As a public service, the Tennessee Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has made available below a summary of basic information and sources for those who are interested in researching their Tennessee Confederate ancestor or a particular Tennessee Confederate military organization. Hopefully, these references will set you on the right path in your search.
Individual Service Records
If you do not already have them, your first step should be to contact the Tennessee State Library & Archives to request copies of your ancestor's service records. The address is:
403 7th Ave. North
Nashville, TN 37243-0312
Phone: 615-741-2764
When you speak with them, be sure to request, in addition to service records, that they search the soldiers and widows pension indexes, and also the Veteran's Questionaire index.
The Veterans Questionaires were sent to all remaining WBTS veterans of both sides by the state historian in 1915, and again in 1922. If your ancestor(s) lived long enough to respond, you will find their answers to be quite revealing regarding family and social life during their youth, and also as to their war experiences.
Please note that if you are not a Tennessee resident, the library may be reluctant to send you copies of military records. This is apparently due to staff and financial restraints.
If you prefer the expediency of an on~line search, the Archives have established the following resources:
Tennessee Confederate Soldier's & Widow's Pension Index
Tennessee Confederate Soldier's Home
Tennessee Confederate Physicians
Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaires
General Sources:
"Tennesseans in the Civil War" is a two volume set that was originally published during the Civil War Centennial. One volume contains an alphabetical listing of every Confederate (and Union) soldier from Tennessee. The other volume has a history of each unit, and references to the city and/or county from which the men were recruited. It is an invaluable resource. These volumes have been re-printed, and are available from University of Tennessee Press. Many good libraries will also have a set.
Now Available! On Line Regimental Histories from "Tennesseans in the Civil War"
John Berrian Lindsley's book "Military Annals of Tennessee (Confederate) was compiled in the 1880s, and contains unit histories for every Confederate organization from Tennessee, as submitted by former members or officers. Some of these histories are sketchy, others quite extensive. This book has been recently reprinted (as a two volume set with full index) by Broadfoot Publishers.
Don't overlook the original "Confederate Veteran" magazines, published in Nashville by S. A. Cunningham. They contain much in the way of first person accounts by the old soldiers.
Finally, many of the locally published County histories have segments on local men who served the Confederacy. The state archives are the best one stop source for these volumes. Or, a call to the historical society in your ancestor's county of residence may set you on the trail. Try calling the information operator and have them check listings from the county seat if you can not otherwise track down a number.
Specific Regiments:
According to an older edition of Broadfoot's "Civil War Books", the following regimental histories have been published at one time or another. If a title appears here in red text, this indicates that a copy is available here, in which we would be happy to check for particular references. Cavalry titles are listed first, followed by Infantry and Artillery titles.
Other individual diaries and tracts are also available, and new titles seem to be appearing regularly. If you know of a reference that we do not list, please let us know.
Finally...
Other than Virginia, Tennessee was the scene of more major and minor engagements than any other state. Almost any good book on a western theatre engagement could contain information on a Tennessee regiment.
Individual Service Records
If you do not already have them, your first step should be to contact the Tennessee State Library & Archives to request copies of your ancestor's service records. The address is:
403 7th Ave. North
Nashville, TN 37243-0312
Phone: 615-741-2764
When you speak with them, be sure to request, in addition to service records, that they search the soldiers and widows pension indexes, and also the Veteran's Questionaire index.
The Veterans Questionaires were sent to all remaining WBTS veterans of both sides by the state historian in 1915, and again in 1922. If your ancestor(s) lived long enough to respond, you will find their answers to be quite revealing regarding family and social life during their youth, and also as to their war experiences.
Please note that if you are not a Tennessee resident, the library may be reluctant to send you copies of military records. This is apparently due to staff and financial restraints.
