Also called First Tennessee Cavalry Regiment
Formed April 1, 1862 by addition of unattached companies to 6th (Logwood’s) Battalion; reorganized June, 1862 with two additional companies; paroled at Gainesville, Alabama May 1865.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonels-W. H. Jackson, John G. Stocks, William L. Duckworth
- Lieutenant Colonels-John G. Stocks, William L. Duckworth, W. F. Taylor
- Majors-William L. Duckworth, W. F. Taylor, C. C. Clay
CAPTAINS
- William F. Taylor, Co. “A”. Formerly “A”, 6th Battalion (q.v.). Men from Shelby County. Detached October, 1862 as Escort to General W. H. Jackson.
- James P. Russell, Co. “B”. Formerly “C”, 6th Battalion (q.v.). Men from Haywood, Fayette, and Tipton Counties. “Smyth Partisan Rangers.” Detached as General Loring’s Escort, fall of 1862.
- S. P. Bassett, John T. Lawler, Co. “C”. Formerly “F”, 6th Battalion (q.v.). Men from Shelby County.
- L. W. Taliaferro, Co. “D”. Formerly “D”, 6th Battalion (q.v.). Men from Haywood County
- W. J. Tate, Co. “E”. Formerly “B”, 6th Battalion (q.v.). Men from Hardeman County. Co. “F” consolidated with Co. “E” April, 1865.
- Charles C. Clay, Co. “F”. Formerly 2nd Mississippi-Alabama Cavalry Battalion. “The Forked Deer Rangers.” Men from Crockett County. Enlisted November 4, 1861 by I. P Simmons. Consolidated with Co. “E” April, 1865. Men from Haywood County (now Crockett County).
- John G. Stocks (to lieutenant colonel), F. F. Aden, Co. “G”. “The Independent Rebel Rangers.” Organized November 13, 1861. Men from Henry County.
- H. C. McCutchen, Co. “H”. Organized December 10, 1861. Men from Weakley County. Some men from Faulkner’s 12th Kentucky Cavalry were paroled as part of this company Lafayette Hill, James R. Alexander, Co. “I”. Organized March 15, 1862. Men from Tipton County.
- Samuel T. Taylor, Co. “K”. Organized March 18, 1862. Men from Shelby, Tipton and Fayette Counties. Became extinct September, 1862 by resignation of officers, and transfer of men to other companies.
- James A. Taylor, Alex Duckworth, Co. “L”. Organized April 15, 1862. Men from Haywood County. “The Western Rangers.”
- J. G. Haywood, B. T. Davis, Co. “M”. Organized April 16, 1862. Men from Haywood and Lauderdale Counties. Detached as Escort Company, fall of 1862.
Note: These were the first twelve companies. In February, 1865, Captain James A. Anderson’s 2nd Co. “D” of the 2nd Mississippi Partisan Rangers Regiment was attached to the regiment as 2nd Co. “K”.
Colonel Duckworth, on a roster of the regiment dated May 28, 1864, at Abbeville, Mississippi gave the following account of the organization of the regiment: “This regiment was formed about April 1, 1862, of Logwood’s Battalion and six companies acting singly under the supervision of W. H. Jackson, who claimed to have been made colonel of cavalry by the War Department, and to be acting under orders from General Beauregard. From the 20th to the 25th of the following May there were 10 companies reorganized under the provisions of the original Conscript Act at Trenton, Tennessee, they having previously been either transferred to or mustered into the Confederate Service. Subsequently two other newly formed companies (“L” and “M”) were attached to the regiment, and the election of field officers took place on June 20, 1862.
