiments were mustered. Some geographical patterns can be found in those Union regiments. Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas come to mind. From there, it would be interesting to try to drill down on reasons for Union recruitment within those regions. I know that Eastern Tennessee did not practice slavery on a wide scale (compared to Western Tennessee), and the same may be true of those counties in other Confederate states that furnished other Union regiments.

In the case of Kentucky, however, it would be interesting to see when many of those units were mustered and whether the enlistment of some units correlate to Polk's invasion of that state. Speculation all, until research is conducted. An interesting angle though, no?

Jonathan Vaughan

[Dan Munson]

Re: Federal Units from the South

The list from Dyer's has been posted above, and that gives you a pretty good list. To the "Virginia" roster, I would add the Union troops of "West" Virginia, which after all started the war as a part of the Old Dominion and then broke away -- I understand there were a few East Tennesseans who had the same sort of thing in mind but never got around to enacting it. Perhaps the Union units from Kentucky and Missouri should also be added, because I believe the Confederates recognized their "rump" secessionist governments as the "rightful" state governments there. The fellow above who mentioned the linkage between low slave populations and Unionist feeling has a point. To that end, you might check out William Freehling's "The Road to Disunion." It contains an excellent study of the demographics -- including slave populations -- from the the end of the Revolution to the 1850s. It's a generalization, of course, but the areas of the Confederacy that tended to display the most resistance to secession were those areas, such as the mountainous regions, where slavery was not a dominant local institution. Lincoln and friends had their hands full with "Copperheads" -- and Jeff D. & Co. had to cope with more than a little "disloyalty" within Confederate borders. Look also at the book "Lincoln's Loyalists" for a good treatment on Southern Unionists (sorry - don't have the author's name ready to hand, but I can fish it out for anyone interested.)

Dan Munson
Co. K, 100th Penn'a
"The Roundhead Regiment"

[brown]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Federal troops for southern states, as noted above, was fairly widespread. What little family I had in this country by 1860 were East Tennessee Unionists (3rd Tenn Cav and 7th Tenn M.I.).
A couple of things to note, while Tennessee's heaviest Unionist population was in the East, when one looks at a map of sentiment, Unionism seems to have followed the Tennessee River to some degree (through North Alabama and into a narrow swath of Western Tennessee.
Also, the effects of divided loyalties within a Southern state had long term implications. In Harper Lee's "To a Kill a Mockingbird" the people of the town do not trust the new teacher in town b/c she comes from North Alabama. Someone from Alabama may be able to share more of the details (and non-ACW) connections to any intrastate distrust.

[aaron1stvirginia]

Re: Federal Units from the South

sir i don't know if this is to late or not and i wish i had seen it sooner, but i can give you a little history about the 13th tennessee cavalry. they ere mustered in johnson and carter counties in north east tennessee. they were bridge burners and also destroyed railroads. in the book i have called the history of the 13th regiment tennessee vol. cavalry USA, by captain samuel scott captain co g 13th tn tvc and samuel angel adjutant 13th tvc, it speaks of the vote in tn being over 60,000 majority votes for tn to stay in the union and east tennessee having between 30000-40000 men enlist for the federal army and the population of men between 18 and 45 was 45000. that says alot for east tennessee and it's ties to the union. it also speaks of the group riding with stoneman into sw virginia and into north carolina, south carolina and georgia. really good book about southern unionist.

[Rear Guard]

Re: Federal Units from the South

This is great information and my students were all very surprised that loyalties did not always go the way of their respective states. It is just another example on how this war was full of irony and contradictions. Also makes me realize how the true story of the war is far more complicated than any history book can describe.

[Roy Queen]

Re: Federal Units from the South

From what I have learned regarding the Waters side of my family, they were born in SC, and GA, and made their home in Fannin County, GA on the GA/TN state line. When war came, the family owned an iron forge along Fighting Town creek which was confiscated by the CS government. So it is not surprising that my great, great grandfather joined the 7th TN Mounted Infantry (US).

Another kinsman did not enlist in the army, but did slip across to Cleveland, TN and work for the Union Army.

Roy Queen
Co B 3rd CS Engineer Regiment

[Bob Herr]

Re: Federal Units from the South

An equally interesting subject to study is The Southern Claims Comission which was an agency created by the Federal government in 1871 to receive claims and compensate for losses incurred by people in the South who had remained loyal to the Union. There were several thousand claims filed and reviewed. They are several pages long and contain a lot of testimony that provides interesting insight into the lives of these people. Bob Herr

[maineman]

Re: Federal Units from the South

As far as North Alabama being more pro union, Winston Co. had the only rep. to the Secessional convention to vote against secession, and was jailed. Winston Co. then proceded to seceed from the Confederacy and became the Free State of Winston, formed a number of Federal units 1st Alabama Cavalary (U.S.) for example. To this day it remains one of the poorest counties in Alabama

[Spinster]

Re: Federal Units from the South

And from the poor hard scrabble farmers of the hills of Winston County, we take our civilian organizational name, Winston Free-State.

http://wcgs.ala.nu/factandfiction.htm

Today, it is coal country, just as rough and tumble as it was a century and a half ago. There is an active mounted organization in our area whose sole portrayal is the men of the 1st Alabama Cavalry, with many of the members from Winston county and the surrounding area.

And to Mr. Queen--Fannin County, especially the areas around Fightingtown and Cut Cane Creeks were hotbeds of Unionist sentiment, with much of the male population going over the gap to join Federal forces, or simply fading into the higher mountains for the duration. Home Guard activities were nothing short of murder, and stories are strongly repeated these long years later. Look for Union veterans buried in the Lovin and Hothouse cemetaries, as well as soldiers of unknown name who died on the road, buried in the Van Hooke graveyard.

[JimKindred]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Lincoln's Loyalists is a very good book on this topic - http://www.upne.com/1-55553-124-5.html Makes for some enjoyable reading.