Also called 1st Tennessee Mountain Rifle Regiment, 5th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Provisional Army
Organized September 11, 1861; reorganized May 1862; temporarily consolidated with 48th (Nixon’s) Regiment from September, 1863 to July, 1864; formed Companies “A” and “F”, 3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, April 9, 1865; paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina May 1, 1865.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonel– Benjamin J. Hill
- Lieutenant Colonels– John L. Spurlock, Riley B. Roberts, Joseph A. Smith.
- Major-Joseph Brown, W. W. J. Brownlow, George S. Deakins.
The regiment had many changed in company organizations, and in company letters. The original companies, with the letters used after the reorganization of the regiment in 1862, with prior letters indicated, are given below.
CAPTAINS
- Albert C. Hanner, R. B. Roberts, 1st Co. “A”. disbanded April 17, 1862, and men distributed to other companies. Men from Grundy County.
- John W. Towles (Towls), William H. Large, G. N. M. Newby, 2nd Co. “A”, formerly “B”. Men from Warren County.
- Charles M. Forrest, Thomas B. Rust, 2nd Co. “B”, formerly “C”. Men from Warren County.
- W. B. Cummings, G. M. Cummings, 2nd Co. “C”, formerly “E”. Men from Van Buren County.
- Benjamin J. Hill, William T, Christian, 1st Co. “D”. Disbanded April 17, 1862 and men distributed to other companies. Men from Warren County.
- John Mason, Riley B. Roberts, L. P. Carson, 2nd Co. “D”, formerly “F”. Men from Warren County.
- James H. Woods, S. M. Gunter, 2nd Co. “E”, formerly “G”. Men from Cannon County.
- Edward J. Wood, H. S. Fowler, John B. Blair, 2nd Co. “G”, formerly “H”. Men from Warren County.
- W.D. Stewart, George S. Deakins, L. L. Dearman, H. T. Kell, 2nd Co. “H”, formerly “K”. Men from Sequatchie County.
- John Pack, L. L. Dearman, 1st Co. “I”. Disbanded April 1862 and men transferred to other companies. men from DeKalb County. Some from Hamilton and Bledsoe Counties.
These companies were mustered in at Camp Smartt, near McMinnville, Tennessee on September 6 and 7, and organized into a regiment on September 11, 1861. Later additions to the regiment were:
Edmund W Rucker’s Company. County of origin not known. Attached to the regiment for a short time. In early 1862 transferred to artillery. Became Ist Co. “E”, 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery Regiment. No muster rolls on file.
Thomas Hanna, 2nd Co. “F”. A temporary organization formed June 30, 1862, composed of men 32nd and 53rd Tennessee Infantry Regiments who were not captured at Fort Donelson.
Thomas R. Mitchell, 3rd Co. “F”. “The Mountain Rifles”. This company was organized October 1, 1862, and joined the regiment January 23, 1863, Men from Chattanooga, Hamilton County.
John M. Van Cleave, 2nd Co. “I”. A temporary organization, formed June 30, 1862 from men from the 32nd, 41st, 53rd and 3rd (Clack’s) Infantry Regiments who were not captured at Fort Donelson.
H. T. Hunnicutt, Elijah W. Holt, 2nd Co. “K”. This too was a temporary organization composed of men who were not captured at Fort Donelson.
A. K. Alley, Co. “L”. Formed June 30, 1862 as a consolidation of companies “H”, “I”, and “K” of the 36th Tennessee Infantry Regiment when that organization disbanded. Joined the 35th Regiment October 25, 1862.
The three companies, 2nd “F”, 2nd “I” and 2nd “K”, were dissolved when the regiments from which these men came were exchanged, and the men returned to their original regiments. 3rd “F” and “L” remained with the regiment.
The regiment, when first organized, was called the Tennessee Mountain Rifle Regiment. When mustered into Confederate service, it was first known as the 5th Tennessee Volunteer Regiment, but the regiment organized in West Tennessee by Colonel Travis had been numbered the 5th by the Adjutant and Inspector Generals Office; and that office in November, 1861, directed that Hill’s Regiment be known as the 35th. However, during the first two years of the war it was usually reported as the 5th (Hill’s) Tennessee Regiment. In late 1863 the Secretary of War issued another order, again specifying that it should be called the 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiment.
Colonel Hill was appointed provost marshal of the Army of Tennessee in late 1863; and was promoted to brigadier general on November 30, 1864. Lieutenant Colonel Spurlock and Major Brownlow were not re-elected at the reorganization. Major Brownlow was only temporarily attached, and the regiment was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Smith and Major Deakins after Hill’s appointment as provost marshal.
On September 12, 1861, a note from Governor Isham Harris stated “Hill’s Regiment ordered to Camp Boone. Will move to-morrow.” On September 17, the regiment moved to Camp Trousdale, Sumner County, and from there to Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 25. At Bowling Green, October 28, the regiment was reported in Colonel P. R. Cleburne’s Brigade, Major General William J. Hardee’s Corps of General A. S. Johnston’s Army. The brigade was composed of the 1st and 15th Arkansas, 7th Mississippi and 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiments. From this time forth, the regiment was in the command of Cleburne, either as brigade or division commander, until his death at Franklin, November 30, 1864.
On January 31, 1862, still at Bowling Green, the brigade was composed of the 15th Arkansas, 6th Mississippi, 23rd, 24th and 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiments and the Watson Louisiana Battery. From here it moved to Camp Hill, near Corinth, Mississippi, until the Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862.