“Under the administration of Colonel Jackson, this organization continued until the following fall, when three companies, “A”, “B”, “M”, were detached for escort to General Officers, two of which, companies “B” and “M”, have since been returned; Co. “A” still remains detached. In the meantime, Co. “K”, by the resignation of its officers, and assignment of men to other companies became extinct. Early in the year 1863 Colonel Jackson was promoted brigadier general, and succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel J. G. Stocks, and he, by me, then major of the regiment. The following August, Colonel Stocks resigned, and I was promoted to colonel by General Order from Brigadier General Chalmers’ Headquarters, and was commissioned as such by the War Department to rank from October 8, 1863. About the 1st of February last, Captain C. C. Clay, the second ranking captain in my regiment, was examined for promotion to majority of the regiment. His examination was made by three field officers, was pronounced very unsatisfactory by the Brigadier General Commanding, and forwarded for decision to the War Department, but of this nothing has been heard. In the meantime Captain W. F. Taylor, Co. “A”, Brigadier General Jackson’s Escort, was ordered by Major General Lee to report to General Forrest, and he was assigned to my regiment as lieutenant colonel by General Forrest’s order April 1, 1864, in which capacity he has since been acting. When Colonel Jackson was promoted he carried away with him all the books and papers belonging to the command. Hence the uncertainty and probably inaccuracies both in this, and in the roster, as to dates.”
On April 1, 1862, while only partially organized, the regiment, along with Colonel Pickett’s 21st Tennessee Infantry, was attacked at Union City by Federal forces. It moved to Trenton, to Ripley, back to Trenton, where on May 1, Major General Polk suggested that Colomnel Jackson be ordered to destroy Federal stores at Paducah, Kentucky. On May 12, it was ordered to guard the line from Brownsville to the Forked Deer River, via Ripley, reporting to General Villepigue. It covered the evacuation of Fort Pillow by forces under General Villepigue June 3-5, and fell back to Grenada, Mississippi, where it was under the command of Brigadier General Daniel Ruggles. On June 23, Ruggles ordered: “Colonel Jackson, in command, with his regiment and other companies will continue to cover our northern border.”
It was commended for “a well planned and soldierly execution of an expedition within the enemy lines, led by Colonel Jackson, and resulting in the capture of a Federal colonel and 56 men, and the destruction of a locomotive and a train of cars near La Fayette Station, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad on June 25.” In July, it reported 39 officers 581 men present for duty, 696 present, and 1087 present and absent.
It was next placed in Brigadier General F. C. Armstrong’s Brigade, along with the 1st Mississippi and 1st Missouri Cavalry, and fougbt engagements at Medon and Britton’s Lane on August 31 and September 1. At the Battle of Corinth, October 3-4, Colonel Jackson commanded a brigade composed of his own and the 1st Mississippi Cavalry in Major General Mansfield Lovell’s Division.
In January, 1863, Colonel Jackson was in command of a brigade composed of his own, the 2nd Arkansas Regiment, Willis’ Battalion, Wilbourne’s and Faulkner’s Regiments, and two companies from the 2nd Missouri Regiment in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. On January 18, one company of Jackson’s Regiment, 80 men, was detached to go with Major General Earl Van Dorn, the remaining nine companies, 250 men, to remain with the Army of Mississippi, with headquarters at Grenada, Mississippi.
On April 19, Lieutenant General J. C. Pemberton advised Brigadier General J R. Chalmers: “Stocks’ Regiment, all but two companies, have been ordered to report to you.” On May 7, the regiment was in Colonel R. McCulloch’s Brigade at Big Black Bridge, but on the 3Oth, it was placed in Colonel W. F. Slemon’s Brigade composed of the 2nd Arkansas, 7th Tennessee Regiments, Faulkner’s Kentucky Battalion, and two companies of Mississippi Partisan Rangers. On June 15, four companies were reported with General Chalmers at Panola, Mississippi. On August 17, it was engaged at Grenada, Mississippi.
On August 20, an inspection report of Chalmers’ Command stated: “The command generally is not in good condition. * * * All the troops with the exception of the 7th Tennessee are indifferently armed.” On September 10, General Chalmers ordered; “On account of reduced numbers, the 7th Tennessee Cavalry and the 18th Mississippi Partisans Battalion will act together in case of an engagement.” On October 22, the 7th Regiment reported only 210 effectives.
