15th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry

Brief History
The 15th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry was organized at Jackson, Tennessee, in June, 1861. Only a handful surrendered on April 26, 1865 at Chickamauga.

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 E.G. Ezzell - Men from McKenzie, Weakley County.
 * Company B - Captains A.C. Ketchum, Jones Gennett - Men from Memphis.
 * Company C - Captains Frank Rice, J.W. Rogan, Henry Rice - "The Montgomery Guards" - Men from Memphis.
 * Company D - Captains C.A. Rose, John F. Hearn, Matthew Dwyer - Men from Madison County.
 * Company E - Captains W.B. Isler, R.A. Lewis, R.B. Donaldson - "The Madrid Bend Guards" - Men from Lake County.
 * Company F - Captain John F. Cameron, William F. Bourne - "The Young Guard" - Men from Memphis.
 * 2nd Company F - Captains E. McCleary (state service only), B.W. Marston, William H. Pipes - Men from Memphis.
 * Company G - Captains Thorndike Brooks, H.B. Cunningham - Men from Paducah, Kentucky and Southern Illinois.
 * Company H - Captains N. Carroll, John Bain - Men from Shelby County.
 * Company I - Captains Nicholas Frech, William Woltering, Max J. Rickert - "The Washington Rifles" - Men from Shelby County.
 * Company K - Captain Joseph Kellar - "The Swiss Rifles" - Men from Memphis.

The information for these companies came from Tennesseans in the Civil War,(accessed 28 Dec 2011).


 * Captain A. C. Ketchum's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain Dr. Frank Rice's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain Chas. E. Ross' Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain Ed. S. Pickett's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain J. F. Cameron's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain E. M. Cleary's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain Joseph Kellar's Company - many men from Shelby County

Captain O. Carroll's Company - many men from Shelby County The information above is from Goodspeed History of Hamilton County, Knox County and Shelby County Tennessee Vol.3.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,575 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 '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.


 * Gleeson, Ed. Illinois rebels : a Civil War unit history of G Company, Fifteenth Tennessee Regiment, Volunteer Infantry ; the story of the Confederacy's Southern Illinois company ; men from Marion and Carbondale. (Carmel, Indiana : Guild Press of Indiana, c1996), and Rebel sons of Erin : a civil war unit history of the Tenth Tennessee Infantry Regiment (Irish) Confederate States volunteers. (Indianapolis [Indiana] : Guild Press of Indiana, c1993),


 * 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. (FS Library book 976.8 M2L.) Digital versions at FamilySearch; Internet Archive. A brief history and memorial rolls of the 15th Tennessee Infantry begin on page 332.


 * The Fifteenth Tennessee (Confederate) Regiment, a brief history, (accessed 28 Dec 2011).


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, 15th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, (accessed 28 Dec 2011). A brief history.