Alabama 40th Infantry Regiment


HISTORICAL NOTES:
The Alabama 40th Infantry Regiment, organized at Mobile, Alabama, in May, 1862, recruited its companies in Perry, Sumter, Morgan, Covington, Pickens, Colbert, Mobile, and Choctaw counties. It served at Mobile until December, then moved to Mississippi where under the command of J.C. Moore it was active in the operations on Deer Creek. Later four companies were transferred to General Ector's Brigade, which fought at Chickamauga . The other companies were part of the garrison at Vicksburg and were captured when that city fell. After being exchanged, the regiment was united and sustained 135 casualties at Chattanooga . Attached to A.Baker's, Gibson's, and Brantley's Brigade, it participated in the Atlanta Campaign, moved to Mobile, then returned to the Army of Tennessee in North Carolina. This unit had 332 fit for duty in January, 1863, and totalled 429 men and 338 arms in December. During the Atlanta Campaign, May 7-31, it lost twenty percent of the 416 engaged. Only a handful surrendered on April 26, 1865.

This picture was made of a group of Civil War Veterans at a reunion in Winfield, Alabama in 1900.

Beginning on the bottom row to the right: Alex Rye, S.W. Moss, Ruben Andrew Jackson Dodson, Sr. (father of John William Dodson), John Erwin, Wash Musgrove, Henry Musgrove, M.T. Akers, John Wheeler, John Harbin, Luther Gilmore, Jake Nix Rawls, Love and Newman Williams.

Second row reading from right to left: Thad Harris, W.R. Haney (Pennant on shoulder), H.K. Caddell, Bishop, John Berryhill, Landon Mills, W.R.H. Loden, Monroe Ward, Ruebin Shirley, Jack Couch, Tommy Smith, Thom (Thomas) Beasley, Steave Hodges, Jack Mozingo, Ben Henderson, John Jenkins, and John W. Russell.

Third row (top) reading to the right: Isaac Perry, John Hodges, Howe, Seay Marcum, Wm. I. Holcomb, Van Miles, Lawson White, Dave Stanford, Elisha Warren, J.B. McClung, S.E. Wier, Abram Shirley, M.A. Musgrove, Doss Mills, John Maddox with A.J. Fowler (drum)

The 40th Alabama is one of the few Alabama units for which we have a first hand account available. History of Company B, AL 40th Infantry Regiment by Sergeant Curry and Major E. D. Willett is very detailed. It contains a roster of Company B, but not of the rest of the regiment. The following excerpt describes the final battle of Bentonville.

After various delays we arrived at Charlotte on the 23d of February.

February 24. 1865, at 8 a. m. we began the march to Smithfield, reaching a camp in about two days.

March 18, I865, marched into the vicinity of Bentonville and formed lines preparatory to battle.

March 10, 1865, battle of Bentonville was fought in which Confederates were victorious. A considerable portion of the day our men were wading in water knee deep, Capt. James A Latham, of Company B was killed and his body left on ground occupied by the Federals. Our lines changed position during the battle leaving his body behind. David Morrow, Wiley Horton, Thos. Cameron and Sardine Hildreck, all of Company B were wounded. David Morrow died in an ambulance while being carried to field hospital. Wiley Horton had his leg amputated and died in hospital at Charlotte. Sergeant Curry was sick with chill on day before the battle and was not able to keep in line. Capt. Latham gave him permission to march out of ranks at will, in other words travel as best he could. He could not keep up with his command as he had to rest at intervals during the day. When he came up with the army on the morning of the 19th, he found that his regiment was some distance from where he approached the line. Being weak and not knowing where his command was located, he joined a Company belonging to the 51st Virginia and fought with them during the day. At night, the battle over, Curry asked the Commander of this Company to discharge him that he might go in search of his own command.

