The Kentucky Campaign to Chattanooga
III. Learning How to Be a Soldier; Campaign into Kentucky
Beginning on March 10, 1862, the Barbour Blues began to learn the skills necessary to function as a military unit at the Opelika Camp of Instruction. The men were organized into a military unit, and were taught how to march and fight in a military manner. The men were taught how to march without arms as weapons were not yet available1.
At their Camp of Instruction, the Barbour Blues met other military companies including the Walker Light Infantry, the Pea River Rifles, and the Louisville Blues, also from Barbour County. During the last weeks of March, the Barbour Blues were formally assigned the title of Company I of the 39th Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
An infantry regiment during the American Civil War was ideally composed of ten 100-man companies, lettered A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K. It was conventional at the time to omit the letter "J" in company designation. Regiments were commanded by a colonel, followed by a lieutenant colonel, and a major. Each company was commanded by a captain, followed by a 1st lieutenant, a 2nd lieutenant, and sometimes a 3rd lieutenant. Non-commissioned officers followed under this chain of command, including a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sergeant, followed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th corporals. The majority of the men in the unit were Privates, the foundation of the unit.
Colonel Henry D. Clayton, who had managed the formation of ten 100-man companies, was assigned to command the newly-formed regiment. Colonel Henry DeLamar Clayton, a 35-year old lawyer from Clayton, had been a member of the Alabama State Legislature before the war. When the Alabama seceded from the United States, Clayton urged the governor to accept into service some men that he had helped form into soldiers, the Clayton Guards and the Eufaula Rifles, parts of the 3rd Regiment Alabama Volunteer Corps. Receiving a denial from the governor (for whatever reason), Clayton, elected as colonel of the 3rd Regiment, resigned his elected position and enlisted as a private in the Guards. The Governor, realizing Clayton's steadfast determination, commissioned Clayton with the responsibility of reporting to Pensacola, Florida, and organizing new volunteers. At Pensacola, in March of 1861, Clayton organized the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment, and was subsequently elected Colonel. He remained in this capacity until returning to Opelika to raise the 39th Alabama Infantry2.
The Walker Light Infantry became Company B of the 39th, while the Pea River Rifles became Company C. The Louisville Blues became Company H. Colonel Henry Clayton's younger brother, Captain Joseph C. Clayton, was elected to command of Company H3. The 39th Alabama had an official chaplain, W. P. Harrison. The regimental surgeon was Dr. William H. Robert, and one of the assistant surgeons was William J. Stanford. 44 year old Dr. William H. Robert was a graduate of the Medical Department of the University of Georgia. A native of Georgia, Dr. Robert moved to Alabama in 1847, and enlisted in the 39th Alabama. Dr. Robert's son, Louis A. Robert, enlisted at the same time as an officer in Company A. Dr. Robert would eventually be forced to resign due to illness later in the War. His son, Louis A. Robert, would eventually serve as Captain of Company A, only to be killed near the close of hostilities3.5.
Many others were included in the make up of the regiment, including quartermasters (in charge of food and clothing); adjutants (record-keeping and communications officers); and others4.
On April 1st, 1862, the proud members of the 39th Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment were formally accepted into the service of the Confederate States.
The 39th Alabama was assigned to serve in a brigade under the command of Brigadier General Frank Gardner, in the Confederate Army of the Mississippi. The Army of the Mississippi was under the command of General Pierre G. T. Beauregard. A confederate brigade was usually composed of four to six regiments. Generally speaking, three to seven brigades make up a division, two to four divisions make up a corps, and one to three corps make up an army. Orders were issued to the 39th to be prepared to be transferred to active duty in the field at Corinth, Mississippi. Before pulling out of Opelika, the men of the 39th received their first paycheck on May the 15th. Each enlisted man was paid $22.00 for his service over the two month period of March 10 to May 10. The standard rate of pay for enlisted men in the confederate armies was $ 11.00 per month. Paydays were scheduled once every two months5.