At Shiloh, the brigade was composed of the 15th Arkansas, 6th Mississippi, 2nd (Bate’s), 23rd, 34th, 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiments plus Shoup’s Artillery Battalion and the Watson Battery. The 35th reported 369 engaged, and captured about 100 prisoners. No report of casualties was found, but the brigade lost 1000 killed and wounded and 32 missing out of 2750 engaged. Colonel Hill’s report spoke highly of the conduct of his regiment except for one captain whom he had to threaten to shoot to get him to lead his men in the attack instead of hiding in the bushes.
On April 26, the 48th (Nixon’s ) Tennessee Regiment had replaced the 6th Mississippi in the brigade, and the 35th reported 429 effectives present. On May 28, in a sharp engagement at Shelton’s Hill, on the Farmington Road out of Corinth, both Colonel Hill and the regiment were highly commended by both General Beauregard and General Cleburne for distinguished conduct.
From Corinth, the regiment moved to Baldwyn, to Tupelo, to Verona, Mississippi, arriving at Verona June 17, 1862. On June 30 the 23rd Tennessee was no longer reported as a member of the brigade. Company reports for July and August, 1862, state the regiment was in a detachment of Bragg’s Army sent to Major General E. Kirby Smith, and was engaged with Smith at Richmond, Kentucky, August 30, 1862. Here Colonel Hill was in command of the brigade, with Cleburne in command of the division. Hill was wounded three times, but remained in command. The 35th reported 295 engaged, and 25 casualties. Here the brigade was composed of the 13th and 15th Arkansas, 2nd, 35th and 48th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, a Texas battery and a company of sharpshooters.
The brigade rejoined Hardee’s Corps of Bragg’s Army on October 7, just before the Battle of Perryville on October 8. Cleburne’s Brigade was heavily engaged, but Cleburne was seriously wounded, and no report of brigade or regimental activities or casualties was found.
From Perryville, the regiment moved to Knoxville, to Allisonia Springs, to Shelbyville, to College Grove, to Murfreesboro, where, on December 31, 1862 it was in Hardee’s Corps, Cleburne’s Division, Brigadier General Lucius E. Polk’s Brigade, now composed of the 1st, 13th, 15th Arkansas, 5th (9th) Confederate, 2nd and 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiments and the Helena Artillery. The 35th reported 25 casualties.
The regiment was stationed at Tullahoma and Wartrace until July 1, when it moved to Chattanooga, to Tyner’s Station, to Graysville, Georgia, to Thatcher’s Ferry, to Chickamauga for the battle there September 19-20, 1863. The division had been transferred to Lieutenant General D. H. Hill’s Corps on July 31, 1863, and as part of his corps the regiment was engaged at Chickamauga, reporting 62 casualties out of 15 engaged. The brigade at this time consisted of the 1st Arkansas, 3rd and 5th Confederate, 2nd, 35th and 48th Tennessee Infantry Regiments and Calvert’s Battery.
The regiment moved to Cooper’s Mills, near Georgetown, Tennessee, on October 1, where on October 22 Colonel Hill reported that he, in command of the 35th/48th Consolidated with about 400 men was engaged in gathering and grinding wheat for the Army. The division, from November 20 through December 10, 1863, was reported in Major General John C. Breckinridge’s Corps. The regiment left Georgetown November 24, 1863 and arrived at Dalton, Georgia November 28, 1863 and moved to Tunnel Hill, Georgia December 1. On December 14, the 35th/48th reported 245 effectives out of 251 present, with 207 arms. On December 31, 1863, the division was returned to Hardee’s Corps, with the 35th/48th commanded by Major George S. Deakins.
In every engagement on which reports were found, Colonel Hill and his regiment had been commended by their superiors in command, and Colonel Hill had repeatedly been recommended for promotion to brigadier general. Late in 1863 Colonel Hill was made provost marshal general of the Army of Tennessee by order of General Joseph E. Johnston, and served in that capacity until August 24, 1864. He was promoted to brigadier general in the cavalry November 30, 1864 as a reward for distinguished service in Hood’s Tennessee Campaign, during which he led a cavalry command in cooperation with General Bate’s Division.
The regiment was in winter quarters at Dalton, Georgia, January through April, 1864, except for one expedition to Montgomery, Alabama and return, February 21-29, 1864. It was part of a force which had been started to reinforce General Leonidas Polk in Mississippi, but was recalled before reaching its destination. On April 30, 1864, the 35th was detached with orders to report to Colonel Hill, the Provost Marshal General, but on June 30 it was back with the brigade, with the 35th/48th commanded by Captain Henry G. Evans of the 48th.
No further reports were found of the individual activities of the 35th Regiment, though it continued with the Army of Tennessee until the final surrender in North Carolina. On August 31, 1864, it was reported in Hardee’s Corps, Cleburne’s Division, Brigadier General Hiram B. Granbury’s Brigade, composed of the 5th (9th) Confederate, 35th Tennessee, 6th Texas Infantry/15th Texas Cavalry, dismounted, 10th Texas Infantry, 17th/18th Texas Cavalry, dismounted, 24th/25th Texas Cavalry dismounted, and Nutt’s Louisiana Company. On September 20, 1864, the 7th Texas Infantry was added to the brigade. On December 10, 1864, the same brigade was reported in Cleburne’s Division, Cheatham’s Corps. On March 31, 1865, at Smithfield, North Carolina, the same organization was reported, with Major Deakins in command of the 35th.
In final reorganization of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army April 9, 1865, the 35th formed a part of the 3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel James D. Tillman, composed of the 4th/5th/19th/24th/31st/33rd/35th/38th/41st Tennessee Regiments. This was one of four regiments in the brigade of Brigadier General Joseph B. Palmer which 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.