42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry

Brief History
42nd Infantry Regiment was assembled during May, 1862, at Columbus, Mississippi. It was principally a reorganization of other regiments whose twelve month term of service was complete. Some of the men had served in the 2nd Alabama Regiment. Its members were from the counties of Monroe, Pickens, Wilcox, Mobile, Conecuh, Fayette, Talladega, and Marion. On July 4, 1863, the regiment was captured. Exchanged and reorganized, it was attached to A.Baker's, Gibson's, Brantley's Brigade. Its number was greatly reduced at the surrender.

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.

Companies by County:


 * Company A: many men from Monroe County
 * Company B: many men from Pickens County
 * Company C "Johnson's Avengers": many men from Wilcox County
 * Company D: many men from Pickens County
 * Company E "McCulloch Avengers": many men from Conecuh County
 * Company F: many men from Fayette County
 * Company G: many men from Talladega County
 * Company H: many men from Monroe County
 * Company I "Hinson Guards": many men from Mobile County
 * Company K "Bull Mountain Invincibles": many men from Marion County

The list of companies with their counties is found on the rootsweb.ancestry.com web site.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,153 men on its roster for this unit.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 'Alabama 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.


 * Alabama in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Alabama, 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.