The 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment 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 marine i ...

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 conscripted ...

of 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 ...

regiment 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 ...

. The regiment was composed of ten companies that came from various counties across

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 ...

. It is one of the few regiments that served both in the Army of Northern Virginia and Army of Tennessee. It is not to be confused with another 26th Alabama (Coltart's) which was formed around the same time in Mississippi; that unit being renumbered as the 50th Alabama Infantry Regiment on June 6, 1863.

Organization and muster

The 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment was formed at Tuscumbia, Alabama, on March 27, 1862, by increasing the 3rd Alabama Battalion to a regiment. Two companies of the 3rd battalion had been captured at Fort Donelson, and were not part of the redesignation. The regiment was consolidated with the 1st, 16th, 33rd and 45th Alabama Infantry Regiments on April 8, 1865, and redesignated 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment Consolidated and surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

History

After forming at Tuscumbia, the regiment was ordered to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

on March 24 and reported to General

John B. Magruder John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807 – February 18, 1871) was an American and Confederate military officer. A graduate of West Point, Magruder served with distinction during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and was a prominent Confede ...

at Yorktown. It was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General

Gabriel J. Rains Gabriel James Rains (June 4, 1803 – September 6, 1881) was a career United States Army officer and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Gabriel James Rains was born in June 1803 in Ne ...

. They were engaged at the Battle of Seven Pines where their regimental commander, Col.

Edward A. O'Neal Edward Asbury O'Neal (September 20, 1818 – November 7, 1890) was a Confederate officer during the American Civil War and the 26th Governor of Alabama. Early life and career O'Neal was born in Madison County, Alabama, to Edward and Rebec ...

was wounded. The brigade saw further action at Mechanicsville and

Gaines Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles ( Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. Following the incon ...

as part of General

D.H. Hill Lieutenant-General Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil War ...

's Division. Missing the action at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

since D.H.Hill's Division was sent to Richmond to guard the capital, the regiment was engaged at the battles of South Mountain, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville as part of Rodes Brigade. After the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia in the spring of 1863, Col. O'Neal took charge of the brigade, as General Rodes went on to command the Division as part of the Second Corps. The regiment took part in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

Cullen A. Battle Cullen Andrews Battle (June 1, 1829 – April 8, 1905) was an American attorney, farmer, and politician. He was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He fought Congressional Reconstruction after the war in Al ...

later replaced O'Neill as brigade commander and the regiment went on to participate in the Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns, before being on special duty. On February 15, 1864, the regiment was ordered by Inspector General

John H. Winder John Henry Winder (February 21, 1800 – February 7, 1865) was a career United States Army officer who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He later served as a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. Wind ...

to convey prisoners to Andersonville, Georgia. The regiment served as guards at Andersonville until May. The regiment was intended to go back to Virginia but instead left for

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 May 22 by order of Adjutant General

Samuel Cooper Samuel or Sam Cooper may refer to: *Samuel Cooper (painter) (1609–1672), English miniature painter *Samuel Cooper (clergyman) (1725–1783), Congregationalist minister in Boston, Massachusetts * Samuel Cooper (surgeon) (1780–1848), English surge ...

, dated May 14.Official Records No.66 p 484, 487, 496 In June the regiment was part of the brigade of General

James Cantey James Cantey (December 30, 1818 – June 30, 1874) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was a lawyer, slave owner, state legislator in South Carolina and officer in the Mexican–American War, and a s ...

; sent north to be assigned to the Army of Tennessee. Canteys Brigade served in Walthall's Division, Polks Corps and was engaged in the Atlanta Campaign, the battles of Franklin and Nashville; serving until the final surrender at Durham Station near Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

References

* U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. * Stewart Sifakis. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama. Facts on File, NY 1992

Notes

External links

{{Authority control Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama 1862 establishments in Alabama Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Organization and muster

History

See also

References

Notes

External links