6th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wheeler's) - Confederate

Brief History
The Tennessee 6th Cavalry Regiment, formerly Wheeler's 1st Tennessee Cavalry. This regiment was formed by the consolidation of the 2nd Battalion Tennessee Cavalry (Biffle's) and the 11th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Gordon's).

This regiment was organized in May, 1862. After fighting at Averysboro and Bentonville, it was included in the surrender on April 26.

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 George M.V. Kinzer - Formerly Company D, 2nd Battalion
 * Company B - Captain James M. Minnis - Formerly Company F, 2nd Battalion
 * Company C - Captain Edward E. Buchanan, Thomas B. Wilson - Formerly Company C, 11th Battalion
 * Company D - Captain Edward L. Ensley, Leonard K. Hooper - Formerly Company D, 11th Battalion, plus some men from Company F, 11th Battalion.
 * Company E - Captain James H. Polk - Formerly Company A, 2nd Battalion
 * Company F - Captain Asa G. Freeman - Formerly Company F, 2nd Battalion
 * Company G - Captain James M. Mitchell, William R. Duncan - Formerly Company B, 2nd Battalion
 * Company H - Captain Robert N. Jones - Formerly Company B, 11th Battalion
 * Company I - Captain James H. Lewis - Formerly Company C, 2nd Battalion
 * Company K - Captain James T. Wheeler (to colonel), Wiliam O. Bennett, David C. Myers - Formerly Company A, 11th Battalion

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

Company E (Captain W. C. Holt) of the Seventh Tennessee Infantry, became Company M of the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry

The information above is from The Goodspeed History of Tennessee, Vol 12.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,450 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 Berrien, 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, (Nashville: J.M. Lindsley &amp; Co. Publishers; 1886).Online at Internet Archive, (accessed 3 Sep 2011).   1st Regiment, Tennesse Cavalry Wheeler's, pg. 609.  2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry Wheeler's, p. 611.  Also see a brief history of the First Tennessee Cavalry starting on page 883.


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, (accessed 3 Sep 2011). Brief history.


 * Tennessee 6th Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 3 Sep 2011). Historical notes, officers and resource books for purchase.


 * Giles County, 6th (1st) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 26 Feb 2012). A brief history, partial rosters.