The 20th Alabama Infantry Regiment was a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

volunteer infantry regiment from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

during 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 th ...

History

The 20th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized at

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

on September 16, 1861. The brigade was part of the District of Alabama in the Department of Alabama and West Florida until January 1862, when it joined the Army of Mobile. The regiment was part of the Army of Mobile until February and in May became part of Barton's Brigade in the Department of East Tennessee. The 20th Alabama fought in the Battle of Cumberland Gap on June 18. In June it became part of Reynolds' Brigade in Stevenson's Division. In October it transferred to Tracy's Brigade of McCown's Division. Tracy's Brigade was sent to Vicksburg in December, fighting in the

Battle of Chickasaw Bayou The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle of Walnut Hills, fought December 26–29, 1862, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton repulse ...

from December 27 to 29, and became part of Stevenson's Division in January. During the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

, a detachment from the regiment participated in the response to the Greenville Expedition between April 2 and 25. The regiment fought in the

Battle of Port Gibson The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and was victo ...

on May 1 and the

Battle of Champion Hill The Battle of Champion Hill of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confe ...

on May 16 before holding positions in the Confederate defenses of Vicksburg. The regiment surrendered at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. It was paroled there later in the month. After being exchanged, in November, the regiment became part of Pettus' Brigade of Stevenson's Division in the 1st Corps 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 i ...

, and was at the

Battle of Lookout Mountain The Battle of Lookout Mountain also known as the Battle Above The Clouds was fought November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assaulted Lookout Mountain, Chattan ...

. The division was shifted to the 2nd Corps of the army in February 1864. During the Atlanta campaign, the regiment fought at Rocky Face Ridge, New Hope Church,

Kennesaw Mountain Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of . It is the highest point in the core (urban and suburban) metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban counties ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, and Jonesborough. The regiment was not engaged at Franklin but fought at Nashville. With the remnants of the Army of Tennessee, the 20th Alabama fought in the

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January 1 ...

, seeing action in the

Battle of Wyse Fork The Battle of Wyse Fork, also known as the Battle of Kinston, was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory. Background At the end of February 1865 the port city of Wilmington had f ...

and the

Battle of Bentonville The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last battle between the armies of Union Maj. ...

. In the final days of the war, the regiment was consolidated with the 30th Alabama Infantry Regiment to form the 20th Alabama Infantry Regiment (Consolidated) at Smithfield, North Carolina on April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel James K. Elliott of the 30th Alabama commanded the unit in Pettus' Brigade, which surrendered with the army on April 26 at Durham station. Its first commander was Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel Isham W. Garrott. Other field officers were John W. Davis (Major, Lieutenant Colonel), James M. Dedman (Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel), John G. Harris (Major),

Edmund W. Pettus Edmund Winston Pettus (July 6, 1821 – July 27, 1907) was a lawyer and politician who represented Alabama in the United States Senate from 1897 to 1907. He served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army, commanding infantry in t ...

(Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel), Alfred S. Pickering (Major), Mitchell T. Porter (Major, Lieutenant Colonel).

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{Cite book , last=Sifakis , first=Stewart , title=Compendium of the Confederate armies: Alabama , publisher=Facts on File , year=1992 , isbn=0-8160-2287-9 , location=New York Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865