Within a few days after being paid, the men of the 39th Alabama were loaded onto railcars and transported toward Corinth, Mississippi. While en route, the 39th was informed that the confederate army had pulled out of Corinth and the men were told to disembark at Tupelo, Mississippi, south of Corinth. When the men reached Tupelo, the 39th met and officially joined up with five other infantry regiments in Gardner's Brigade. The soldiers in Gardner's Brigade included the 19th Alabama, the 22nd Alabama, the 25th Alabama, the 26th-50th Alabama, and the 1st Louisiana infantry regiments. These men were veterans of the recent Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, fought only a few weeks before, in early April. Many of the 39th must have been shaken by reports of the battle. Gardner's Brigade had been up until recently named Gladden's Brigade, until the brigade commander, Brigadier General Gladden, from Louisiana, was killed during the battle. At Shiloh, the 19th Alabama had suffered 110 killed and 240 wounded out of 650 men that had gone into battle - casualties well over 50 per cent. Major Robert Armstead of the 22nd Alabama, along with scores of other men in the same regiment, were shot and killed and would never return to the 22nd. The 25th Alabama lost 90 casualties at that battle, and the 26th-50th lost 123 men out of 700 engaged. Although the men of the 39th probably feared a combat situation would occur at any time, the 39th remained with the brigade, unengaged, at Tupelo, during the remainder of May.
One of the regiments in the brigade is described as the '26th-50th'. This regiment was originally formed to be the 26th Alabama Infantry. After the regiment was created, it was discovered that an error had been made, and that a 26th Alabama Infantry had already been formed in another part of Alabama, and was currently in active service in the eastern confederate army, in Virginia. To remedy the error, the 26th that had just been formed was officially re-named the 50th Alabama Infantry. In historical records, the regiment is referred to as the 26th-50th, the 50th, and sometimes, inaccurately, the 26th Alabama. One reference even lists the regiment as two separate regiments. To be consistent, the regiment will be referred to as the 26th-50th Alabama in this narrative6.
Near the end of May, the brigade settled into camp a few miles north of Tupelo, at the town of Saltillo, Mississippi. While at Saltillo, the men of the 39th Alabama were issued their firearms. The men practiced loading and firing their new weapons, and remained in camp in Saltillo nearly two months during the late spring and early summer. During the stay in Saltillo, many of the men in Company H became sick. On May the 29th, Company A reported only 43 men and 1 lieutenant present for duty. By June the 30th, the company was nearly back to strength with 81 men. On that same day, the company captain, Colonel Clayton's younger brother, Captain Joseph C. Clayton, noted in a journal that his company is "...made up principally of industrious farmers [who are] good material for soldiers, presenting a good appearance when properly uniformed. But [the company] has suffered much from sickness and exposure."7
While in Saltillo, Louis Frazier was formally removed from the ranks of the 39th Alabama, Company I, and was assigned to Co. B, 17th Battalion of Sharpshooters. The 17th Battalion of Sharpshooters were formed in June of 1862. The Battalion was made up of two companies, Company A and Company B. Company B was formed from chosen men from the 39th Alabama. The 17th Battalion was also known as Yancey's Battalion of Sharpshooters. The commander of the Battalion was Captain B. C. Yancey. The order to remove Private Frazier from the 39th and assign him to the new 17th Battalion of Sharpshooters came from the brigade headquarters on June 21, 1862. Private Frazier's sharpshooting career was short-lived. Five weeks later, on July 28, the brigade headquarters reassigned Private Frazier back to the 39th. Perhaps his marksmanship was not as keen as the others selected to form the 17th; or perhaps he missed his comrades in the 39th and asked to be transferred back to them. No one knows, as there are no reasons listed on either set of orders8.
The 39th, along with the rest of the brigade of men (the 19th, 22nd, 25th, 26th-50th Alabama Infantry, the 1st Louisiana Regular Infantry, the newly-formed 17th Battalion Sharpshooters, and a battery of artillery known as Robertson's Battery) was formally assigned to a Reserve Corps. The brigade was named the First Brigade, under the command of Brig. Gen. Frank Gardner. Sometime in August of 1862, the First Brigade (along with the rest of the Army of the Mississippi) was loaded onto railcars at Saltillo and Tupelo and transported by rail along the M & O Railroad to Mobile, Alabama. The men changed trains in Mobile, and were then shipped to Montgomery, Alabama; West Point, Georgia; Atlanta, and, finally, Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Army remained in a militarily strategic position at Chattanooga until late August of 18629.
