Originally Captain Robert W. Ayre’s Tennessee Infantry Company
This company was originally organized by Captain Robert W. Ayre at Danville, Tennessee, now in Houston County, then in Stewart County, on December 6, 1861. The men were reported to be mainly from Benton County, with some from Henry County. Company reports state it was stationed at Danville, Tennessee, by General Albert Sidney Johnston, and moved to Hindman’s Station by General Braxton Bragg. On June 9, 1862, when Corinth, Mississippi was evacuated by General Bragg’s Army, nobody remembered to issue orders covering the evacuation to this company, and it had to be scattered for the men to escape.
It was gathered up again, and mounted on August 20, 1862, and operated within the enemy lines until November 15, 1862, when it was assigned by General Bragg to duty with the Provost Marshal, Army of Tennessee. It was still doing duty in that capacity on December 31, 1862.
Subsequently, it served with Brigadier General Philip D. Roddey, in North Alabama, was attached to Nixon’s Consolidated Cavalry Regiment in 1865, and was surrendered and paroled as part of this regiment at Gainesville, Alabama, May 9, 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.