Organized September 30, 1861; reorganized May, 1862; formed Companies “E” and “H” of 2nd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment April 9, 1865; paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina, May 2, 1865.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonels-Samuel Powel, Horace Rice, William P. Bishop.
- Lieutenant Colonels-Reuben Arnold, Horace Rice, John B. Johnson, William P. Bishop.
- Majors-Horace Rice, John B. Johnson, A. Kyle Blevins, Samuel L. McKamy.
CAPTAINS
- W. W. McClelland, Samuel L. McKamy, Co. “A”. Men from Bradley County.
- M. H. Hancock, William A. Bible, Alphonse Chable, Richard M. O’Neal, Co. “B”. Men from Polk County.
- Robert F. Patterson, James W. Fulkerson, John B. Hodges, Co. “C”. Men from Claiborne County
- James G. Rose, William P. Bishop, Co. “D”. Men from Hancock County.
- Abraham Kyle Blevins, L. N. Kyle, Co. “E”. Men from Hawkins County.
- John Q. Arnold, James B. Johnson, Co. “F”. “The Greeneville Guards.” Men from Greene County.
- George P. Faw, Isaac E. Reeves, Co. “G”. Men from Washington County.
- James H. Coulter (or Coulston), Thomas S. Rumbough, James W. Henshaw, Co. “H”. Men from Greene County.
- William Fry, John H. Craig, J. D. Bushong, Co. “I”. Men from Washington County.
- Samuel Powel, Jacob Hamilton, George A. Edmonds, Jerome N. Martin, Co. “K”. Men from Hawkins County.
These 10 companies had been organized during the months of July and August 1861. They assembled at Henderson’s Mills, Greene County, where they were organized into the regiment.
Of the field officers, Colonel Powel resigned in November, 1862; Colonel Rice was wounded and taken prisoner at Franklin, November 30, 1864. Lieutenant Colonel Arnold was not re-elected at the reorganization; Lieutenant Colonel Johnson died July 15, 1864; Major Blevins was killed May 27, 1864.
In the fall of 1861 the regiment remained in East Tennessee, being reported at various times at London, Knoxville, Strawberry Plains, and Greeneville. In October, 1861, the regiment, along with the 15th Mississippi, 11th, 17th, and 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, and MeNairy’s and Brazelton’s Cavalry was with Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer in a march toward Barbourville and London, Kentucky, which resulted in the engagement at Rock Castle, Kentucky on October 21, 1861. However, the 29th was not actively engaged.
The regiment joined General Zollicoffer at Beech Grove, Kentucky the last of December 1861. On January 7, 1862, it reported 493 present for duty, 854 on roll. At this time Zollicoffer’s force at Beech Grove was composed of the 16th Alabama, 15th Mississippi, 17th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 28th, and 29th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus cavalry and artillery. On January 18, after Major General G. B. Crittenden had taken command of the forces in that area, the 28th was reported in Brigadier General William H. Carroll’s Brigade, consisting of the 17th, 28th, and 29th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus Mc-Clung’s Battery.
As part of this brigade it participated in the Battle of Fishing Creek on January 19. In this battle Colonel Powel was wounded, and Major Rice took command of the regiment, which suffered 29 casualties. On February 23, Carroll’s Brigade was composed of the 17th, 25th, 29th, 37th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus two battalions of cavalry, and two batteries. The brigade retreated through Tennessee to Mississippi. On March 26th the 29th moved from Eastport, Mississippi, to luka, Mississippi where it was stationed while the Battle of Shiloh was going on.
In the reorganization of the Army after Shiloh, the 29th was placed in Major General William J. Ijardee’s Corps, Brigadier General I. S Marmaduke’s Brigade, which on April 26 was reported as composed of the 3rd Confederate, 6th Mississippi, 25th, 29th, 37th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, and Baker’s Battery. On this date the 29th reported 469 effectives.
At the reorganization of the regiment in May, 1862, Colonel Powel was re-elected; Major Horace Rice became lieutenant colonel, and John B. Johnson major. Powel resigned in November, 1862, Rice succeeded him as colonel; Johnson became lieutenant colonel and A. Kyle Blevins major. Johnson died in July, 1864, and William P. Bishop succeeded him as lieutenant colonel, and later became colonel of the regiment. Blevins was killed in May, 1864, and S. L. McKamy became major.
