Hilliard's Legion

Last updated
Hilliard's Alabama Legion
Hilliard's Legion Flag.jpg
Hilliard's Legion Flag
ActiveJune 25, 1862 to November 25, 1863
CountryFlag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States of America
AllegianceFlag of Alabama (1861, obverse).svg  Alabama
BranchBattle flag of the Confederate States of America.svg  Confederate States Army
TypeCombined
Engagements Cumberland Gap
Battle of Chickamauga
Siege of Chattanooga
Commanders
ColonelHenry W. Hilliard
ColonelA. H. Bradford
ColonelJack Thorington
Charles Horton Morgan who enlisted as a private in Co. A, 1st Battalion, Hilliard's Legion Charles Horton Morgan.jpg
Charles Horton Morgan who enlisted as a private in Co. A, 1st Battalion, Hilliard's Legion

Hilliard's Legion or Hilliard's Alabama Legion was a Confederate unit which fought in the American Civil War. Unlike most Civil War formations, it was a combined arms force, with infantry, cavalry and artillery components.

Contents

History

On April 24, 1862, Henry Washington Hilliard was made a colonel and authorized to raise a legion, consisting of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions (infantry), 4th Battalion (artillery) and 5th Battalion (cavalry). [1] It was organized in Montgomery, Alabama, on June 25 of that year, with a strength of almost 3000 men. [2] The cavalry battalion eventually was detached and assigned to the 10th Confederate Cavalry Regiment; and Company C, 4th Artillery Battalion was separated as the Barbour Light Artillery. [3]

The Legion was sent to eastern Tennessee to participate in the ultimately successful siege of Cumberland Gap. [2] [4] Hilliard resigned on December 1, 1862. [1] Lieutenant Colonel Jack Thorington, commander of the 1st Battalion, was promoted to colonel and placed in charge. [1] In April 1863, the unit was attached to General Gracie's Brigade and fought in the Battle of Chickamauga, where it suffered heavy losses: 45% of its 902 men. [2] In the 1st Battalion alone, 169 of 239 soldiers were either killed or wounded. [4]

On November 25, the Legion was disbanded at Charleston, Tennessee, and the remaining men reassigned to the 59th and 60th Alabama Regiments. [4] The 2nd Battalion and the 4th Artillery Battalion became the 59th Alabama. Four companies of the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Battalion became the 60th Alabama, and the remaining three companies of the 1st Battalion became the 23rd Alabama Battalion Sharpshooters. [5]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Dearing</span>

James Dearing was a Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War who served in the artillery and cavalry. Dearing entered West Point in 1858 and resigned on April 22, 1861, when Virginia seceded from the Union. Dearing was mortally wounded at the Battle of High Bridge during the Appomattox Campaign of 1865, making him one of the last officers to die in the war. Despite serving as a commander of a cavalry brigade and using the grade of brigadier general after he was nominated to that grade by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Dearing did not officially achieve the grade of brigadier general because the Confederate Senate did not approve his nomination. His actual permanent grade was colonel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton's Legion</span> Military unit

Hampton's Legion was an American Civil War military unit of the Confederate States of America, organized and partially financed by wealthy South Carolina planter Wade Hampton III. Initially composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery battalions, elements of Hampton's Legion participated in virtually every major campaign in the Eastern Theater, from the first to the last battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William W. Allen (general)</span>

William Wirt Allen was a Brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He rose through the ranks to command a division in the Cavalry Corps of the Army of Tennessee in the last days of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Virginia Cavalry Battalion</span> Military unit

The 37th Virginia Cavalry Battalion was a cavalry battalion raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.

The 3d Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army Cavalry regiment during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Marmaduke's)</span> Military unit

The 18th Arkansas Infantry (Marmaduke's) (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was also briefly identified as the 1st Arkansas Infantry Battalion. The unit was most often referred to as the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment. The designation "Confederate Infantry Regiment" was intended to convey the difference between Provisional Confederate Army units and Regular Confederate Army Units, with Provisional units being those regiments who received a state designation such as "XX Arkansas Infantry Regiment". In practice, the designation was most often utilized when Regiments were assembled utilizing companies from more than one Confederate state. The "3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment" is occasionally misidentified as the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel Van H. Manning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Marshall Moody</span>

Young Marshall Moody was a Confederate States Army officer who was promoted to brigadier general near the end of the American Civil War. He was a teacher, merchant, and circuit court clerk in Marengo County, Alabama, before the war. He died from yellow fever during a business trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 18, 1866.

Pillow Flying Artillery was a Tennessee battery of artillery in the Confederate Army in the early years of the American Civil War. It was mustered into service in Memphis and likely outfitted at Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Also known as Miller's Tennessee Battery, it was reported by Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston as arriving at Bowling Green, KY, from Columbus, KY with an aggregate of 70 men. Records of this battery exist from 1861. The battery is not mentioned in any records after May 1862.

The following list is a bibliography of American Civil War Confederate military unit histories and are generally available through inter-library loan. More details on each book are available at WorldCat. For an overall national view, see Bibliography of the American Civil War. For histories of the Union, see Bibliography of American Civil War Union military unit histories. For a guide to web sources see: Carter, Alice E.; Jensen, Richard. The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites—Completely Revised and Updated (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th Alabama Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of ten companies that came from various counties across Alabama. It is one of the few regiments that served both in the Army of Northern Virginia and Army of Tennessee.

The 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on November 25, 1863 at Charleston, Tennessee by consolidating four companies of the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Battalion, Hilliard's Alabama Legion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">59th Alabama Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 59th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The 61st Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of nine companies from the southern parts of Alabama.

The 23rd Alabama Sharpshooter Battalion was a sharpshooter battalion of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battalion was formed on November 25, 1863 at Charleston, Tennessee from three companies of the 1st Infantry Battalion, Hilliard's Alabama Legion.

The Barbour Alabama Light Artillery Battery was an artillery battery from Alabama serving in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was also known as Kolb's Battery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wise Artillery</span> Confederate States army unit

The Wise Artillery was an artillery unit with the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The 20th Alabama Infantry Regiment was a Confederate volunteer infantry regiment from Alabama during the American Civil War.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hilliard's Legion: 1862 ~ 1863". Ohio State University . Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hilliard's Legion, Alabama Volunteers". National Park Service . Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  3. Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama. New York: Facts on File, 1992, p.12
  4. 1 2 3 Dedmondt, Glenn (31 March 2001). The Flags of Civil War Alabama. Pelican Publishing. p. 110. ISBN   9781455604319.
  5. Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama. New York: Facts on File, 1992, p. 89-90, 129-130