Preface and Acknowledgements
I had a great-great-grandfather who fought for the Confederate States during the War Between the States. He was from Alabama. He survived the war, and moved to Louisiana in 1870. He is buried in Cook Cemetery in Ruston, Louisiana, next to his wife and several of his children. The letters, "U.C.V." are inscribed on his headstone.
These were all of the facts that I had when I began to research my ancestor. After several months of research, I was able to assemble this narrative. I have relied on a combination of primary and secondary sources to assemble this manuscript. The secondary sources that I have used were, with few exception, well foot-noted and created from primary source material. A sergeant in Company H of the regiment wrote about the exploits of the 39th after the war, and his recollections, on file at the State of Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, were essential in finding the location of the regiment during those volatile years.
I have visited several of the battlefields that the 39th fought on, and have used a combination of historical records and personal observations to get a 'feel' for what the unit saw and felt in regard to ground conditions, contours, etc. Although the area around the Atlanta battlefields are completely developed, the basic topography of the rolling hills remains relatively unchanged.
I have written this narrative in a fashion where others who are not acquainted with military language, such as brigades, divisions, regiments, etc., will still be able to enjoy the narrative. I hope you enjoy reading this narrative, and if you find yourself driving by an old granite monument honoring men who fought in a war - not just the War Between the States, but any of our wars - take just a brief moment and remember those who fought and died for your freedom.
I appreciate the many persons who helped me assemble this narrative, including my wonderful wife and my daughters, for their patience; Mr. Ken Tilley, an archivist with the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, whose assistance in providing me with photocopies from the 39th Alabama history file was so very crucial to this narrative; Claire Furth in Chicago, Illinois; and the many, many persons who have written me since 1997 sharing their ancestors names and stories with me.
A very special thanks is offered to my friend Drew Martin, who initially published this web site as a project while a student at Louisiana State University.
I get many requests for more information concerning the 39th Alabama. I recommend getting in touch with the Alabama Department of Archives and History. I could not have written this narrative without their help. Their physical address is P. O. Box 300100, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36130-0100. Their telephone number is (334) 242-4435. If you have a special story about your ancestor, please feel free to e-mail me. I regret that I cannot always return e-mails.
Mark E. Owen November 12, 2003
From the Beginning - The Kentucky Campaign to Chattanooga
Chickamauga to the Recovery at Dalton, Ga.
The Atlanta and Tennessee Campaigns - To the Bitter End
Footnotes