On June 30, 1862, Marmaduke’s Brigade was reported as composed of 3rd Confederate, 25th, 29th, 37th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, and Swett’s Battery. No reports on the regiment were found for the period from June 30 to November 22, 1862. Colonel Bishop, in his account of the regiment in Lindsey’s Annals, states that it accompanied the Army of General Bragg from Corinth to Tupelo; from Tupelo to Chattanooga; thence into Kentucky where it confronted the enemy at Munfordville and Perryville. In General Hardee’s report of the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862, he stated that Colonel Powel commanded a brigade in Major General Patton Anderson’s Division, which was stationed on the extreme left of Hardee’s Corps, and that the brigade suffered heavily. Presumably, the 29th Regiment was a part of this brigade. No report of casualties for the brigade was found, but Hardee’s Corps reported 242 killed, 1504 wounded.
On November 22, 1862, Colonel Powel was reported in command of a brigade in Anderson’s Division, Hardee’s Corps, composed of the 45th Alabama, 1st Arkansas, 24th Mississippi, and 29th Tennessee Infantry Regiments. On December 12 this division was broken up, and the 29th Tennessee transferred to Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk’s Corps, Major General B. F. Cheatham’s Division, Brigadier General Preston Smith’s Brigade. In the Battle of Murfreesboro December 31, 1862 this brigade was commanded by Colonel A. J. Vaughan, Jr., and was composed of the 12th, 13th, 29th, 47th, 154th Tennessee, the 9th Texas Infantry Regiments, Allin’s Sharpshooters, and Scott’s Battery. The 29th was commanded by Major J. B. Johnson, and reported 112 casualties out of 220 effectives engaged.
April 1, 1863, Preston Smith’s Brigade was reported as consisting of the 11th, 12th/47th, l3th/l54th, and 29th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus Scott’s Battery. This brigade organization, under various commanders, remained unchanged until the final reorganization of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army in April, 1865. The regiment remained in winter quarters around Shelbyville until the withdrawal of the army to Chattanooga in June, 1863.
In the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20, 1863, the 29th, under Colonel Rice, reported the expenditure of 10,600 rounds of ammunition, and suffered 71 casualties. It moved to Sweetwater on October 19, but returned to Missionary Ridge November 9. On November 20, 1863, the brigade was transferred to Major General T. C. Hindman’s Division for a few months, and was engaged in the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863. On February 20, 1864, it was returned to Cheatham’s Division, where it remained for the duration.
The regiment spent the winter near Dalton, Georgia, except for one brief expedition in February, when it was part of a force started to re-enforce General Polk in Mississippi, but which was recalled on reaching Demopolis, Alabama. As part of Cheatham’s Division, it participated in the Atlanta Campaign beginning in May, 1864. In this campaign, Major Blevins was killed May 27, and Lieutenant Colonel Johnson died of disease July 15, 1864. It then returned with General Hood to Tennessee, and lost its Colonel, Horace Rice, who was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864.
One anomalous note was found during this period. Major General W. S. Hancock, in a note to General Grant, dated August 16, 1864, stated “The provost marshal at Deep Bottom says that an officer from the enemy’s lines opposite communicated with him to exchange papers this morning. He belonged to the 29th Tennessee and says that the 17th from the same state is with them. They belonged to Longstreet’s Corps, but I do not find them on the memorandum furnished me of Field’s Division.” This was evidently an error, and the regiment was probably the 23rd Tennessee which was in that area at the time.
On December 10, 1864, Cheatham’s Corps, Brown’s Division, Vaughan’s Brigade, commanded by Colonel William M. Watkins, was reported as composed of the 11th/29th, commanded by Major John E. Biuns, and 12th/ 47th, 13th/51st/52nd/154th Tennessee Infantry Regiments. After the Battle of Nashville, the brigade moved to Carolina to join General Joseph E. Johnston. It arrived at Bentonville when the battle was nearly over, but in time to prevent the capture of General Johnston’s headquarters by the Federals. At this time the brigade was commanded by Colonel William P. Bishop, of the 29th, and the 11th/ 29th was commanded by Captain Franklin F. Tidwell.
In the final consolidation of Johnston’s Army, the 29th formed Companies “E” and “H” of the 2nd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George W. Pease, composed of the 11th/12th/13th/29th/47th/50th/51st/52nd/154th Tennessee Infantry Regiments which was paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina May 2, 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.