6th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - Confederate

Brief History
Organized in May, 1861, at Camp Bearegard, Jackson, Tennessee. At Chickamauga, it was included in the surrender on April 26, 1865.

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.

The 6th Regiment Tennessee Volunteers was composed of eight companies from Madison, and one each from Fayette and Haywood counties. In the spring of 1862 another company from Madison county was added to the regiment, making a total of eleven companies, nine from Madison.


 * Company A - Captain George C. Porter, S.B. Humphreys, James A. Wilder, David S. Hay - "The Haywood Blues" - Men from Haywood County.
 * Company B - Captain John J. Brooks, George G. Person, R.M. Sharp - "The Golden Zouaves" - Men from Madison County.
 * Company C - Captain William W. Freeling, Rufus A. Mays, Thomas B. Rains - "The Madison Invincibles" - Men from Madison County.
 * Company D - Captain William M.R. Johns, Robert C. Williamsoson - "The Somerville Avengers" - Men from Fayette County.
 * Company E - Captain James M. Woollard, J.L. Brown - "The McClanahan Guards" - Men from Madison County.
 * Company F - Captain John F. Newsom, Ed Scott Mollison, W.H. Bray - Men from Madison County.
 * Company G - Captain William H. Stephens, Joseph B. Freeman, Ed Burke McClanahan - "The Jackson Grays" - Men from Madison County.
 * Company H - Captain Timothy P. Jones, William C. Penn, Amos B. Jones - "The Southern Guards" Men from Madison County.
 * Company I - Captain James M. Collingsworth, William I. McKinney, William E. Copeland - "The Gadsden Spartans" - Men from part of Madison County, now Crockett County.
 * Company K - Captain James Ingram, Ephraim C. Harbert - "The Danes" - Men from Madison County.
 * Company L - Captain R. P. Ford, M.D. Merriwether, W.W. Folsom - "Ford's Battalion"

The information about the companies is from Tennesseans in the Civil War, (accessed 19 Nov 2011).

Company E (McClanahan Guards) Captain J. M. Wollard

(Gadsden Spartans) Captain Collinsworth

Company G (Jackson Grays) Captain A. B. Freeman - many men from Jackson

Company H (Southern Guards) Captain W. C. Penn - many men from Jackson

Company K (Danes) Captain John Ingram - many men from Denmark

(Madison Invincibles( Captain Westbrook Freeland - many men from Mendon

The information above is from The Goodspeed Histories of Tennessee, vol 10.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,517 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.


 * 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 for the 6th Tennessee Infantry starts on page 204.


 * Price, William N. (William Newton). One year in the Civil War : a diary of the events from April 1st, 1864, to April 1st, 1865. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * 6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Tennesseans in the Civil War, (accessed 19 Nov 2011). Brief history and organization.


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