THE EIGHTEENTH ALABAMA INFANTRY.

The Eighteenth Alabama regiment was organized at Auburn, September, 1861. Its first duty was at Mobile. At the battle of Shiloh it engaged in the severe fighting which resulted in the capture of Prentiss' division, and was ordered by General Wheeler to carry the prisoners to Corinth. It returned to Mobile, where it remained till 1863. It was prominent in the battle of Chickamauga, September 19th and 20th, losing nearly two-thirds of its number, killed and wounded; participated in all the subsequent battles of the army of Tennessee and was distinguished in the Dalton and Atlanta campaign; engaged in the battles in front of Dalton, May 7th to 12th; Resaca, May 14th and 15th; Cassville, May 18th; New Hope Church, May 25th, and Pickett's Mill, May 27th. The regiment was also in battle at Peachtree Creek, July 20th; Atlanta, July 22nd; Jonesboro, August 31st and September 1st; Lovejoy's Station, September 2nd to 6th; Franklin, Tenn.,November 30th, and Nashville, December 15th and 16th. The Eighteenth was then ordered to Mobile and participated in the defense of Spanish Fort March 26 to April 8, 1865. Among the officers killed were: Lieut.-Col. Richard F. Inge, Captains Justice, Stringer, Hammond, and Mickle, and Lieutenants Fielder, McAdory and Kidd, all of whom met death at Chickamauga. Its commanding officers were: Colonel Inge, whose name heads the roll of honor of the killed and wounded at Chickamauga; Col. Edwin C. Bullock, one of the leading citizens of Alabama, died in November, 1861; Col. Eli S. Shorter, distinguished at Shiloh; Col. James T. Holtsclaw, who was wounded at Shiloh and afterward became distinguished as a brigadier-general, and Col. James Strawbridge, who was temporarily assigned; Lieut.-Col. Peter F. Hunley, and Majs. Sheppard Ruffin, William M. Moxley; also Bryan M. Thomas, who was temporarily assigned and was afterward a prominent brigadier-general. Source: Confederate Military History, vol. VIII, p. 113 Shiloh after battle report: Report of Col. Eli S. Shorter, Eighteenth Alabama Infantry. HDQRS., CAMP OF THE THIRD BRIG., WITHERS' DIV., SECOND CORPS, ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Near Corinth, Miss., April 9, 1862. SIR: Inclosed I have the honor to submit to you a report of the casualties that occurred to my regiment in the great historic battle at Shiloh Church, on Sunday, the 6th instant: The number of non-commissioned officers and privates actually engaged in the first battle was only 413. During this long-continued fight of about one hour and upwards my men nearly exhausted the 50 rounds of cartridges that had previously been distributed to them. A considerable number of the men had none whatever left. By order of Gen. Jackson, after the enemy had been routed and we were advancing, I sent back to the ammunition train and procured a new supply. The regiment was actively engaged in all the battles during that day in which the brigade participated. Our loss was very heavy, to wit: Killed............................................ 20 Wounded........................................... 80 Missing........................................... 20 Total ............................................ 120 Most of those classed among the missing doubtless were taken prisoners by the enemy, as they were with Dr. Barnett, our surgeon, who was captured on Monday while attending to the wounded. It is reported to me on good authority that the enemy fired on Dr. Barnett and his party while under the yellow flag and when the surgeon was actually engaged in dressing the wounds of one of the enemy. The officers [with but one exception] and men of the regiment conducted themselves throughout the several engagements with much gallantry and spirit. Lieut. [E. J.] Rogers, who was in command of Company B, abandoned his company twice and wholly disappeared from the field. He is now here in arrest, and proper charges will be filed against him. Lieut.-Col. Holtzclaw was dangerously wounded in the first engagement while he was gallantly discharging his duty. Respectfully, &c., ELI S. SHORTER, Col. Eighteenth Alabama Regt. Capt. J. B. CUMMINGS, Assistant Adjutant-Gen. Source: Official Records: Series I. Vol. 10. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 10 Chickamagua after battle report: Report of Maj. P. F. Hunley, Eighteenth Alabama Infantry. CAMP EIGHTEENTH ALABAMA REGT., Near Chattanooga, Tenn., September 28, 1863. CAPT.: I respectfully submit the following as a report of the part taken in the battle of Chickamauga by the Eighteenth Alabama Regt., Clayton's brigade, Stewart's division: The line of battle was formed Saturday morning between 7 and 8 o'clock, and we moved in a westerly direction from the position of the regiment on Chickamauga Friday night about 1 mile. The regiment, with the brigade, was then halted and remained in line in that position several hours. At 12 o'clock we moved by the right flank about 1 mile, halted for half an hour, and again moved to the right a half mile or more, from which position the regiment went into a corn-field some 200 yards, and then about faced and moved back by the left flank to the position which we occupied before we moved into the corn-field. We halted here, and after giving three cheers for Alabama, by order of Gen. Stewart, moved upon the enemy. We advanced about 100 yards and engaged the enemy. Shortly after engaging him the order was given to lie down, in which position we continued to fire upon the enemy about half an hour, I suppose, when the brigade commander ordered the regiments remained in that position for some half hour subjected to a terrible fire, from which it suffered severely in officers and men. At the expiration of the half hour Gen. Clayton passed up the line and called upon the men to charge the enemy. The regiment responded promptly, but when the line was formed the order was received from the left to march by the left flank, and immediately followed the order for the regiment to fall back. It fell back in pretty good order, or at least the two left companies, and was reformed some 300 yards in rear of the position occupied by the regiment in the fight. The regiment went into the first engagement about 2 o'clock and were engaged about one hour. Col. Holtzclaw was thrown from his horse in this engagement and so badly hurt that the command of the regiment devolved upon Lieut.