41st Alabama Volunteer Infantry

    First Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade 


41st Alabama Volunteer Infantry

Hayes Alton Lowe, Jr.


Assigned to 1st Brigade, then Hanson's/Wright's Brigade, next to the 1st Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade, then finally to Gracie's/Moody's Alabama Brigade.

Many of the men from the 41st Alabama Volunteer Infantry died in Tuscaloosa, where the various companies were being assembled to join the war effort (May 16, 1862). While the record that I have of deaths in Tuscaloosa is incomplete, the earliest death that I have found is that of Wm. L. Ramsey of
Company G. He died on May 14, 1862. If he died of the same disease as those that died later in June and July, he could have been the carrier of the germ that caused the outbreak.

The regiment was first assigned to the Department of East Tennessee. Then, the regiment was attached to the Hanson's/Helm's/J. H. Lewis' Brigade [a.k.a. 1st Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade] around January 1, 1863. After the Battle of Chickamauga the regiment was transferred to Gracie's Brigade. Then
during the spring of 1864 it was moved to Virginia.

The 41st was reportedly organized with 1,250 men, however, there were only 700 men in the regiment when it engaged at Murfreesboro, its first major engagement. 198 casualties were reported at Murfreesboro, according to some sources. The official Colonel's report listed 143 killed, wounded, and missing.

Report on the Battle of Murfreesboro of Lt. Col. M.L. Stansel, January 12, 1863:

On Sunday, December 28, this Regiment ...[of] Hanson's Brigade...proceeded to Wayne's Hill and formed a line of battle in the rear in support of Cobb's Battery, and a section of the Washington Artillery, and also a section of Lumsden's Battery. In this position we remained for several (5) days, exposed to a constant and galling fire, both from the enemy's artillery and sharpshooters...During this time two of our best officers, Lt. James T. Hardaway and Lt. N. B. Lenderman were killed. A number of our men were wounded; still we held our position against the most terrific assaults the enemy could bring to bear against it. A point, called by General Bragg himself, the key of the battle field.

On Friday evening, January 2, 1863, this Regiment together with the 2nd, 4th, and 6th Kentucky Regiments were ordered to the right of our position and proceeded down Stone's River to a point about one mile north of Wayne's Hill, to make an attack upon a strong body of the enemy in force
there. In this attack, from which ensued a most terrific battle, my officers and men demeaned themselves most gallantly, driving the enemy before them across the river, entirely from the position they had held. [...]

The casualties in the battle show the following results:
Killed 18; wounded 90; missing 35; total 143

Between December 31, 1862 and September 19, 1863, the regiment lost 375 men.  It went into the Battle of Chickamauga with only 325 remaining. The 41st lost approximately 160 of the 325 men present at Chickamauga. Many were disabled at Sayler's Creek, and it was surrendered with only 14 officers and 84 men.

As of the last report by the regiment (in February 1865), the 41st was "in the trenches" outside of Petersburg, Virginia. The regiment surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia on April 9, 1865, under the command of Col. Martin L. Stansel of Pickens County.

Engagements: Murfreesboro, Vicksburg, Jackson, Chickamauga, East Tennessee winter campaign, Drewry's Bluff, Dutch Gap, siege of Petersburg, White Oak Road, Hatcher's Run, and the Appomattox retreat.


Company B

This Company was mustered in Fayette County, Ala. according to the official record. However, it is clear from the original muster roll that the Company was partially mustered in Pickens Co., Ala. and many of the men mustered in Fayette Co. seem to have been men from Pickens Co.


"Pickens Greys"
Company C and Company D
Both primarily mustered in Pickens County, Ala.

The Pickens Grays (Pickensville Grays according to some sources) left for the War from Pickensville, Alabama, May 6, 1862. They composed both Company C and Company D of the 41st Alabama Infantry. They served in the Western Army for about two years then were transferred to the Virginia Army and were captured at Petersburg, Virginia, a few days before General R. E. Lee surrendered April 9, 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse, according to some sources. Other sources say they served as the rear guard for Lee in the retreat to Appomattox Courthouse. Perhaps one Company was captured at Petersburg and one was not.


Company I

As with the Company B muster roll, this company was mustered in Fayette County according to the official records, while other sources list the muster as in Pickens County. Again, as with Company B, many of these men are known have lived in Pickens County.


Company K
"Craddock's Company"

This company was organized in Tuscaloosa on May 4, 1862. The recruiting was done in the area around the Tuscaloosa/Pickens County line, particularly in the Gordo area. Some sources list the company as mustered in Pickens County.


Several sources mistakenly identify this as Company J. It is possible that it was originally called Company J. And that, sometime thereafter somebody realized that "J" was not used in the Confederate Army as a company designation, so it was corrected to Company K. One of these same sources
identifies Craddock's Company as the Picken's Greys. While it is possible that some of these men were in the Greys militia unit, no other source identifies this Company with the Greys. Several sources confirm that the men of the C and D Companies were formed in Pickensville from the Picken's Greys.


Provided courtesy of Hayes Alton Lowe, Jr. from his book on veterans of the Civil War from Pickens Co., Alabama

 

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Many thanks to Hayes Lowe for sending in this compilation for the Orphan Brigade Homepage.

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