On August 28th, the Army of the Mississippi began a march through the mountains northward to Kentucky. One soldier in a Tennessee regiment thought the march into Kentucky to be a splendid affair, recalling after the war10:
I remember how gladly the citizens of Kentucky received us. I thought they had the prettiest girls that God ever made. They could not do too much for us. They had heaps and stacks of cooked rations along our route, with wine and cider everywhere, and the glad shouts of 'Hurrah for our Southern boys!' greeted and welcomed us at every house. Ah, the boys felt like soldiers again.
On September 17th, the Army of the Mississippi, under the command of General Braxton Bragg, who had replaced General P. G. T. Beauregard some time ago, reached Munfordsville, Kentucky. Bragg's men surrounded the city in the evening, and the next morning, the federals within the town surrendered. 3,500 federal soldiers were captured, and the men of the 39th were ordered to remain in Munfordsville to parole (process) prisoners. The men of the 39th stayed in the city for two days processing prisoners to send to prison camps in the south. Around this time, a statement was issued to the soldiers notifying them that their commanding general had renamed the Army of the Mississippi the Army of Kentucky.
Bragg's men continued on a march into the heart of Kentucky, reaching Hodgenville and Bardstown in October. On October 4th, the Army of Kentucky witnessed an inauguration of the Confederate governor of Kentucky at Frankfort. The inauguration festivities were short-lived, however, as a federal army ordered to intercept Bragg reached the Army of Kentucky at Perryville on October the 7th. On the next day, the Battle of Perryville was fought11.
Louis Frazier and the men in Gardner's Brigade were held in reserve, and were not involved in the battle. Bragg retreated the Army of Kentucky to Knoxville, Tennessee. On the next day, October the 9th, upon reaching Knoxville, the Army of Kentucky was formally renamed the Army of Tennessee12.
The title Army of Tennessee would remain forever inscribed in history as the second-most important army of the Confederacy. The army was entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the heartland of the Confederate States, yet was often poorly managed and led by officers whose engagement in petty bickery would threaten to destroy the army by attrition. Regardless of the leadership, the individual soldiers were strong-willed and steadfast, and when properly commanded and utilized (as will be seen at Chickamauga, later in this narrative), were literally unstoppable in combat.
The Army of Tennessee stayed in Knoxville for a couple of weeks, and during this time, a detachment from each company of the 39th was sent home to get fresh clothing for the men. In a short time, the army was ordered to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The army marched and rode trains to Bridgeport, Alabama. Upon reaching Bridgeport, the bridge over the Tennessee River was found to have been burned. A steamboat was hustled to the site, and the men of the 39th were able to cross the wide river.
The men were ordered to cook up three days rations at Bridgeport. That night, the men of Company H of the 39th were sitting around the camp fire, talking. Sergeant John James recalls Lieutenant Murphy complaining about the quality of the rations that were issued, remarking that 'if any man were to steal my rations, they would be welcome to them'. Later that night, Sgt. James waited until Lt. Murphy was sound asleep, and crept into Lt. Murphy's tent. Sgt. James 'eased the haversack out from under Lt. Murphy's pillow', and took it to his own tent. The next morning, Lt. Murphy threatened to whip the man that stole his rations, and, despite Sgt. James' efforts in recalling Lt. Murphy's testimony of the previous night, the rations were returned to the Lieutenant. After breakfast, the men broke camp and resumed the march to Murfreesboro, Tennessee13.
Snow came to Murfreesboro in November of 1862, and Sergeant James of Company H recalls men ice skating on some 'dried-up ponds of Stones River'. With the bitterly cold weather, several of the men fell sick, and Colonel Clayton noted in one of his reports that 371 men were absent from the 39th Alabama. Colonel Clayton also remarks about the lack of adequate provisions, as he notes that he is having great difficulty in obtaining writing supplies, despite 'repeated requisition' requests14.
In November of 1862, Brigadier General Frank Gardner, the commander of the First Brigade, was promoted and transferred. The commander of the 22nd Alabama, Colonel Zachariah Cantey Deas, a 43 year old cotton broker from Mobile, Alabama, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on December 13, 1862, and on December 31, 1862, was formally assigned command of the brigade. Louis's comrades would remain under the command of Brigadier General Zack Deas in what would soon be called "Deas' Brigade" for nearly the entire duration of the war. The brigade, however, was commanded by several different interim commanders at times. The men of Deas' Brigade belonged to a division commanded by General Withers15.
