Our gr. gr. gr. grandfather was in the 14th Tennessee Regiment from the start when it was formed in Clarksville in May 1861. His division was at Gettysburg under Archer’s Brigade and was part of Pickett’s charge. It had three color bearers shot down, one made it to the Federal’s breast works. Gettysburg’s nearly destroyed the 14th on the first day but the remaining soldier’s reformed and was part of Pickett’s charge on his left at The Angle.
He, while in the 14th, fought in the Battles of Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Shepherdstown, Ox Hill, Cedar Mountain, Manassas, Sharpsburg, Harper’s Ferry Frazier’s Farm, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Falling Waters, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg,
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It was at the Battle of Hatcher’s Run was where he was wounded in the arm(”shot all to pieces” he described in his pension application)
He was in Chimborazo Hospital No 5 recovering from his wounds when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox
He was among the handful who joined the 14th from the beginning to live to return to Montgomery County.
After the war, he would attend the Forbes Bivouac, a reunion event for the members of the !4th started in 1888 and Andrew attended until 1914.
He never took The Oath and was an “unreconstructed Rebel” to the day he died.
He had two younger brothers in the 49th Tennessee Infantry Div at Fort Donelson, one brother, Melville joined Bedford Forrest in escaping the surrender by wading a frozen creek bottom to fight again when it was reformed, along with pardoned prisoners and went south to fightin Alabama, Mississippi Georgia and surrendered in the Carolinas. Many cousins and men on my dad’s people fought in the 49th as well but research in them has hit a few road bumps.
I have no connection to the Civil War. (Well, my wife’s great(?) grandfather told the story of him being taken prisoner and escaping barefoot, and taking the boots off a dead soldier and making it back to safety after a week of sneaking back through enemy territory. But that’s the only story I know!)
It is very interesting to hear the stories and the history from BOTH sides. Also to hear the mutual respect in the stories from both sides.