20th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Russell's)

Brief History
The 20th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Russell's) also called the 15th Regiment was organized in February, 1864. The regiment ended the war in Alabama on May 3, 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.


 * Company A - Captain William Gay - Men from Gibson County. Some men from Henry County.
 * Company B - Captain W.H. Hawkins - Men from Carroll County and Henry Counties.
 * Company C - Captain J.T. Mathis - Men from Gibson County.
 * Company D - Captain J. A. Shane - Men from Madisom County, CarrollCounty, Dyer County, Henry County and Gibson Counties, mainly Gibson County.
 * Compan E - Captain William D. Hallum
 * Company F - Captains J. Cardwell Wilson, John M. Fields - Men from Carroll County, Humphreys County, Henry County and Haywood Counties.
 * Company G - Captains J.R. Hibbift, D.E. Parker
 * Company H - Captain J.R. Gardner
 * Company I - Captain E. Tompkins Hollis - Men from Weakley County.
 * Company K - Captains Henry F. Bowman (to major), A.V. Clark

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

Company A ( Captain William Gay) - many men from Gibson County

Company C (Captain J. T. Mathis) - many men from Gibson County

Another Company Captained by J. A. Shane - many men from Gibson County The information above is from The Goodspeed History of Tennessee, vol. 12.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,200 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 Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. Officers for the Twentieth Tennessee Cavalry (Russell's) can be found on page 741.


 * 20th (Russell's) Tennessee Cavalry, CSA, (accessed 26 Nov 2020). This regiment was known and mustered in the field as the 15th Regiment Tennessee Cavalry.


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, 20th (Russell's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, also called 15th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 28 Dec 2011).