The moon shone brightly, and traveling up the line in a westerly direction among the wounded, dead and dying, he at last came upon the ground that had been occupied by his Company during the engagement. He first found the dead body of Clarence H, Ellerbe, Adjutant of the 40th Alabama, which he came near stepping upon as he stepped over a log. He could hear the groans of wounded men on every side, and going from one to another, came at last upon David Morrow and Wiley Horton, of Company B who were lying in a few feet of each other in a low place, thickly set with underbrush. Morrow shot in the body, Horton in the leg. As they had fought in the water they were wet to their hips and very cold. Their sufferings were intense. Curry built a fire, dried their clothes and administered to them during the night. During this battle our flag with forty men was cut off from our regiment, got behind Federal lines, and the men had to make their way to Raleigh and return by rail.

The flag bearer tore the flag f rom the staff, took down his pants, tied it round his leg and brought it out all O. K. except the staff . Several days after the battle they came into camp with it flying on a staff cut for the occasion. Such a sensation was neyer produced in our command before — men shouted, cried, kissed it, hugged it, etc., etc.

Soon after this battle General Joseph E. Johnston began the work of reorganization and consolidation of the Army. The 19th and 40th Alabama Regiments were consolidated. Colonel M. L. Wood becoming Colonel, Col. E. S. Gulley Lieutenant Colonel, and Major E. 1. Willett becoming Major, by appointment of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.

Companies B and K were united and became Company H, Capt. S. H. Sprott commander; Sergeant J. H. Curry, the Orderly Sergeant, was in command of this Company for a time, then Lieutenant Monette was placed in command, and after the reorganization, Capt. Sprott.

Not long after this we were ordered to the Yadkin river to guard a ford. Lee, of Virginia, had already surrendered, and great demoralization was manifest, especially among those so near to their homes as the Carolinians. Not long afterwards we were ordered to Salishury to drive out the Federal Cavalry that had captured and burned the town. Here we remained doing picket duty until the day of our surrender, May 5, 1865.

The papers were all arranged for our capitulation and we were to march home in regular order, but after the first day or two, every man was his own commander and went his own way."

Here Sergeant Curry's diary ends.
OFFICERS:
Colonels Augustus A. Coleman and John H. Higley, Lieutenant Colonels E.S. Gulley and Thomas O. Stone, and Major Elbert D. Willett. ASSIGNMENTS:
Brigaded with the 37th and 42nd Alabama, and 2nd Texas, under General J. C. Moore
Four companies were there transferred to General Ector's Brigade, General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee
Attached to A. Baker's, Gibson's, and Brantley's Brigade,
SERVICE:
Vicksburg
Deer Creek
Chickamauga.
Missionary Ridge
Lookout Mountain
The Atlanta Campaign
Mobile
The Carolina’s Campaign
Bentonville
ROSTER:
The roster of this regiment contains the names of 2031 men.

Sumter - Ezekiel Gully; promoted. James Cobbs; resigned. Samuel H. Sprott.
Pickens - E.D. Willet; promoted. James A. Latham; killed at Bentonville.
Sumter - W.A.C. Jones; captured at Vicksburg; transferred. Thomas M. Brunson; resigned. James W. Monette.
Chocta - Abraham G. Campbell.
Pickens - Thomas Stone; promoted. J. Henderson Pickens; captured at Vicksburg.
Chocta - Edward Marsh; killed at Dalton.
Chocta - Thos. Wilkes Coleman; captured at Vicksburg. Lieut. Jo. Knighton commanded.
Perry - C.C. Crowe; detached. Lieut. Hicks commanded.
Sumter - Andrew M. Moore; captured at Vicksburg.
Covington - Hiram Gant.
SOURCES:
Brewer, William Brief Historical Sketches of Military Organizations Raised in Alabama During the Civil War
Willett, Major. E. D. History of Company B, AL 40th Infantry Regiment by Sergeant Curry and Major E. D. Willett
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
  • Rigdon, John C. A Guide to Alabama Civil War Research, Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 2011.





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