~~ 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment ~~ Hayneville Guard 1859 to 1865

The Hayneville Guards was formed in 1859 in Lowndes County as the First Battalion, 58th Regiment Alabama Militia.  Thomas S. Herbert is given the credit for originally organizing the Guards. Eventually, they were reorganized and under the command of Colonel Lomax. Men began drilling on the grounds of the Female Academy in Hayneville to prepare for the coming troubles.  By January 1, 1860, they were well drilled and equipped.   

General orders, No. 1, Headquarters 58th Regiment, Hayneville, January 31, 1861:  A Battalion parade, and drill of the First Battalion, 58th Regiment, Alabama Militia is hereby ordered on the second day of March next, at Hayneville. Companies composing said battalion are ordered to appear by ten o'clock of said day, armed and equipped as the law directs.  By order of H. M. Larey, Company Commandant; A. (Angus) Gilchrist, Adjutant. 

May of 1861, at Montgomery Alabama the unit became Company E, 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment. 

At the end of twelve months officers and men were free to choose which command they wished to join. Some elected to join 3rd Company "K' of the 5th Alabama Infantry, organized by Daniel W. Johnson, a former member of the "Hayneville Guards". I've seen the new company (which included a number of new recruits) listed as the "Haymouth Guards and wondered if this wasn't a corruption or misreading of the name "Hayneville Guards". As far as I can tell, the name "Haymouth" means nothing as far as Lowndes County or Alabama is concerned. At any rate, D. W. Johnson went home to recruit a new company for himself, and collected enough recruits to complete two companies.

Volunteer militia and state militia commands were governed by different sets of laws and would not have drilled together. For instance, all the companies of the 58th A. M. R. were associated with a particular beat in Lowndes County and consisted of men obliged to appear for duty on specific dates. The "Hayneville Guards" were composed of volunteers and likely organized as a corporation under the 1859 statue which created the Alabama Volunteer Corps.

All A. V. C. companies operated under those guidelines, functioning as volunteer militia until the governor issued orders for them to go on duty. This company was called into state service on April 17, 1861, and mustered as a Confederate command at Montgomery on May 16, 1861. The significance of the former date is that officers and men received pay for their services once they entered state service. You will note that officers pay vouchers begin on the April date, as the Confederate government accepted outstanding payroll obligations of the states when companies transferred from state service.

The company reorganized "for the war" on April 28, 1862, as directed by the Confederate military law enacted a few days earlier. The original term had been twelve months; at this time officers and men reenlisted for an additional two years to complete their service obligations (three years or the war).

THE ORIGINAL HAYNEVILLE GUARDS ROSTER
Taken from Records at Lowndes County Courthouse by Mildred Brewer Russell 

James Willingham, Captain, He became a Lieutenant Colonel before being KIA at Seven Pines Virginia

H. M. Larey, Captain, KIA
Daniel W. Johnson, Captain, KIA at Malvern Hill Virginia

Thomas S. Herbert, Lieutenant, lost a leg
J(ohn) M. Gilchrist, Lieutenant, KIA
Girard Cook, Lieutenant  KIA at Malvern Hill Virginia

W. S. Rinaldi, 1st Sergeant, KIA at Malvern Hill Virginia
William A. Johnson, 2nd Sergeant
Albert N. Herbert, 3rd Sergeant, wounded
J. R. Lloyd, 4th Sergeant
R. H. Marvin, 5th Sergeant 

H. C. Rinaldi, 1st Corporal
E. W. Thompson, 2nd Corporal, wounded
Robert Martin, 3rd Corporal, KIA
C. B. Deishter, 4th Corporal, wounded 

Privates 

Contributed by Carolyn Golowka

1. Henry J. Senterfit, son of Henry & Nancy Senterfit, Lowndes County, Alabama
2. Jasper Gaffney Senterfit, son of Henry & Nancy Senterfit, Lowndes County, Alabama

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