The 39th remained under the command of Colonel Henry D. Clayton, and while Col. Clayton did not receive the promotion to command the Alabama brigade, Colonel Clayton would eventually surpass Brigadier General Deas in rank and responsibility later in the war.
On Saturday, December the 13th, on an unusually balmy indian summer day, President Jefferson Davis reviewed
the Army of Tennessee at Murfreesboro. The men of Deas'
Brigade were formed up at attention, and the President addressed the men,
reminding them of their importance to their country.
IV. Cold Hell at Murfreesboro
On December the 30th, at 11:00 am, the 39th Alabama and the 26th-50th Alabama were formed up behind a fence in support of an artillery battery, near the Widow Smith house on the Franklin Road, about one-half mile west of Gresham Lane, outside of Murfreesboro. The cold wintry air had returned to Tennessee. The infantrymen were within a few hundred yards of the cautiously-advancing federal army. The artillery battery was assigned to Deas' Brigade; six 12-pounder Napoleons, manned by Florida troops, under the command of Captain Felix Robertson. Napoleon guns were considered by most artillerymen to be the most versatile and useful cannon available upon a battlefield. Although their barrels were smoothbores, resulting in little accuracy at long ranges, Napoleons were fiercely deadly up close, when their large diameter barrels could pump shotgun-like barrels of lead balls into an approaching enemy.
The commander of these Napoleon guns, twenty-three year old Captain Felix Robertson, was an interesting character. The only native born Texan to be promoted to General in the Confederate States, Captain Robertson attended Baylor University in his home state before being appointed to West Point in 1857. One of Captain Robertson's classmates was the infamous George Armstrong Custer, presently serving in the federal army. Upon hearing of Texas' secession from the United States in his last year at West Point, Cadet Robertson immediately resigned from his senior year, without graduating, and offered his services to the Confederate States. He was assigned to the staff of General Gladden (the original commander of Deas' Brigade, who was killed at Shiloh), and manned an artillery battery in the brigade at the Battle of Shiloh. He was promoted following his noteworthy performance at Shiloh and given command of six guns, manned by Florida soldiers, to be permanently assigned to Gardner's (formerly Gladden's) Brigade.
Personally, Captain Robertson was a strong-willed character that would follow orders, but, if he did not personally agree with the orders, would loudly complain and unwillingly obey. He had a strong respect for General Braxton Bragg, and his undivided and unquestioned loyalty to him would sometimes cause friction with other officers not in Bragg's favor. He was a harsh disciplinarian, and his native-american features in his face earned him the nickname, "Comanche Robertson". Later in the war, he would be involved in a controversial event. In October of 1864, Robertson's men would kill over 100 wounded federal soldiers, mostly african-american recruits, after a failed union assault. Though Robertson was never charged with a crime, one of Robertson's subordinates was eventually hanged for murder. Wounded the next month in another engagement, Felix Robertson eventually made his way back to Waco, Texas, and practiced law until his death in 19281.
At 3:00 pm, federal infantry of the 21st Illinois, anxious for a fight, advanced and attacked the confederates, intent upon seizing Robertson's Battery. The determined Illinoisians furiously charged the fenceline, firing as they advanced. For a brief moment, the federals were successful, until a concentration of fire from the men of the 26th-50th and the 39th sent the Illinoisians reeling rearward. Sergeant James recalls that after the men of the 39th fired upon the yanks, that they left 'hardly ... enough to go back to tell the tale'. Captain Abner H. Flewellen of Company F reported to the Columbus Sun newspaper after the brief engagement that one man was killed and three were wounded in the 39th, with none of the casualties being in his company. Upon a break in the action, Colonel John Coltart of the 26th-50th rushed a courier back to the brigade to request support. At the double-quick, Colonel Loomis' 25th Alabama rushed to the fenceline and connected to the right wing of the 39th. Within moments, the enemy charged again at 6:00 pm. This time, the enemy did not reach the battery, and were overwhelmed by the concentrated fire from the three confederate regiments. The enemy was reported by Captain Flewellen to have suffered several casualties. The 39th spent the freezing cold night at that fenceline in position, on the alert for another assault by the enemy during the night, until just before daybreak, when orders were received to pull back towards the main army. Campfires were not permitted, and their blankets had been left with the rest of the brigade with the main army2.
