The following article is provided with the permission of Michael D. Wren. Any reprinting or copying may only be done with his permission. I contacted him by e-mail one Saturday evening, and received a reply the following Monday. Only by such unselfish cooperation can the histories of these units be effectively preserved for posterity. Joe James - March 2, 1998
Volume XXXV Northeast Alabama Settlers Number 4
Captain John F. Thomason's Company 2nd (SMITH's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment - C.S.A. Originally 10th (also called l1th) Tennessee Cavalry Battalion
Dekalb County AL
By Michael D. Wren
This company was formed with men from Dekalb County AL and from Marion County TN (just to the west of Chattanooga TN). This company was mustered into Confederate Service at Camp Trousdale on November 4, 1861. Camp Trousdale was northeast of Nashville in Sumner County TN on the railroad line near the Kentucky border. This muster roll is reconstructed from National Archives Microfilm Publication M268, Reel 10 (Compiled Service Record_of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee). All soldiers showed as having arrived at Camp Trousdale on October 25, 1861 and having traveled a distance of 221 miles. The men enlisted for a period of 12 months.
The company was successively designated as Captain Thomason's Company of TN Volunteers, Captain Thomason's Company 19th Battalion TN Cavalry and as Captain Thomason's Company 2nd (Smith's) Regiment TN Cavalry.
The Battalion was organized in February 1862 and increased to a Regiment April 1862 and disbanded May 1862. E. S. Smith was Colonel and Zachariah Thomason was Lt. Colonel. The battalion was at Camp Cheatham on February 14, 1862. It was near Chattanooga on March 14, 1862. One of the other companies in this Regiment was reported about April 6, 1862 to have been on the south side of the Tennessee River near Bridgeport Alabama. The last record found was in instructions sent by Major General E. Kirby Smith to Brigadier General Leadbener, commanding at Chattanooga, dated: April 28, 1862: "Colonel Smith should be arrested on the first pretext, and his regiment placed under the command of an efficient officer. It this cannot be done, select the best companies and organize them into a battalion, and report the remaining ones that they may be dismounted or some other disposition made of them. 2
The Compiled Servicrei Record for Capt. Thomason includes some Requisitions that add a small amount of information about thisicompany. One requisition is for 10 days forage from 24-Oct-1861 to 3-Nov-1861 for 70 non-commissioned officers and privates. There is an additional Requisition dated 14-April-1862 at Chattanooga TN and further dated 8-May-1862.
After the company was dissolved, most of these men re-enlisted. Part went with Captain R. E. Lankford who organized a command known as Company "C" 11 th AL Cavalry Battalion on 15-May-1862 at Shellmound, AL., on the Tennessee River. Others went with Captain Thomas Rees who led Company "I" that organized at Lebanon, Dekalb County, AL on 15-July-1862. Also called Howard's Battalion, this unit became the nucleus of the 3rd Confederate Cavalry3 that was organized on 20-August-1862.
1. Michael D. Wren, 4670 Hitching Post Trail N.E., Atlanta, GA 30342-2816. E-Mail: zglx80a@prodigy.com. 2. TENNESSEANS IN THE CIVIL WAR - A Military History of Confederate and Union Troops with Available Rosters of Personel, Civil War Centennial Commission, Nashville Tennessee,1964, Part I pages 54 - 55. 3. See NORTHEAST ALABAMA SETTLERS, April 1994, Vol XXXII, No.4, pages 103-110 and also NORTHEAST ALABAMA SETTLERS, July 1994, Vol. XXXIII, No. I pages 4-9.
Volume XXXV Northeast Alabama Settlers Number 4
Thc following letter was written by James Briton Johnson 9 to his brothers and sisters.10 All spelling is original but punctuation has been added in brackets. At the end of the letter his cousin, T. S. Rees. added a note to his cousins back in Wills Valley.
Camp Trousdale Nove 15th 1861 Dear Brother & sister I now take the present opertunity of droping you a line to let you no that I ame well at this time hoping that thee lines will reatch you all the same[.] I have not mutch nuse lo write at this time [,] no more than we have all had tolably good health so far[.] There is some of the boyes that have had bad colds[.] some of theme have bin tolably sicke[.] George Weson is now dowen with col [.] think the dockter sayes that he has the billious feaver[.] He is now improving [.] the rest are all well I belive at this timed I have enjoyed the tripe finely[.]My health has bin very goody [.] i will now tell you wher we are campt [.] we have campt fifty miles above nashville on the cantucky line[.]I have bin out into cantucky several times [.] this is a fine country[.] ther is about two thouand troops campt in three hundred yds of us infantry[.] we was mustered in to the confederett servess the 4th of this monthl [.] we have got eaver thing that we have neaded except oure armes[.] we have not neaded them yet but i expect if we stay heare untell spring we might neade theme but ther is no neare the excitement heare that you would thinks [.] in about twenty five miles of us ther mas a little fite a few days a go but oure side neaver hardly got a mark [.] as we have allwais said ________ built heare for five thousan troops they will winter at this plase we will no dout stay heare oure selves[.] if times dont change this will be a point for heade qorners this winter[.] but ther is no acounting for aney certann nuse frome us as one day we will git nuse and the next it will be conterdicted [.] we have had fine wether sines we left home and I expected to have found this a cold plase but I dont think that it is aney coldr heare than it is in wills valey [.] so as i have no nuse i will close[.] i want you to rite as sone as you git this [.] rite to mitchelsville station Tenn in care Capt Thomason[.] Yores Truly James B Johnson
fromc T S Rees Deare cosense. it is with the grates pleasure that I have the opertunity of droping you a line this evning[.] i must say that I have no nuse but i can say that i ame well and well pleasd so far but i would be beter satesfid if they would not give me so mutch to eate [.] i have generalley one that neaver ate mutch before but i canot say that now [.] i have gained ten pounds sines i came in to camp and you might no that i ame geting powfull fat by this time[.] but I will say that you may tell the girles that we will apt to be in wills valey to take oure part of the crissmass this winter[.] tell all the girles that they must take some panes in trying to fix up a fat pig for crimmass and we will neaver forgit them [.] i have a ____. Thos S Res
Maley l2 _ you must talke a little for me by the time I come home Yores Truley T S
9 On the muster roll he is named Johnston. He was the son of Joseph & Nancy (Edwards) Johnson. He was born 19-Aug-1840 and died 15-May-1862 and was buried at Bethany Cemetery in Reece City, Dekalb County (now Etowah County) Al. 10 The original letter is owned by Evelyn (Gaines) Johnson a descendant of James' sister, Mary Ann (Johnson) Gaines. Mary Ann & her husband William A Gaines were the probable recipients of this letter. 11 Thomas Stringfield Rees was the son of John & Narcissa (Edwards) Rees and a first cousin of James Britton Johnson and his siblings. Narcissa (Edwards) Rees and Nancy (Edwards) Johnson were daughters of Thomas & Marx (Britton) Edwards. 12 "Maley or Mallie" was a pet name for Amanda Carolyn Gaines, a daughter of William A & Mary Ann (Johnson) Gaines. She was named after her maternal aunt, Amanda Sophia Johnson, the eldest daughter of Joseph & Nancy Johnson. Amanda Sophia Johnson would later marry Abram Benton Purcell who was also in this Company of soldiers.
email - Joe James
email - Michael D. Wren