The 154th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

that served with the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, 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), fighting ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Raised originally in 1842 as the 154th Tennessee Militia it sought to retain its number and was as such also known as 154th (Senior) Tennessee Infantry (1st Tennessee Volunteers). Consolidating with the

13th Tennessee Infantry Regiment The 13th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry was an infantry regiment from Tennessee that served with the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. Notable battles fought in include the Battle of Shiloh, the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battle o ...

in March 1863 it was known as 13th-154th Tennessee Infantry Regiment; and had a number of temporary field consolidations until it was finally merged into the 2nd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry on April 9, 1865. The regiment surrendered with the remnants of the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

at Bennett Place on April 26, 1865.

Organization & Service

The 154th Tennessee Regiment was a pre-war organization. Originally raised in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

in 1842, its companies were grouped into a battalion and assigned the Tennessee number 154. It retained the numerical designation when the old militia system was abandoned by Tennessee in 1859. The regiment became a social organization by taking out a charter of incorporation on March 22, 1860; under command of Col. William H. Carroll. Based at

its members were largely from Shelby County.

1861

When war broke out a year later, the 154th was organized in Randolph, Shelby County on May 14, 1861. It sought to retain its old number 154 as it was known as the "Oldest of the Old". Of notion is a great portion of immigrant volunteers from Ireland and the German states. It received permission to add the appellation "Senior" to its regimental number to indicate it predated regiments with lower numbers; and was also named "1st Tennessee Volunteers".
The elected original field officers were Colonel Preston Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Marcus J. Wright and Major Jones Genette. Company A (Light Guards) - Capt. James Genette - Shelby County (Major Genette was replaced by Capt. C. L. Powers) Company B (Bluff City Grays) - Capt. James H. Edmondson - Shelby County (became an independent sharpshooter company in 1862) Company B - Capt. H. E. DeGraffenried - Fayette County (organized on May 16, 1862) Company C (Jackson Guards) - Capt. Michael Magevney Jr. - Shelby County Company D (Memphis Zouaves / Harris Zouave Cadets) - Capt. Sterling Fowlkes - Shelby County Company E (Hickory Rifles) - Capt. John D. Martin - Shelby County Company F (Henry Guards) - Capt. Edward Fitzgerald - Henry County Preston Smith

Company G (Southern Guards) - Capt. James Hamilton - Shelby County (withdrew from regimental mustering and became "Company L, 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery") Company G (The Beauregards) - Capt. James S. Moreland - Shelby County Company H (Crockett Rangers) - Capt. Marsh M. Patrick - Shelby County Company I (McNairy Guards) - Capt. Alphonso Cross - McNairy County Company K (Sons of Liberty) - Capt. Thomas H. Hancock - Hardeman County Company L (Maynard Rifles) - Capt. E. A. Cole - Shelby County (organized on March 8, 1862) The Steuben Artillery was attached to the regiment during its state service, but disbanded in August 1861.
Marcus Joseph Wright

On August 13, 1861, at

New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid ( es, Nueva Madrid) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo ...

, the regiment was mustered into Confederate service with 802 men under arms. On September 7 it was brigaded under command of Col.

Benjamin F. Cheatham Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Cheatham (October 20, 1820 – September 4, 1886) was a Tennessee planter, California gold miner, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Army of Tennessee, inflicting ...

. When Cheatham advanced to division command Preston Smith was given command of a small brigade including his own 154th as well as Blythe's Mississippi Regiment and Hudson's Battery. Participating in the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S. president, ...

on November 7 the regiment was under command of Lt. Col. Wright. The regiment was one of the few that crossed the Mississippi River (in the steamer ''Kentucky'') in the attempt to cut the Union's line of retreat. The command was not able to inhibit the retreat; though i.a. the regiment captured some military equipment and a dozen prisoners. Wright reports the regiment's losses as one man killed and 12 wounded.

1862

In March 1862 the regiment received its new flag when Gen.

P.G.T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is common ...

attempt to standardize the battle flags of the

. It was made by sail maker Henry Cassidy in New Orleans and made of light weight cotton fabric with 12 6-pointed silk stars. At Shiloh in April 1862 the brigade was under command of Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson and Smith commanded the regiment again. In the advance on April 6 the 154th was on the right of the brigade, the brigade and division being close to the center of the Confederate line. The division advanced against the Illinois division of Gen. McClernand. While the attack dislocated the enemy and led to the capture of numerous guns, the 154th alone taking four of the six guns of Dresser's Illinois battery, it didn't come without cost. Generals Cheatham and Johnson were both wounded, i.a. reinstating Preston Smith as brigade commander and Wright to command the regiment. Afterwards the brigade was ordered to advance to the right against elements of W.H.L. Wallace's division. During this time companies B and G were separated from the regiment, and were not able to join their unit until the day's fighting ended; instead gathering and escorting prisoners of the previous clash. While the regiment moved in close support of the advancing artillery the new Company L, armed with Maynard rifles, was detached to skirmish on the brigade's right, and stayed detached till the nightly hours of early April 7. When the rejoined regiment was ordered with the brigade to the Confederate line it was put under heavy fire from Gen.

