![Thomas H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Thomas_H._Herndon.jpg)
The 36th 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 ...
that served in the
Confederate 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 ...
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 36th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized at
Mount Vernon Arsenal
The Mount Vernon Arsenal is a former United States Army munitions depot (arsenal), was used as a prison for captured Native Americans, and was served as a psychiatric hospital. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Mount Verno ...
on 12 May 1862.
Robert Hardy Smith
Robert Hardy Smith (March 21, 1813 – March 13, 1878) was an American politician who served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Smith was born in Camden County, North Ca ...
was
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
,
Lewis Thompson Woodruff lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
, and
Thomas Hord Herndon major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. The regiment spent a month there, and helped build defenses at Oven and Choctaw Bluffs. It was part of the garrison of
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
between August 1862 and April 1863, when it was sent to
Tullahoma to join 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 ...
.
At Tullahoma, the 36th Alabama was brigaded under
Henry DeLamar Clayton together with the
32nd and 58th Consolidated,
18th
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.
In mathematics
* Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
, and
38th Alabama Infantry Regiments. Clayton's brigade was part of
Alexander P. Stewart
Alexander Peter Stewart (October 2, 1821 – August 30, 1908) was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He fought in many of the most significant bat ...
's division. The regiment participated in the retreat of the army during the
Tullahoma campaign and fought in the
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between United States, U.S. and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union Army, Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign ...
, in which it lost 125 men killed and wounded. The regiment suffered light casualties at
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 ...
but lost a large number in killed, wounded, and captured at the
Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...
.
The regiment encamped at
Dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
Entertainment
* Dalton (Buffyverse), minor cha ...
with the army during the winter of 1863 to 1864. In the
Atlanta campaign, it fought in the
Battle of Rocky Face Ridge
The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge was fought May 7–13, 1864, in Whitfield County, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union army was led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and the Confederate army by Gen. J ...
,
Battle of Resaca
The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...
,
Battle of New Hope Church
The Battle of New Hope Church (May 25–26, 1864) was a clash between the Union Army under Major general (United States), Major General William T. Sherman and the Confederate States Army, Confederate Army of Tennessee led by General (CSA), Gene ...
, the
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Uni ...
. The 36th Alabama lost roughly 300 men in action after departing Dalton, and at the
Battle of Jonesboro
The Battle of Jonesborough (August 31–September 1, 1864) was fought between Union Army forces led by William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces under William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. On the first ...
was involved in particularly heavy fighting, losing a quarter of those present. The regiment went with the army into
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...
during the
Franklin–Nashville Campaign
The Franklin–Nashville campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater, conducted from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civ ...
. It lost roughly 60 men at
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1 ...
but was able to survive as an organized force following the battle.
The regiment and the rest of
James T. Holtzclaw
James Thadeus Holtzclaw (December 17, 1833 – July 19, 1893) was an Alabama lawyer, railroad commissioner, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role of several major engagements of t ...
's brigade was sent to Mobile to garrison
Spanish Fort. In the
Mobile campaign
A mobile campaign is a campaign, usually marketing, advertising, or public relations-related, through which organizations contact their audience through SMS (text messaging). This form of campaigning allows organizations to reach out and establish ...
it lost 110 killed, wounded, and captured. Following the evacuation of Mobile, the regiment surrendered at
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...
in April 1865. Since the beginning of the Atlanta Campaign, where it had mustered 460 effectives, the regiment had lost 470 men and 21 officers, mostly killed and wounded.
Commanders
*
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Robert Hardy Smith
Robert Hardy Smith (March 21, 1813 – March 13, 1878) was an American politician who served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Smith was born in Camden County, North Ca ...
* Colonel
Lewis Thompson Woodruff
* Colonel
Thomas Hord Herndon
See also
*
Alabama Civil War Confederate Units {{Short description, none
This is a list of Alabama Civil War Confederate Units.
Infantry
* Alabama Brigade
* 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment
**Perote Guards (Company D)
* 2nd Alabama Infantry Regiment
* 3rd Alabama Infantry Regiment
* 4th Alabama ...
*
Alabama in the American Civil War
Alabama was central to the Civil War, with the secession convention at Montgomery, birthplace of the Confederacy, inviting other states to form a Southern Republic, during January–March 1861, and develop constitutions to legally run their ...
References
Further reading
* {{Cite book, last=Brewer, first=Willis, url=https://archives.alabama.gov/referenc/alamilor/36thinf.html, title=Alabama: Her History, Resources, War Record, and Public Men From 1540 to 1872, publisher=Barrett & Brown, year=1872, location=Montgomery, oclc=36348218
* Hoole, William Stanley. ''A Historical Sketch of the Thirty-Sixth Alabama Infantry Regiment, 1862-1865''. University, Alabama: Confederate Pub. Co, 1986.
External links
36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry ''National Park Service''
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama
1862 establishments in Alabama
Military units and formations established in 1862