Organized August 10, 1861; Confederate service October 1, 1861; reorganized May 10, 1862; formed field consolidation with 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment November, 1863; remnant surrendered Appomattox Courthouse April 9, 1865.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonels-Sidney S. Stanton, John M. Hughs.
- Lieutenant Colonels-George C. Dibrell, Richard C. Sanders, Samuel Davis, Robert B. Snowden.
- Majors-Timothy H. Williams, Josiah H. Bubrey, John M. Hughs, William A. Duncan, Samuel H. McCarver.
CAPTAINS
- James H. Snodgrass, William H. M. Simpson, Co. “A”. Organized July 25, 1861 at Tullahoma. Men from Sparta, White County.
- Josiah S. H. Bilbrey, Samuel Davis, W. H. Fleming, Samuel H. McCarver, Eugene R. Smith, Co. “B”. Organized July 30, 1861, at Livingston, Tennessee. Men from Hilham, Overton County.
- William Gooch Smith, George H. Hash, Co. “C”. Organized July 26, 1861 at Doyle and Livingston, Tennessee. Men from Cave, now Doyle, White County.
- Luther B. Myers, John M. Hughs, William H. Fleming, Co. “D”. Organized August 1, 1861. Men from Livingston, Overton County.
- Dempsey M. Southard, James A. (or M.) Conley, William A. Duncan, G. W. Leatherbury, William Turner, Co. “E”. Organized July 25, 1861 at Tullahoma, Tennessee. Men from Cherry Creek, White County.
- Joseph Shaw, Purtyman Jones, G. W. Kinnaird, Co. “F”. Organized July 31, 1861 at Livingston, Tennessee. Men from Cookeville, Putnam County.
- Leonidas A. McCarver, Albert Green, Co. “G”. Organized July 30, 1861 at Livingston, Tennessee. Men from Flynn’s Lick, Jackson County.
- James R. Copeland, Grandison H. Swope, Co. “H”. Organized August 5, 1861. Men from Livingston, Overton County.
- Wiley J. Reed, William K. Phillips, James H. Curtis, Co. “I”. Organized July 30, 1861 at Livingston, Tennessee. Men from Putnam County.
- Abraham Ford, Charles B. Slater, Samuel J. Johnson, Co. “K”. Organized July 25, 1861 at Tullahoma, Tennessee. Men from Putnam and White Counties.
Of the field officers, Colonel Stanton and Lieutenant Colonel Sanders resigned in July 1862, and organized the 84th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. Colonel Hughs resigned in March, 1865, stating that his regiment had been reduced to about 20 enlisted men, who had been consolidated with other regiments. Lieutenant Colonel Dibrell was not re-elected at the reorganization, and organized the 13th (usually called 8th) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. He later became a brigadier general. Lieutenant Colonel Davis resigned in February, 1863; and Lieutenant Colonel Snowden was retired to the Invalid Corps on March 8, 1865. Major Williams was not re-elected; Major Duncan resigned in January, 1863; Major McCarver was killed May 16, 1864.
The companies were organized into a regiment at Camp Zollicoffer, in Overton County. A few days later, the regiment went into Camp of Instruction at Camp Myers, also in Overton County, where it was mustered into Confederate service. While at Camp Myers the regiment was joined by the 28th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, under Colonel John P. Murray, and two cavalry companies, under Captain Q. C. Sanders and Captain W. S. Bledsoe. These forces, under the command of Colonel Stanton, remained at and around Camp Myers until October 1861, skirmishing with home guards and Federal units along the Kentucky line north of Overton County, with one raid to Albany, Kentucky. On October 13 Stanton and his regiment were ordered to Bowling Green, Kentucky, but upon protests from the citizens of Overton County, he was ordered to delay his move to Bowling Green until he had broken up the concentrations of Home Guards in his area.
According to regimental reports, the command took up the march to Mill Springs, Kentucky on October 1, 1861, making a detour along the Kentucky-Tennessee border, and arrived at Mill Springs, November 15, 1861. In the organization of General Albert Sidney Johnston’s Army, October 28, 1861, the 25th Tennessee Infantry, a regiment of Texas cavalry, and Harper’s and Spencer’s Batteries were shown in the Reserve Forces. On October 31 Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer complained that he must have some control over Stanton’s forces, as Stanton would accept orders only from General Johnston. On November 1 he was advised that Stanton had been ordered to Walker’s Pass, and would come under his command.
On December 31, 1861, at Beech Grove, Kentucky, the forces under Zollicoffer’s command were listed as the 16th Alabama, 15th Mississippi, 17th, 19th, 20th, 25th, and 28th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus four bat- result, resigned, and later organized another regiment known as the 84th Tennessee Infantry Regiment.