-Col. Inge during the evening. The regiment lost in this engagement about 35 killed and 175 wounded. S. K. Fielder, first lieutenant Company H, was mortally wounded while gallantly cheering onward his men. Pollard and Harper, first and second lieutenants Company A, were wounded-the first mortally, the last very severely. Capt. Wilkerson was slightly wounded in the hell, being struck by a fragment of shell, and left the field. About 3. 30 o'clock the regiment, with the brigade, was ordered forward again to relieve Gen. Bate's brigade, of the same division. It moved forward in good order, passed Gen. Bate's line, and, having broken the enemy's line, drove him about 1 mile or more, capturing a battery. After the route of the enemy, the regiment being a good deal scattered, the pursuit was somewhat in confusion. With a part of the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-eighth, after driving the enemy the distance stated above, the regiment fell back to a position about 1 mile in advance of the position occupied by if before going into the fight. In this engagement Capt. Mickle was severely wounded while leading his company (I) in the charge. Capt. Stone, of Company K, received on the neck a slight wound, which disabled him until Tuesday morning. Lieut. Johnston, Company I, was wounded in right fore-arm. Lieut. Riser, of Company K, was knocked down twice during the fight that evening and the next day. As it was nearly night when the regiment fell back after the charge, we formed a line as above stated about 1 mile in advance of the position held by the regiment before it went into action the first time, and remained there during the night. On Sunday morning the regiment was moved to the right (I cannot state the distance) and occupied a ridge in rear of Gen.'s Brown's and Bate's brigades, where it was shelled for one hour or more, and about 12 o'clock was ordered forward to engage the enemy. Through the enthusiasm of Capt. Justice, Company A (than whom there was not a more gallant officer in the service), the regiment commenced the charge too soon. The men were exhausted before the point was reached where the charge ought to have commenced. When the cheering commenced the enemy opened upon the regiment and brigade a fire of grape and canister almost too terrible for human nature to endure, consequently the regiment was compelled to fall back in some confusion just as the object was accomplished, the enemy having abandoned their guns as the regiment was falling back. In this engagement the regiment lost some of its best officers. Capt. Justice, Company A, and Lieut. McAdory were killed outright. Lieut. Col. R. F. Inge was mortally wounded while gallantly leading the right of the regiment. Capt.'s Stringer, Company B, and Hammond, of Company D, were mortally wounded leading their companies in the charge. After falling back, the regiment was reformed and moved forward again some half a mile or more to the Chattanooga road and then by the right flank about half a mile, where it remained in line until near 5 o'clock, when it moved upon the enemy's breastworks, which were being forced by our troops on the right. The regiment charged their works and carried them, and then occupied a line beyond the breastworks, from which it fired upon the enemy in full retreat through an open field, and with the brigade captured a hospital and several hundred prisoners Sunday evening, who were driven in by our troops on the right and in the rear of the enemy. During the night (Sunday) and Monday morning, the regiment collected 100 stand of arms, 20,000 cartridges, numbers of sets of accouterments, &c. The regiment went into the fight with 527 aggregate or thereabouts, and lost in the two days' fight 4 officers killed and 16 wounded, and 37 privates killed and 240 wounded; total loss, 277; aggregate, 297. Officers and men behaved well, but I cannot refrain from mentioning Capt. Ruffin and Lieut. J. B. Darby, of Company H; Capt. Mickle, Company I; Lieut. Stewart, Company E, and Lieut. Riser, Company K, who were especially noted for their good conduct during the battle. But it is almost unjust to make any distinction, as both officers and men, with few exceptions, seem to try to do their duty. I beg leave to submit this report, knowing that it is imperfect, as I was not in command of the regiment until late Sunday evening, and consequently did not charge my memory with anything that occurred. I omitted to state in the proper place that Col. Holtzclaw commanded the regiment Sunday morning until it fell back. After reforming a part of it he was compelled, by injuries received the evening before by a fall from his horse, to leave the field. He joined the regiment Tuesday morning again. I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, P. F. HUNLEY, Maj., Comdg. Eighteenth Alabama Regt. Capt. MACON, Assistant Adjutant-Gen., Clayton's Brigade. ----HDQRS. EIGHTEENTH ALABAMA REGT., Near Chattanooga, October 18, [1863.] Maj.: I have the honor to report that the battery mentioned in my report of the battle of Chickamauga was abandoned by the enemy when passed over by the regiment. In the report I used the word battery incorrectly; there were only two pieces, a section. I think the guns were howitzers. I do not know when they were taken off the field. The section was passed over by the left-center company of the regiment, and the officer (Lieut. Holtzclaw, Company G) who noticed the guns particularly is now absent wounded. I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, P. F. HUNLEY, Lieut. Col., Comdg., Eighteenth Alabama Regt. Maj. HATCHER, Assistant Adjutant-Gen., Stewart's Division.

Source: Official Records CHAP. XLII.] THE CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. PAGE 404-51 [Series I. Vol. 30. Part II, Reports. Serial No. 51.]

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