18th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry

Brief History
The 18th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry completed its organization at Camp Trousdale, Tennessee, in June, 1861. December 21, 1864, there were 12 men fit for duty. It was included in the surrender on April 26, 1865. The captains of the companies were: Captain M. R. Rushing, J. W. Roscoe, William R. Butler, H. J. St. John, G. H. Lowe, B. F. Webb, J. B. Matthews, B. G. Woods, A. G. Carden and W. J. Grayson,

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 - many men from Cannon County
 * Company B - many men from Sumner County and Davidson County
 * Company C - many men from Rutherford County
 * Company D - "St. John's Guard" many men from Rutherford County
 * Company E - "The Ashland city Guard" many men from Cheatham County
 * Company F - many men from Rutherford County and Bedford County
 * Company G - many men from Davidson County
 * Company H - many men from Rutherford County and Cannon County
 * Company I - many men from Wilson County
 * Company K - many men from Wilson County The information about the companies and their counties of orgin came from Tennesseans in the Civil War : a military history of Confederate and Union units with available rosters of personnel, part 1, (Nashville, Tennessee: Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964).

Company K ( Captain W. J. Grayson, later William P. Brandy - many men from Wilson County

Organized June 11, 1861 at Camp Trousdale, Tennessee

Major J. B. Palmer's Company (Captain R. P. Crockett) - many men from Rutherford County

B. G. Wood's Company - many men from Rutherford County

B. F. Webb's Company - many men from Rutherford County

The information above is from Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, Vol 8.

Organized in May 1861

Three full Companies, commanded by Captains Richmond Rushing, A. J. St. John and Grand Wood. - many men from Cannon County

Company E (Ashland City Guards) Captain Gideon H. Lowe - many men from Cheatham County

The information above is from The Goodspeed Histories, Vol 7.

Captain W. H. Joyner Company - many men from Sumner County and Davidson County  The information above is from The Goodspeed's Histories, Vol 5

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,444 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Regimental History and Roster

 * An eyewitness to the dark days of 1861-65, or, A private soldier's adventures and hardships during the war, by Nashville, Tenn, Publisher Printed for the author, 1898, Online at:Internet Archive

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.


 * Edwin L. Ferguson, Sumner County, Tennessee in the Civil War, Chapter 4, 18th Tennessee Infantry Regiment (Bates) Company B Roster and a brief history, (accessed 29 Dec 2011).


 * Hampton, N. J. (Noah Jasper). An eyewitness to the dark days of 1861-65, or, A private soldier's adventures and hardships during the war. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * 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 18th Tennessee Infantry begin on page 359.


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


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, 18th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, (accessed 29 Dec 2011).