William "Bull" Nelson William "Bull" Nelson (September 27, 1824 – September 29, 1862) was a United States naval officer who became a Union general during the American Civil War. As a Kentuckian, Nelson could have sympathized with the Confederates but, like his st ...

's newly arrived division; and together with a portion of another regiment (Blythe's) lost contact to the brigade. The regimental battle flag was lost 20 paces from the Union lines, several color bearers being shot on both days, but it was recaptured by Capt. George Mellersh. Now in the general move to the rear it fell in with Jones M. Withers's division and retreated in good order. Starting the battle with about 650 men present it lost 23 killed, 163 wounded and 11 missing. Afterwards the 154th had a rapid succession of brigade assignments. In May it was reported in Donelson's brigade, in June in Fulton's and Russell's brigades; but finally, at Tupelo on July 8, it was given their final brigade assignment throughout the war - again in the brigade of Col. Preston Smith which was completed by the 12th,

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

and

47th Tennessee Infantry Regiment The 47th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry was an infantry regiment from Tennessee that served with the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. Notable battles the regiment was involved in include Shiloh. See also *List of Tennessee Confede ...

s as well as Bankhead's Battery. Also part of Smith's brigade was ''Edmondson's Sharpshooter Company'', which has been Company B of the 154th till now. Lt. Col. Wright, himself being wounded at Shiloh on April 6 and appointed military governor of

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi Ri ...

, transferred from the regiment and served as Adjutant General to Gen. Cheatham. As the last Major, John D. Martin, raised and commanded the 25th Mississippi Infantry; the regiment was commanded by Major Edward Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was made Colonel; but was killed on August 30 in the

Battle of Richmond The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 29–30, 1862, was one of the most complete Confederate victories in the war by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith against Union major general William "Bull" Nelson's forces, which were defending ...

. His successor as regimental commander was Lt. Col., Irishman Michael Magevney. In December 1862 only 245 men were present for the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Am ...

, in which 41% were lost (14 killed, 84 wounded and 4 missing).

1863

The small regiment went into winter quarters at

Shelbyville, Tennessee Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The town was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. Shelbyville had a population of 20,335 residents at the 2010 census. The town is a hub of the Tenness ...

. Here it was consolidated with the equally-depleted

and constituted the 13th-154th Tennessee Infantry Regiment with Col.

Alfred J. Vaughan Alfred Jefferson Vaughan Jr. (May 10, 1830 – October 1, 1899) was an American civil engineer, planter, soldier, and writer. He served as a Confederate States of America, Confederate General officer, general during the American Civil War, in w ...

of the 13th in overall command; though the muster rolls were kept separated for the duration of the war. After the Tullahoma Campaign in mid 1863 Smith's brigade (still in Cheatham's Division of Polk's Corps) consisted of the 11th, 12th-47th, 13th-154th and 29th Tennessee regiments as well as a detachment of sharpshooters known as Dawson's Sharpshooter Battalion.

Later war

The 154th Tennessee Infantry surrendered with Gen.

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

on May 2, 1865. The 154th Tennessee Infantry was located in "the angle" at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain Georgia in June 1864. The angle turned out to be the main point of attack by Union General Sherman. The Union attack was repulsed while suffering a great number of casualties. The 154th participated in the battle of Peachtree Creek ordered by the newly appointed commander of The Army of Tennessee General John Bell Hood on July 20, 1864. This battle was fought just outside of the city of Atlanta with the battlefield now well within the modern day city of Atlanta. The confederate attack had initial success taking ground and cannon from the Union forces there. The attack was not supported, however, and Union reinforcements eventually regained the lost ground.

Regimental Commanders

Other field officers

*Lt. Col. John W. Dawson *Lt. Col. Marcus J. Wright *Maj. Jones Genette *Maj. John D. Martin *Maj. Marsh M. Patrick

Modern-day reenactment units

The ''Bluff City Grays - Co. B, 154th Sr. Regiment, 1st Tennessee Infantry'' is a Memphis-based Confederate living history association with reenactors from western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas and southern Missouri. The company's purpose is to create an authentic impression of the common Confederate foot soldier; in the garb, with the gear and persona of the troops of Co. B, 154th Senior Regiment, 1st Tennessee, CSA, circa 1861. The ''154th Senior Tennessee Infantry Company K inc'' was organized in the late 1970s in Northwest Indiana and Northern Illinois. Many of the 1970s original members are still participating with the 154th. The company has both Confederate and Union impression and several civilians and auxiliaries. It also has a "Soldier in the Classroom" program.

References

Notes

Sources

* U.S. War Department; ''The War of the Rebellion : a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.''; Series I, Washington, D.C.; 1880-1898 *
National Park Service - Soldiers-and-Sailors Database

Chickamauga Blog

Civil War Reference

Irish in the American Civil War

James D. Julia, Inc. (auctioneer)

External links

Bluff City Grays - Modern-day reenacting group from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri

Company K inc - Modern-day reenacting group from Indiana and Illinois
{{Authority control Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Tennessee Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 1865 disestablishments in Tennessee 1842 establishments in Tennessee