On November 23, Major General Stephen D. Lee advised General Chalmers: “Brigadier General Forrest has been assigned to the command in West Tennessee, to organize such troops as he can. ** * I think it best that Duckworth’s Regiment go with him to recruit, and return when full to your command.” The regiment was with Forrest in his defeat of Major General William Sooy Smith’s forces near Okolona, Mississippi on February 24, and Barteau’s and Duckworth’s Regiments were especially commended; in addition, Forrest wrote: “I desire to testify of my appreciation of the skill and ability of Colonels McCulloch, Russell and Duckworth as Brigade commanders. Colonel Duckworth took command of Colonel Jeffrey E. Forrest’s brigade when Colonel Forrest fell on the 22nd.”
In March, the regiment accompanied General Forrest in his raid into West Kentucky, and on March 24 captured at Union City, Tennessee the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, U.S.A., about 300 horses and a quantity of arms and stores. It was used for diversionary purposes around Brownsville, Tennessee, with Duck-worth in command of all troops in that area, when Forrest attacked and captured Fort Pillow, and was therefore not with him at that place. After the fall of Fort Pillow, as Forrest was preparing to withdraw from West Tennessee, he wrote: “I will leave Colonel Duck-worth’s Regiment and Lieutenant Colonel Crews’ Battalion (Forrest’s Old Regiment) for the purpose of conscripting the state and holding the guerillas in check.”
Through April 30, Colonel Duckworth continued to be reported as in command of a brigade, but on May 10, the regiment was placed in Colonel James J. Neely’s Brigade, composed of the 7th, 12th, 14th and 15th Tennessee Cavalry, Higgs’ Company of Scouts and Murchison’s Provost Guard. On May 14, Duckworth’s and Duff’s Regiments were ordered to Grenada, Mississippi; on May 23, Duckworth’s Regiment was reported at Oxford, Mississippi.
On May 24, Forrest placed Colonel E. W. Rucker in command of a brigade composed of the 7th Tennessee and 19th Mississippi Regiments, and the 18th Mississippi Battalion. The regiment suffered 54 casualtie& in the Battle of Tishomingo Creek, where Forrest defeated Major General S. D. Sturgis on June 10. On July 14, it was again with Forrest in the Battle of Harrisburg.
On July 18, Rucker’s Brigade was dissolved, and the 7th returned to Neely’s Brigade. On August 7, Duckworth and Colonel Kelley (Forrest’s Old Regiment) were ordered to Lick Springs, to blockade the road. On the 3Oth, Rucker’s Brigade was reconstituted with the 7th (Duckworth’s), 12th (Richardson’s) and 13th (Neely’s), 14th (Stewart’s) and 26th Battalion (Forrest’s Old Regiment) as members, and it was known permanently as Rucker’s Brigade, in General Chalmer’s Division.
As part of this brigade, the regiment was with Forrest in his raid into Middle Tennessee, beginning September 24 with the capture of Athens, Alabama, and concluding October 6, when Forrest recrossed the Tennessee River. It continued with Forrest when he returned to Tennessee with General Hood, and took part in the Battle of Franklin in Chalmers’ Division.
On December 6, Rucker’s Brigade was ordered to the Charlotte Pike, outside Nashville, to blockade the Cumberland River, which it did successfully until driven back on December 15, in the Battle of Nashville. The 7th Tennessee was sent down the Hillsboro Pike by General Hood, with orders to report at Franklin.
Under Chalmers, and later under Forrest, it formed part of the rear guard for Hood’s Army December 18-28, 1864, then withdrew to North Mississippi with Forrest. On March 1, 1865, it was placed in Brigadier General A. W. Campbell’s Brigade, Brigadier General W. H. Jackson’s Division, then at West Point, Mississippi. It made contact with LaGrange’s Brigade, Major General J. H. Wilson’s Corps, U.S.A. near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, March 31, and again on April 1 at Scottsville, Alabama. These actions occurred during General Wilson’s raid to Selma, Alabama, which resulted in the final surrender of Forrest’s forces at Gainesville, Alabama, May 12, 1865, where the regiment was paroled.
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.