38th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Looney's) (8th Infantry)

Brief History
The 38th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Looney's) (8th Infantry) was organized at Camp Abington, Fayette County, Tennessee, in September, 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 - "The Sumter Grays." many men from Memphis, Shelby County.
 * Company B - "The Gayoso Guards." many men from Memphis, Shelby County.
 * Company C - "The Jeff Davis Guards."many men from Madison County.
 * Compnay D - many men from Shelby County.
 * Company E -many men from Wilson County.
 * Company F -many men from Shelby County.
 * Company G - "The Tuscaloosa Plough Boys." many men from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
 * Company H - A Georgia Company.
 * Company I -many men from Shelby County.
 * Company K - many men from Memphis and Shelby County.
 * Company L -
 * Company M -
 * 2nd Company H - many men from Wilson County
 * 2nd Company K - "Donelson's Avengers."  many men from Moscow, Fayette County.
 * 2ndCompany L - Men from Morning Sun, Shelby County. The information about the companies and their counties of orgin came from Tennesseans in the Civil War&amp;nbsp;: a military history of Confederate and Union units with available rosters of personnel, part 1, (Nashville, Tennessee: Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964).
 * Company H (Captain E. I. Golladay) - many men from Wilson County
 * The information above is from Goodspeed Histories, vol 8.
 * Company A (Captain H. W. Coulter) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company B (Captain C. H. Holland) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company D (Captain H. H. Abbington) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company G (Captain J. J. Mayfield) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company H (Captain J. G. Cook) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company I (Captain J. C. Thrasher) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company J (Captain W. B. Wright) - many men from Shelby County
 * Company K (Captain A. B. Lovejoy) - many men from Shelby County

Thirty-eighth Regiment

Was organized at Moscow in March 1862

Company K (Captain B. H. Holland)

The information above is from The Goodspeed Histories of Tennessee, vol. 11

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,001 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.  A brief history and memorial rolls of the 38th Tennessee Infantry begin on page 505.


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, 38th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, (accessed 22 Oct 2011).


 * The Thirty-eighth Tennessee (Confederate) Regiment, a brief history, (accessed 29 Dec 2011).


 * Alabama Civil War Roots, 38th Tennessee Infantry, (accessed 29 Dec 2011). Roll of Company G, Tuskloosa Plow Boys included.