Also called 13th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment: 15th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment
Organized as a battalion September 1, 1862; increased to a regiment November 24, 1862; most men captured on Morgan’s raid into Ohio in 1863; remainder served in 1st Kentucky Cavalry Battalion, Duke’s Brigade.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonel-James D. Bennett, William W. Ward
- Lieutenant Colonels-William W. Ward, Robert A. Aiston
- Major-Robert A. Aiston; J. Richard McCann
CAPTAINS
- Micajah Griffin, Co. “A”. Organized September 1, 1862. Men from Sumner County.
- William P. Simmons; Thomas E. S. Russwurm, Co. “B”. Organized September 1, 1862 at Hartsville, then Sumner, now Trousdale County. Men from Sumner and Trousdale Counties.
- John D. Kirkpatrick, Co. September 1, 1862. Men from William W. Ward, A. B. Organized August 27, 1862 at from Smith County.
- Alex W. Rowe, Co. “E”. Organized September 1, 1862 at Hartsville. Men from Sumner or Trousdale Counties. Consolidated with “G” to form 2nd Co. “F” in December, 1862.
- A. E. Bell, W. J. Dyer, Co. “F”. Organized September 1, 1862. Men from Sumner County. Became 2nd Co. “E” in December, 1862.
- Charles E. Cossett, Co. “C”. Organized September 1, 1862. Men from Sumner and Smith Counties. Consolidated with “E” to form 2nd Co. “F” in December, 1862.
- John W. Wiseman, Co. “H”. Organized September 1, 1862 at Hartsville. Men from Sumner, Trousdale and Wilson Counties. Became 2nd Co. “C” in December, 1862.
Eight companies formed the battalion as originally organized. Two other companies, on which no muster rolls have been found, were assigned to the battalion on November 23, 1862 to complete the regiment. These were Captain Deatheridge’s Company and Captain White’s Company, both listed as on detached service; they never actually served with the regiment. Two other companies were attached to the regiment in December, when the changes listed above were made.
These had formerly served in Douglass’ Battalion, Partisan Rangers, and were:
- Felix H. Blackman, Co. “I”. No muster roll. Men from Davidson County.
- J. Richard McCann, Duke Cox, Co. “K”. No muster roll. Men from Middle Tennessee, mostly Davidson and Rutherford Counties.
Colonel Bennett was formerly lieutenant colonel of the 7th (Bennett’s) Battalion, which was merged into the 22nd, also called 2nd, (Barteau’s) Cavalry Regiment in the summer of 1862. Bennett then organized this regiment, which had no other connection with the 7th Battalion. Colonel Bennett died of wounds on December 23, 1862, and Ward succeeded him. Captain Richard McCann became major of the regiment to rank from this date.
A letter from Felix H. Blackman, dated September 25, 1902, stated that he was formerly an officer in the 1st (McNairy’s) Cavalry Battalion, and was left as a supernumerary officer when this battalion was consolidated with the 7th Battalion to form the 22nd (Barteau’s) Regiment. He secured a commission as captain from Brigadier General Sterling Price, with authoritv to recruit a company, and came back to Tennessee and organized a company of cavalry which served with Major Dick McCann as McCann’s Squadron until after the Battle of Nlurfreesboro on December 31, 1862. He stated that McCann’s commission had been obtained from Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan, and that both companies went with General Morgan on the Ohio raid, where he (Blackman) was captured, and not released until June, 1865.
Immediately after the organization of the battalion, Colonel William B. Stokes, U.S.A., reported an encounter with Bennett’s Battalion on the “Dickinson” (correct name, Dickerson) pike near Nashville, on September 2, 1862, in which Captain Robert Bennett and others, were captured, and Colonel Bennett wounded. On September 7, Major General William J. Hardee, commanding the left wing of General Bragg’s Army as it moved toward Kentucky, ordered Colonel Joseph Wheeler, on arriving at Carthage, to add to his command Bennett’s Cavalry Regiment, and pushing forward, to feel the enemy and harass him, without endangering his command. Colonel Wheeler reported he was joined at Hartsville on September 8 by Colonel James D. Bennett, with about 200 men, and continued on the flanks of the Federal Army as it was retreating into Kentucky.
On September 14 Wheeler’s command was composed of the 3rd Georgia, 1st Kentucky, 8th Texas Regiments and Bennett’s Battalion. On November 28, a Federal report spoke of a skirmish with Colonel Bennett, with about 200 men, near Hartsville. On December 7, Bennett’s Regiment was part of the force under Brigadier General John H. Morgan in the capture of Hartsville, Tennessee. General Morgan reported Colonel Bennett’s Regiment was not in the main fight, having been sent to cover the roads leading to Gallatin, Castalian Springs, La Fayette and Carthage. In this duty they captured 450 Federals and killed 12, with a loss of four casualties.
