Federal Units from the South

[Crockett]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Two regiments missed on the list from East Tennessee were the 6th and 8th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiments, U.S. I had relatives in both regiments and a relative in the 5th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, U.S. as well. North Georgia and Western North Carolina had strong Union sympathies as well.

[Cincinnati Rebel]

Re: Federal Units from the South

While Federal history is quick to point out Federal units from Southern states, more interesting research and discussion, because it is almost never mentioned, would be focused on Confederate units or enlistments from northern states. Naturally it was very difficuly for northerners, in occupied territory, to form CS units or to reach them in order to enlist, but this was done to some extent.

A case in point would be Capt. Thorndike Brooks' Company G, 15th Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A., which was from Illinois. Somewhat different, but northern men in CS units nonetheless, is the Confederate 1st Foreign Battalion (later designated as Tucker's Confederate Regiment), raised from Federal prisoners at the CS military prison in Salisbury, North Carolina. This was not a small, isolated concept, since the return in OR Series II Vol. 8 p.254 shows 1,737 Federal POWs recruited into 3 battalions at Salisbury alone.

Further, it is interesting to note that some Federal units that would appear to be from Confederate states were, in fact, men from the North.

Examples, primarily from Dyer's Compendium:
The 1st Louisiana Cavalry (US) was in large part a reorganization of the 2nd Rhode Island Cavalry. According to the Official Records, that reorganization produced quite the mutiny among the Rhode Island troopers who were forced to take on the identity of another state.
Dyer's Compendium alludes to the 1st Tennessee Cavalry (US), organized from the 4th Tennessee Infantry (US) at Camp Dennison, Ohio, being filled out by Ohio enlistments.

Companies G, H, I, and K of the 1st Maryland Cavalry (US) were originally designated the 1st Virginia Cavalry (US), but were merged into the Maryland unit since the Virginia Federal regiment never materialized. Those men were actually from Pennsylvania.
The men who made up the 2nd West Virginia (US) were organized in Pittsburgh, but Pennslyvania did not recognize the unit, so they moved to Virginia.

There are other examples, but this should serve as a g0od starting point.

[Roy Queen]

Re: Federal Units from the South

Mrs Lawson brings up a very good point regarding the violence in Fannin County, GA. I've done a check of cemeteries in the county, and one can determine the loyalties of a given district by the graves of the Civil War veterans in that district.

In what used to be the county seat, Morganton, there are many confederate veteran graves with the occassional union soldier hear and there. However, moving on to the Noontootla area, and by checking the old cemeteries there, that area was predominately unionist, and incidently, was also the scene of bushwhacker activities. My great great great grandfather F. Waters a veteran of the Union 7th TN Mounted Infantry, is buried next to his brother in law, a Sergeant in the 23rd Georgia Infantry Regiment.

Roy Queen

[madasabagofcats]

Re: Federal Units from the South

There's some good reading on this subject at the beginning of 'A Southern Boy in Blue - The Memoir of Marcus Woodcock 9th Kentucky Infantry (USA)' edited by Kenneth W. Noe, University of Tennessee Press, ISBN 0-87049-921-1

Woodcock was a native of Macon County in Tennessee and there seems to have been much Union sentiment in the Macon region. On the other hand, Confederate sentiment seems to have been high in Monroe County, Kentucky, just across the State line.

It must have been hell for some of these boys returning from their enlistments on both sides of the State line.

[Roy Queen]

Re: Federal Units from the South

I've read of accounts of former Confederate soldiers from East Tennessee being expelled from that area to more hospitable areas. Some had moved back after a few years, but many left East Tennessee for good.

Although not having to be forced to relocate, Lt. R.L. Chastain of the 11th GA Cavalry is a good example of what awaited some returning Confederate soldiers. Lt. Chastain's family during the war was one of the leading secessionist families in the North GA counties of Union and Fannin. While serving in his home area, Lt. Chastain chased bushwhackers, deserters, and unioniists, apparently doing too good of a job in this business because after the war, many of the local unionists tried to sue him for damages in the county court system.

Roy Queen

[Dusty Merritt]

Re: Federal Units from the South

John Inscoe and Gordon McKinney's book, The Heart of Confederate Appalachia, provides some great info on Unionists in western NC, including Unionist guerrillas, volunteers in the 2nd & 3rd NC Mounted Infantry, and some Union units from TN & GA that were active in the region. A lot of Confederate deserters hid out in the mountains, some of them engaging in guerrilla war against NC Confederate troops sent to round them up. Was a civil war within a civil war.

[Mtn.Guerilla]

Re: Federal Units from the South

I actually had a family line by the name of Kennamer out of Northern Alabama ( Jackson Co.) that formed thier own company of Scouts and Guides for the Union. Needless to say their life was extremely tough at times, for them and their families. Meanwhile on the other end of the valley near Chattanooga, I had family that seemed to constantly harrass the Federal supply lines coming into Sequatchie Valley, (ie: Conderate Guerillas hints, the avatar title) This was only discoverd thru family records I found over the past few years. There is a good book called Mountain Rebels, that we disussed awhile back, that addresses alot of these topics. Although it's extremely tough finding info on Western Federal scouts and guides.