Organized May 22, 1861 at Jackson, Tennessee; reorganized May 8, 1862; consolidated into a field organization with 6th Tennessee, December 1862; formed part of Company “E”, 1st Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment April 9, 1865; paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina on May 1, 1865.
FIELD OFFICERS
- Colonels-Henry L. Douglass, Charles S. Hurt.
- Lieutenant Colonels-Charles S. Hurt, John W. Buford.
- Majors-Samuel H. White, George W. Kelso, H. A. Rogers.
CAPTAINS
- Henry L. Douglass, W. S. (or H.) Scott, G. W. Parritt, (or Parrott), W. N. Wilkerson, C. N. Kerr, J. B. Locke, Co. “A”. “The Dancyville Grays.” Men from Haywood and Fayette Counties.
- Robert S. Russell, J. W. Hubbard, Co. “B”. “The Haywood Rifles.” Men from Brownsville, Haywood County.
- David J. Wood, Charles B. Simonton, James I. Hall, Co. “C”. “Southern Confederates.” Men from Clopton’s Camp Ground, Tipton County.
- Charles S. Hurt, W. H. Morgan, Henry C. Irby, Co. “D”. Men from Haywood and Hardeman Counties.
- Thomas Epperson, John Brown, R. H. Harrison, Co. “E”. Men from Shelby County.
- Samuel H. White, J. M. Park, Junius L. Hall, F. A. Harris, Co. “F”. “The Middleton Tigers.” Men from Hardeman County.
- Bradford Edwards, A. C. Gardner, A. M. Boyd, Co. “G”. “The Hickory Blues.” Men from Weakley County.
- John W. Buford, J. W. McDonald, Co. “H”. “The Obion Avalanche.” Men from Troy, Obion County.
- H. A. Rogers, D. E. Cox, Samuel P. Rose, Co. “I”. “The Memphis Rangers.” Men from Memphis, Shelby County.
- Joe C. Marley, P. N. Conner, Co. “K”. Men from Lauderdale County.
- W. J. Lyle, Co. “L”. “The Dancyville Rebels.” Joined the regiment March, 1862; consolidated with “D”, August 1862. Men from Haywood County.
Of the field officers, neither Colonel Douglass nor Major White was re-elected at the reorganization. Major Kelso resigned in November 1862.
The regiment went to camp of instruction at Union City, Tennessee, and was reported there in July 1861 with 838 men, armed with ffintlock muskets. From Union City, it moved to Camp Blythe, New Madrid, Missouri, where it was placed in a brigade with the 6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. Colonel William H. Stephens commanded the brigade, which was in Brigadier General Benjamin F. Cheatham’s Division.
From its first brigade assignment, until the end of the war, the 9th served in the same brigade with the 6th; see the history of the 6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment for further brigade assignments. After wintering at Columbus, Kentucky, the regiment moved to Corinth, Mississippi, March 1862, and was placed on post duty at Bethel Station, Tennessee till April 4, 1862.
It fought in the Battle of Shiloh, on both April 6-7. On the first day, it made a charge with five companies of Maney’s 1st Tennessee, under the leadership of Colonel George Maney, and was highly commended by Maney for its gallantry in action. In fact, Maney is said to have told the 9th later on that their action that day won him his promotion to brigadier general. At nightfall, the two wings of the regiment were separated by a train of artillery which cut the regiment in two, and the two segments fought separately on April 7. Casualties at Shiloh were about 60 men.
After the Battle of Shiloh, at the reorganization, Lieutenant Colonel C. S. Hurt was elected colonel, Captain J. W. Buford lieutenant colonel and Private G. W. Kelso major. Colonel Hurt was furloughed on account of illness, and did not rejoin the regiment till just before the Battle of Murfreesboro. In the meantime, Lieutenant Colonel Buford was in command.
The regiment moved with the brigade to Tupelo, then to Chattanooga, and from there set out on the invasion of Kentucky. At the Battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862, the regiment suffered 158 casualties. Major Kelso resigned in November, 1862, and Captain H. A. Rogers was chosen major to succeed him.
The regiment retreated to Knoxville, thence by rail to Murfreesboro, where Colonel Hurt rejoined it. Before his arrival, the regiment had no field officers fit for duty, and only two company captains. Shortly before the Battle of Murfreesboro, the 9th was consolidated into a field organization with the 6th Tennessee Infantry Regimen~ but separate muster rolls were maintained. Colonel Hurt, of the 9th, served as colonel of the consolidated regiment, with Lieutenant Colonel Buford of the 9th, and Major J. A. Wilder, of the 6th, as field officers. Later, Colonel Hurt was again obliged by sickness to give up the command, and Colonel George C. Porter, of the 6th, assumed command.
From this time on, the 6th and 9th served as a unit. See the history of the 6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, for further details of the campaigns around Chattanooga, to Atlanta, back to Tennessee and finally to join General Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina.
At the end, 40 men from the 9th Regiment, under Lieutenant R. 3. Dew formed part of Company “E” of the 1st Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment 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.