Under Lieutenant Colonel R. C. Sanders the regiment moved to Chattanooga, via Mobile, Montgomery and Atlanta. Lieutenant Colonel Sanders also resigned, and joined Stanton in the organization of the new regiment. John M. Hughs became colonel; Samuel Davis lieutenant colonel; William A. Duncan major.
When General Bragg started on his march to Kentucky, the 25th was left at Chattanooga, in the Brigade of General S. B. Maxey, but on August 31, 1862, Maxey was instructed to dispatch the 25th to Sparta as quickly as possible.
At Perryville, October 8, 1862 the 25th was in Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson’s Brigade, composed of the 5th Confederate, 17th, 23rd, 25th, 37th, and 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiments and Darden’s Battery. The 25th, under Colonel Hughs was only lightly engaged and had eight casualties. The 17th, 23rd, 25th and 44th Regiments remained together in Johnson’s Brigade, under various division commanders until the end of the war. The regimental report for the months of September and October 1862 showed the regiment left Chattanooga August 31, marched to Sparta, to Gainesboro, to Livingston, to Burkesville, Kentucky, to Campbellsville, to Lebanon, to Perryville, Kentucky to Camp Breckenridge, to Knoxville, a total of 555 miles in sixty days; from Knoxville to Bridgeport, Alabama, to Estill Springs, to Tullahoma, Tennessee, 160 miles during November and December, 1862.
In the Battle of Murfreesboro, December 31, 1862, Johnson’s Brigade was in Major General Cleburne’s Division. The 25th was commanded by Colonel Hughs, who was wounded, and later by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Davis. It suffered 120 casualties out of 336 engaged, including 12 officers out of 37.
The regiment remained encamped around Wartrace and Tullahoma until the action at Hoover’s Gap beginning June 24, 1863. Here the brigade was in Major General Alexander P. Stewart’s Division, where it remained until the Battle of Chickamauga.
At Chickamauga, September 19-20, the brigade, under the command of Colonel Fulton of the 44th, was in Bushrod Johnson’s Provisional Division. The 25th, under Lieutenant Colonel Snowden had 56 casualties out of 145 engaged, and both the regiment and Lieutenant Colonel Snowden were commended by General Johnson.
On August 16, 1863, about a month before Chickamauga, Colonel Hughs, with 20 men from the 25th, was sent by General Bragg into
Middle Tennessee to round up stragglers and enforce conscription. He was cut off from return by the movement of the Federal forces, and operated behind the Federal lines until April, 1864, when he and a few men rejoined the army at Dalton, Georgia. By this time, his regiment was in Virginia, and he did not rejoin the 25th until August, 1864. In the meantime, with a force which varied from 85 to 300 men, he created a considerable disturbance in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky, including the capture of Glasgow, Kentucky on October 6, 1863.
On November 22, 1863, Johnson’s Brigade, composed of the l7th/23rd, 25th/44th, and the 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiments was placed in Major General Simon B. Buckner’s Division, which was detached from the Army of Tennessee to join Lieutenant General James Longstreet on his expedition against General Burnside in East Tennessee. The consolidation of the 25th/44th Regiments was a field consolidation for tactical purposes, and separate muster rolls were maintained, but they continued to operate as a unit until the end of the war. For a history of the brigade from this time on, see the history of the 17th Tennessee Infantry.
The regiment remained in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia until May, 1864, when it moved to Richmond, Virginia. Engagements mentioned in regimental reports were at Fort Loudon, Bean’s Station and Fort Sanders; in Virginia, Walthall Junction, Swift Creek, and Drewry’s Bluff. At Drewry’s Bluff, on May 16, 1864, Captain S. 3. Johnson and his company of the 25th totaling about 50 men were captured, and Major McCarver of the 25th was killed. Total casualties for 25th/44th were 95 out of 259 effectives.
On August 31, 1864, Colonel Hughs of the 25th was reported in command of Johnson’s Brigade totaling 395 effectives out of 737 present. On the same date, a report from General Bushrod Johnson stated there were not more than 20 effectives left in the 25th Regiment.
From this time on, the brigade was engaged in the daily fighting along the Richmond to Petersburg Line. The last reported commander of the 25th/44th was Captain 3. E. Spencer. Colonel Hughs resigned in March 1865, stating his regiment had been reduced to about 20 enlisted men. In the last report dated April 4, 1865, just before the surrender, the 25th/44th was reported in Brigadier General William McComb’s Brigade, a consolidation of Johnson’s and Archer’s old brigades, composed of the 2nd Maryland Battalion, 1st Confederate, 7th, 14th, 17th/23rd, 25th/44th, and 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiments.
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.