This engagement would prove to be only a minor incident compared to what would transpire after sunrise. The very next morning after this minor skirmish, the 39th would become involved in their first major battle. The 39th was so bloodied and beat up on the next day that Captain Flewellen, shocked by the brutality of the battle, submitted his resignation from military service. Captain Flewellen's brother, Lieutenant Colonel James T. Flewellen, who was second in command of the 39th, had already resigned just a few months prior to the battle. The tone of Captain Flewellen's report to the Columbus Sun newspaper immediately after the battle indicates his state of nervous anxiety from combat, as it includes the sentence, "I thank God that I am privileged to report myself alive today. He has, indeed, been very merciful and gracious to me". Sergeant John James of Company H recalled in his memoirs after the war that he remembered that "Flewellen's record was not creditable". Sergeant James added that Lt. Col. Flewellen's record was similar to that of his brother3.
On the cold, frosty morning of December the 31st, the 39th Alabama was thrust into its first major engagement. Deas' Brigade (still formally named the First Brigade in Wither's Division) was placed under the temporary command of Colonel J. Q. Loomis from the 25th Alabama, as General Deas was not available. Colonel Loomis had been wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in April and had recently recovered4.
Early that morning, just before daybreak, Loomis' Brigade had been united when the regiments supporting Robertson's Battery pulled back from their advanced position near the Widow Smith house to the brigade's position on the north side of the Franklin Road, facing westward, about one-half mile west of Stones River. A brigade of Tennesseeans under Colonel A. J. Vaughn, Jr. had been placed directly in the rear of Loomis' men earlier the previous evening. Several other brigades were formed up across the Franklin Road, on the south side. The confederates were ordered to be prepared to advance upon the enemy at a moment's notice. Generally speaking, Loomis' Brigade was in the right wing of the leftmost wing of the confederate army. The Army of Tennessee was arrayed facing north and west, north of the Town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The federal army was deployed opposite the confederates, roughly a mile away.
Shortly after 6:00 am, the units on the south side of the Franklin Road were ordered to advance. The men of Loomis' Brigade, as well as the others on the north side of the road, were ordered to remain in place. Louis Frazier and the others in the 39th stood in column formation, listening to the clanking and rattling of the men's canteens, haversacks, and rifles as the men advanced. The men moved westward through cornfields until falling out of sight in the distance. Soon, a tremendous roar of musketry and cannon was heard ahead. The time was 6:30 am.
Louis and his comrades in Loomis' Brigade, as well as Vaughn's Tennesseeans nearby, stood nervously as the sounds of battle roared in the distance. At 7:00 am, officers began to scurry about, and the shout of "Forward, March" was bellowed to Loomis' men. Vaughn's Tennesseeans were ordered to remain behind. Loomis' men advanced at a slight right oblique, to the right of where the other men had marched one-half hour earlier. At once, Colonel Loomis shouted to the men, "By Company into Line!". Immediately, the men broke out of a marching column and formed a company line of infantry. A 'company line' of infantry is where a brigade of men breaks out of a marching column (which is four men wide - so the men can march down a narrow pathway) into a wide company line, which is made up of two rows, or ranks, of men, facing the enemy. A company line is the effective way of delivering firepower into an enemy, as it allows the entire brigade to deliver all of their musketry fire toward the front.
The men of the 26th-50th Alabama formed on the far left of the company line, followed by the men of the 39th Alabama; Loomis' 25th Alabama; the 1st Louisiana; and the 19th Alabama. The 22nd Alabama anchored the right flank of the line. The men marched in battle formation across a sodden cornfield and a small expanse of open woods. Suddenly, as the men crested a slight ridge, the enemy came into view.
