1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery (Confederate)

Brief History
"An attempt was made in May, 1862 to form a regiment of light artillery out of the light artillery batteries which had belonged to the Artillery Corps of Tennessee. The attempt was unsuccessful; no field officers were elected, and the organization was never recognized by the Adjutant and Inspector Generals Office. However, some of the companies were mustered as companies in the First Tennessee Light Artillery Regiment. Some of them later formed a temporary field organization known as the 1st Tennessee Light Artillery Battalion, also called the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery Battalion, the remnants of which were permanently consolidated into the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery Regiment (q.v.) by order of Major General Leonidas Polk in January, 1864."

The book "Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.


 * Company A - Captain Hugh L. W. McClungs's Battery - "The Casswell Artillery" - Many men are from Davidson County.
 * Company B - Smith P. Bankhead's Battery - 1st "B", later William L. Scott's. Jesse Taylor's Battery, 2nd "B", later P. K. Stankiewicz', F. J. Weller's.
 * Company C - Captain William Keiter's Battery
 * Company D - Captain W. H. Jackson's Battery
 * Company E - Captain William W. Carnes', L.G. Marshall, Robert Sterling's Battery
 * Company F - No record
 * Company G - Captain J.G. Anglade's Battery, later James A. Fisher's
 * Company K -

This information comes from The War for Southern Independence, Tennessee, (accessed 23 Dec 2011).

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 22 men on its roster for this unit. Possibly this unit did not complete its organization, and the men went to other units. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Tennessee in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Tennessee in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Tennessee, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Lindsley, John B. The Military Annals of Tennessee: Confederate, First Series; Embracing a Review of Military Operations, with Regimental Histories and Memorial Rolls, Compiled from Original and Official Sources. 1886. Reprint. Spartanburg, South Carolina: Reprint Co., 1974. (Family History Library book 976.8 M2L.) Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive (free). See First Tennessee Light Artillery, pages 870-871.  A history of Company B starts on page 790.  A history of Company D starts on page 805, Company E on page 809.


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War: A Military History of Confederate and Union Units with Available Rosters of Personnel. Nashville, Tennessee: Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964. Volume 1 contains brief unit histories. Volume 2 is an alphabetical list of Confederate and Union troops.