Newsom's Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry

Brief History
"Organized within Federal lines in West Tennessee in 1863; broken up and men distributed to other organizationa May, 1864. This regiment is not to be confused with the 18th (usually called the 19th) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, which was also commanded by Colonel John F. Newsom, although some of the officers, and many of the men also served in this later organization."

"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 Thomas I. Dick
 * Company B - Captain Jason W. Fussell
 * Company C - Captain William H. Simmons
 * Company D - Captain William Wilson (or Willison)
 * Company E - Captain R.M. May
 * Company F - Captain Luther C. McClerkin
 * Company G - Captain Francis M. Phillips
 * Company H - Captain Thomas I. Ruffin

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 796 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.


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, 18th (Newsom's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, and Newsom's Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 26, Apr 2012).