The enemy were three hundred yards away, posted in a strategically-desirable position, on a slight ridge behind a fence on the edge of a woodsline. The northerners had been expecting an attack by the rebels in the morning, and had been ordered by their commanders to sleep 'under arms', or fully accoutered with weapons and gear, without campfires, the night before. Louis Frazier and his comrades did not like what they saw ahead. The northerners, protected by a fence and a dense growth of rough cedars, would have a clear field of fire for a full three hundred yards as they advanced. Soon, the men could see several cannon placed strategically in the middle of the federal infantry line ahead.
Within minutes, the federals opened up on Loomis' men. Alone and unsupported, Loomis' men continued to advance in remarkably good order. Colonel Loomis had issued instructions to the men to watch the artillery, and whenever smoke belched from the gun, to fall to the ground. Nearing the enemy, Loomis' men split into two directions. The 26th-50th, the 39th, and Loomis' 25th Alabama drifted to the left of the cannon ahead, while the other half of the brigade attacked the federals on the other side of the artillery piece. Louis and his comrades steadily advanced, pausing only to load their weapons and fire into the enemy. As the Alabamians neared the fence, Loomis' men raised a yell and charged into the federals. The bluecoats, fearing for their lives, began fleeing from the fenceline, into the woods in their rear. A commander of one of the federal regiments, Colonel Thomas Williams of the 25th Illinois, grabbed his regiment's flag and grasping the fenceline, shouted for his men to rally upon the colors. It was all in vain, however, as a bullet pierced Colonel Williams, and he sank to the ground with a mortal wound.
The men of the 26th-50th, the 39th, and the 25th Alabama slammed into the fenceline, and, seeing the yanks fleeing in disorder, hopped over the fencerow and continued their charge into the woods. Suddenly and without warning, the 26th-50th was struck by a devastating volley on their left from another federal unit in the woods, the 35th Illinois. The 26th-50th 'melted away', as one survivor recalled, leaving the 39th Alabama unsupported on their left. A moment later, a tremendous volley opened up from the woods directly in front of Louis and his comrades. The 25th Illinois and the 81st Indiana, which had laid such tremendous fire in Loomis' men, and had fled from the fenceline, had regrouped in the woods and was now pouring lead into the 39th and the 25th Alabama. In the 39th Alabama, Colonel Clayton's younger brother, Captain Joseph Clayton of Company H, was struck by a minie ball and fell to the ground with a serious wound. Captain Lee Jennings of Company D was shot in the hip. Company G's commander, Captain T. Q. Stanford, fell to the ground with a mortal wound. Colonel Clayton shouted for the men to withdraw, and the 39th followed the 26th-50th rearward. Suddenly, Colonel Clayton was struck by a rifle shot, and fell with a serious wound, and a large tree limb, severed by a cannonball, struck the brigade commander, Colonel Loomis, and the brigade retreated rapidly in disorder over the dead and wounded5.
The blood-stained and exhausted men of Loomis' Brigade stumbled and limped their way rearward, and soon ran into Vaughan's Tennesseeans, the brigade that had been patiently waiting behind them earlier. Vaughan's men were preparing to advance into the fight where Louis and his comrades had just emerged. Some Tennesseeans hooted and jeered the Alabamians for their disorderly retreat. One Tennesseean remembers an Alabamian stopping and pointing toward the federal line, and soberly stating, "You'll soon find it the hottest place you ever struck". The Tennesseean recalling the incident remembers that, upon hearing this, the jeering stopped6.
The 39th Alabama's participation in the Battle of Murfreesboro was over. Captain Lee A. Jennings of Company D, seriously wounded in the hip, resigned from the service after the battle. Captain Abner Flewellen of Company F reported that his company had gone into the battle with 22 men. Out of these, two had been killed (Privates Osborn and Dunnaway), and 9 had been "not dangerously" wounded. Private Kennedy had been knocked down by a shell, but "not hurt much", Privates Wall and Holcomb had been struck down by a cannon ball, and Lt. Gillis had been wounded in the hip. Company F had three men fit for duty at the end of the day. By noon, the Louisville Blues, Co. H, was composed of Lieutenant Murphy, Sgt. John James, and four privates7.
A wagon pulled up loaded with rations, and, upon seeing the blood-stained and wounded men of the 39th, the quartermaster allowed the soldiers to grab as much food as they wanted. The men immediately rushed to the wagon and grabbed a ham, bread, and other meats. Lieutenant Murphy of Company H had fallen asleep, exhausted from the morning's actions. Sergeant James of his company cut several slices of ham and placed the ham, with some biscuits, in the officer's haversack for later8.
