Organized May 1, 1863; served as Sharpshooters for Maney’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division, Army of Tennessee; paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina May 1, 1865, as part of 1st Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment.
The nucleus of this battalion was Captain Frank Maney’s Company, Light Artillery, which was organized September 7, 1861; surrendered at Fort Donelson; reorganized December 1, 1862 as light artillery, but armed temporarily as infantry. It fought in the Battle of Murfreesboro with the 1st (Feild’s) Tennessee Infantry. It never was re-armed as artillery, but instead two companies, which had been organized in December 1862 were added to it, and it was formed into a battalion with the election of Captain Frank Maney as major.
CAPTAINS
- Frank Maney, (to major) Hugh M. McAdoo, Co. “A”. Organized September 7, 1861 from Humphreys County. Formerly Maney’s Light Artillery, also called Humphreys Light Artillery.
- Robertson Garrett, Co. “B”. Organized December 13, 1862 from Humphreys Countv. Reported to General George E. Maney at Shelbyville, January 5, 1863.
- John M. McAdoo, Co. “C”. Organized December 16, 1862 from Humphreys County. Reported to General Maney at Shelbyville early in 1863.
Battalion reports state it retreated from Tullahoma to Chattanooga with Brigadier General William B. Bate’s Brigade in July, 1863, with orders to report to Brigadier General George Maney for assignment to duty as a unit in his brigade. Maney’s Brigade was in Major General B. F. Cheatham’s Division of Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk’s Corps, and on July 31, 1863 was reported as composed of the lst/27th, 4th Confederate (officially 34th Tennessee), 6th/9th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, Maney’s Sharpshooter Battalion, and Smith’s Mississippi Battery.
The battalion moved from Chattanooga to La Fayette, Georgia, September 8, 1863, and as part of Maney’s Brigade was engaged in the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20, and the skirmish at Missionary Ridge September 22. At Chickamauga the battalion reported 39 engaged, with 22 casualties.
On October 22, it moved with the division towards Knoxville, and arrived at Sweetwater October 29. It moved back to Chattanooga November 1, and skirmished in the Chattanooga Valley November 25, and at Cat Creek November 26, and arrived at Dalton, Georgia November 27, 1863.
On December 10, 1863, at Dalton, the brigade was reported as increased by the addition of the 41st and 50th Tennessee Infantry Regiments. On December 14, the battalion reported 34 effectives out of 48 present, and on December 31, the battalion was reported as commanded by Captain Hugh McAdoo.
The battalion remained at Dalton until early in May, with the exception of a move to Demopolis, Alabama and return, from February 19 to 29th. It was part of a force which had been started to reinforce General Polk in Mississippi, but was recalled on getting as far as Demopolis.
A battalion report dated April 30, 1864, stated the battalion was temporarily consolidated into one company and united with the 4th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bradshaw. This was the regiment officially designated as the 34th Tennessee, although usually called the 4th Tennessee, Provisional Army, or 4th Confederate.
Although this was called a temporary consolidation, it actually lasted for the rest of the war. See the history of the 34th Tennessee Infantry Regiment for the further history of the battalion.
On April 9, 1865, in the final reorganization of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army in North Carolina, the 24th Battalion was reported as a part of the 1st Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver A. Bradshaw, and composed of the 1st, 6th, 8th, 9th, 16th, 27th, 28th, and 34th Tennessee Regiments and the 24th Battalion. This regiment was surrendered and paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina, May 1, 1865.
This unit history was extracted from Tennesseans in the Civil War, Vol 1. Copyrighted 1964 by the Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee and is published here with their permission. This history may not be republished for any reason without the written permission of the copyright owner.