If you prefer the expediency of an on~line search, the Archives have established the following resources:
Tennessee Confederate Soldier's & Widow's Pension Index
Tennessee Confederate Soldier's Home
Tennessee Confederate Physicians
Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaires
General Sources:
"Tennesseans in the Civil War" is a two volume set that was originally published during the Civil War Centennial. One volume contains an alphabetical listing of every Confederate (and Union) soldier from Tennessee. The other volume has a history of each unit, and references to the city and/or county from which the men were recruited. It is an invaluable resource. These volumes have been re-printed, and are available from University of Tennessee Press. Many good libraries will also have a set.
Now Available! On Line Regimental Histories from "Tennesseans in the Civil War"
John Berrian Lindsley's book "Military Annals of Tennessee (Confederate) was compiled in the 1880s, and contains unit histories for every Confederate organization from Tennessee, as submitted by former members or officers. Some of these histories are sketchy, others quite extensive. This book has been recently reprinted (as a two volume set with full index) by Broadfoot Publishers.
Don't overlook the original "Confederate Veteran" magazines, published in Nashville by S. A. Cunningham. They contain much in the way of first person accounts by the old soldiers.
Finally, many of the locally published County histories have segments on local men who served the Confederacy. The state archives are the best one stop source for these volumes. Or, a call to the historical society in your ancestor's county of residence may set you on the trail. Try calling the information operator and have them check listings from the county seat if you can not otherwise track down a number.
Specific Regiments:
According to an older edition of Broadfoot's "Civil War Books", the following regimental histories have been published at one time or another. If a title appears here in red text, this indicates that a copy is available here, in which we would be happy to check for particular references. Cavalry titles are listed first, followed by Infantry and Artillery titles.
- "Hancock's Diary; or, A History of the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry" by R. R. Hancock
- "A Brief Narrative of the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment" by George B. Guild
- "The Williamson County Cavalry" by Michael Cotten (A detailed history of Co. F, 4th (Starnes'-McLemore's) Cavalry Regt.)
- "They Rode with Forrest & Wheeler" by John E. Fisher (A Chronicle of 5 Tennessee Brothers' Service in the Confederate Western Cavalry) 4th & 11th Tennessee Cavalry Regts.
- "The 7th Tennessee Cavalry (Confederate) A History" by John P. Young
- "Notes of a Private" by John Milton Hubbard of Company E, 7th Tennessee Regiment, Forrest's Cavalry Corps, C.S.A.
- "For the Sake of My Country-The Diary of Col. W. W. Ward, 9th Tennessee Cavalry, Morgan's Brigade, C.S.A." edited by R. B. Rosenburg
- "The Reminiscences of Newton Cannon, First Sgt., 11th Tennessee Cavalry, C.S.A." edited by Campbell H. Brown
- "The Privations of a Private" by Marcus B. Toney (1st Tenn. Inf.)
- "Co. Aytch, Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment" by Sam R. Watkins
- "Band of Brothers ~ Company C, 9th Tennessee Infantry" by James R. Fleming
- "The Ninth Tennessee Infantry ~ A Roster" by James R. Fleming ( Companion volume to "Band of Brothers".
- "Rebel Sons of Erin" by Ed Gleeson ( The "Bloody Tenth" Tennessee Infantry, a true Confederate "Irish" regiment )
- "Personal Record of the 13th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A. by Its Old Commander" by Alfred J. Vaughn
- "Campaigns & Battles of the 16th Regiment Tennessee Volunteers" by Thomas A. Head
- "The Old Nineteenth Tennessee Regiment" by W. J. Worsham
- "History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry" by W. J. McMurray
- "The Beleaguered Forty-First Tennessee" by Louise Booth
- "Valleys of the Shadow" -- The Memoir of Confederate Captain Reuben G. Clark ( 3d Tennessee Infantry & 59th Tennessee Mounted Infantry )
- "A History of the Henry County Commands" by Edwin H. Rennolds ~ Including rosters of the various companies enlisted in Henry County, Tennessee, with portraits.
Other individual diaries and tracts are also available, and new titles seem to be appearing regularly. If you know of a reference that we do not list, please let us know.
Finally...
Other than Virginia, Tennessee was the scene of more major and minor engagements than any other state. Almost any good book on a western theatre engagement could contain information on a Tennessee regiment.