Company reports show the regiment was stationed at Murfreesboro on December 15, 1862. On December 25, the regiment was with General Morgan in a skirmish near Glasgow, Kentucky, during Morgan’s “Christmas Raid.”
Company reports from Companies “A” and “E” state they were employed from February 12, 1863 to March 16, 1863, in Smith, White, Jackson, Fentress, Overton, Putnam and DeKalb Counties in collecting conscripts, and on March 16, were at Cookeville, Tennessee. Companies “B”, “C”, “D”, “F”, and “G” were stationed at Liberty, DeKalb County, on February 22, 1863.
Meanwhile, McCann’s Battalion, presumably Companies “I” and “K”, which by this time had been assigned to the regiment, was frequently mentioned in Federal reports in February, March, and April 1863. On February 15, one such report read “There is daily difficulty with our telephone (telegraph?) line from La Vergne to Nashville. ** * There are probably many of Dick McCann’s men on visits to their homes, some of whom do this mischief.” On March 25, McCann’s Battalion was reported as part of the forces under General N. B. Forrest in his capture of Brentwood. On April 13, Major General D. S. Stanley at Franklin, wrote General Rosecrans: “My troops are on the way back by direct road. I have given them orders to retaliate for the attack on the train. I intend to burn down every house that has a rebel member in Dick McCann’s force. Will be at Murfreesboro tonight.”
On March 21, the regiment, under Captain J. D. Kirkpatrick was with General Morgan in his attack on Milton, Tennessee. Morgan reported: “We attacked the enemy at Milton yesterday morning, and drove them two miles. They were largely re-enforced, and maintained their position. Our loss heavy in officers.” Kirkpatrick reported: “We have had a rather warm time today. Our loss is great. Do not know how much yet, perhaps 125 killed and wounded.”
On General Morgan’s raid into Ohio, July 2-26, 1863, the regiment was reported as part of Colonel Basil W. Duke’s 1st Brigade, composed of the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th Kentucky Regiments and 9th (Ward’s) Tennessee Regiment. Most of the men were taken prisoner on this raid, but some of those who escaped gave the following report at Calhoun, Georgia, August 31, 1863: “The men who compose this company are fragments of companies of Colonel Ward’s Regiment, General John H. Morgan’s Division of Cavalry. We left Sparta, Tennessee, the latter part of June, crossing the Cumberland River July 2. Marched to Lebanon, Kentucky, and assisted in capturing the 2Oth Kentucky Regiment, losing eight or ten men in killed and wounded. Marched on, crossing the Ohio River on the 8th. Whipped the Home Guards on the Indiana side, killing and capturing them all. We traversed the states of Indiana and Ohio, and re-crossed the Ohio River at Buffington’s Island, under fire of gunboats, infantry, and cavalry with artillery, landing on the Virginia shore. We marched from Portland to Dublin Depot, and from thence to Calhoun, Georgia, on foot. Through the mountains of Virginia we had nothing to eat except beef without salt. Several of the men had to be left, their feet being so worn out it was impossible for them to march. We are now enjoying the luxury of being Confederate soldiers whose motto is Nil Desperandum.” This detachment, commanded by Captain J. D. Kirkpatrick, was mustered as Consolidated Companies “A” and “B”, 13th Tennes75 see Cavalry, and afterwards served in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry Battalion, Brigadier General B. W. Duke’s Brigade.
Some men from this regiment appeared on prisoner of war rolls as from the 15th Tennessee Cavalry. Also Major McCann, who was released from prison February 2, 1865, surrendered May 5 at Augusta, Georgia, as Major, 15th Tennessee Cavalry.
It appears from these facts that the proper number of the regiment was uncertain, for a time, and that it may have been known in the field as the 13th, also the 15th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, as it was not possible to identify these men as having any connection with the 13th and 15th Tennessee Cavalry Regiments. It was sometimes listed as the 3rd Regiment, Morgan’s Brigade, and as the 3rd Regiment, 2nd Brigade, Morgan’s Division.
The last record of the regiment was in an inspection report dated February 20, 1865 which listed the 1st Brigade, Morgan’s Old Division as composed of the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th Kentucky Regiments, and the 9th Tennessee. The report stated that Morgan’s Old Division had been consolidated into three battalions of Brigadier General B. W. Duke’s Brigade: “there were present at date of my inspection 328 men, and their discipline seemed to be better than that of the other commands in the Department, with the exception of Giltner’s Brigade *** They were camped about two miles from Abingdon, Virginia, and going into winter quarters, their horses having been sent to North Carolina to be foraged.”
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.