After Colonel Loomis' injury, Col. John G. Coltart of the 26th-50th Alabama assumed command of the brigade. Like Colonel Loomis, Colonel John Coltart had also been wounded at Shiloh but had recovered. After two battles (Shiloh and Murfreesboro) and two straight wounds, Colonel Loomis decided he had seen enough and resigned from the service after Murfreesboro9.
The next day, the first of January, 1863, the 39th was ordered to pick up its stragglers and reorganize. The commander of Company C was alarmed to find that Private Jim Turner had been gambling with some others during the battle10.
Casualties of this battle from the 39th Alabama are officially listed as 0 officers and 3 men killed; 9 officers and 83 men wounded; and no missing. This number includes Captain Stanford and Clayton as wounded officers; regretfully, both of these men's wounds proved to be mortal11.
The commander of the 39th, Col. Henry D. Clayton, was severely wounded in the engagement, but recovered, only to be informed of the sad news that his younger brother had died. Louis Frazier's company, Company I, was under the command of Lieutenant William H. Dill during the battle. Corporal (either Mac or Bill) Quick was mortally wounded. Privates (either Steve, Hall, or Jack) Parker and (either R.L., Jim, Spence, or Tom) Kennedy were seriously wounded. Sergeant Stephen P. Parker, Corporal Channel, Privates Culpepper, (A.P.) Harris, (P.N.) Voss, and Seay were slightly wounded. The total casualties in Company I were 1 dead and 8 wounded12.
Late in the evening of the first, the 39th was sent out on picket. The
enemy attacked and ran in the pickets, and the 39th was subsequently relieved
by another Alabama regiment. In a few moments, the order came down from
brigade headquarters to have Deas' Brigade retreat to
Shelbyville, Tennessee. Within a few days, the remainder of the
Confederate Army of Tennessee joined the men in and around Shelbyville.
V. Shelbyville / Chattanooga
The next several months were spent camped in a strategic position. The Army of Tennessee occupied a front in southern Tennessee, around Shelbyville to Tullahoma. Records of the 39th in April of 1863 show Private Louis Frazier is present for duty, with the 39th Alabama still under the command of Colonel Henry D. Clayton. The First Brigade is no longer referred to as such, and is now entitled, "Deas' Brigade". Deas' Brigade is listed as being under General Wither's Division, in General Leonidas Polk's Corps.
On April the 22nd, Colonel Henry Clayton received promotion to Brigadier General, and was given command of a different infantry brigade. Captain Whitfield Clark, the original commander of Company I, was promoted to Colonel and assigned to command of the 39th Alabama Infantry. The next day, Paymaster W. S. Wickham distributed $ 22.00 to the men, including Private Frazier, for their service from January 1, 1862 to February 28, 1863.
By the time June rolled around, Private Louis Frazier was recorded by the regiment as being in Rome, Georgia to receive a distribution of clothing1.
At the end of July, the federal army began to threaten the Army of Tennessee's position, and the 39th received orders to evacuate the Shelbyville / Tullahoma area, and pull back to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Retreat was necessary because the federal army had flanked Bragg's position, and the Army of Tennessee no longer held a tenable strategic position2.
The month of August was spent occupying Chattanooga, until the federal Army
of the Cumberland flanked Chattanooga. On September the 6th and 7th, the
Army of Tennessee was evacuated from Chattanooga and marched southward.
The 39th Alabama was placed on provost guard in the City to protect the
citizens and assure an orderly withdrawal. On the 8th, an officer named McKinstry noted his mistake in not sending orders to the
39th to join with the rest of the army after the evacuation of the city, and
hustled a courier back to relay orders. The main army was already five
miles from the City and rapidly marching southward when the orders were
received by Colonel Clark. The 39th quick-stepped to
join their comrades in Deas' Brigade.
Everywhere was the hustle of men and material moving down dusty roads
southward. The soldiers knew that a battle would be imminent; they just
had no way of knowing when and where3.
Chickamauga to the Recovery at
Dalton, Ga. The Atlanta and Tennessee Campaigns - To the Bitter End Footnotes