Highlights of the
18th and 26th Tennessee Regiments

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Highlights of the 18th Tennessee
Highlights of the 26th Tennessee
Highlights of the 18th and 26th Tennessee

Highlights of the 18th Tennessee before consolidation with the 26th Tennessee

Organized on 11 June 1861 and mustered into service 7 August 1861 at Camp Trousdale. Col. Joseph Palmer Commanding and Lt Col. William Butler as his second. Reorganized September 26, 1862; formed field consolidation with 26th Tennessee Infantry Regiment October, 1863; formed Company "I", 4th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment April 9, 1865; paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina May 1, 1865.

Sent to Bowling Green, KY under General Buckner’s Division and brigaded under General J.C. Brown. Brown’s Brigade consisted of the 3rd, 18th and 23rd Tennessee Regiments.

Sent to Fort Donelson in February 1862 where the 26th MS and 41st TN were temporarily added to the Brigade.

Participated in the Battle of Fort Donelson whereupon almost the entire Regiment and Brigade surrendered on 16 February 1862 to the Federal forces under the command of Grant. Regiment was sent to prison at Camp Butler, IL.

The 18th TN was exchanged at Vicksburg 16 September 1862 and reorganized at Jackson, MS.

Highlights of the 26th Tennessee (aka 3rd East Tennessee) before consolidation with the 18th Tennessee

Organized on 6 September 1861 at Camp Lillard near Knoxville, TN. Col. John Lillard Commanding. Confederate service September and October, 1861; reorganized September, 1862; formed part of 4th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment which was paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina, May 1, 1865.

Sent to Bowling Green, KY under General Buckner’s Division and Brigaded under Col. Baldwin in January 1862. Baldwin’s Brigade consisted of the 14th MS, 26th MS, 26th TN and 41st TN Regiments.

Moved to Fort Donelson, TN on 13 February 1862 where the Brigade was split up. The 26th MS and 41st TN attached to Brown’s Brigade and the 14th MS and 26th TN assigned to General Pillow.

Participated in the Battle of Fort Donelson whereupon almost the entire Regiment and surrendered on 16 February 1862 to the Federal forces under the command of Grant was sent to prison at Camp Morton, IN.

The 26th TN was paroled at Vicksburg in September 1862 and declared exchanged 10 November 1862. The Regiment was then sent to Knoxville, TN for reorganization.

Shared History of the 18th and 26th Tennessee Regiments

Both sent to Murfreesboro, TN as part of Brown’s Brigade (18th, 26th, 32nd, 45th TN and Moses’ GA Battery) of Breckinridge’s Division and Hardee’s Corps. Both participated in the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone’s River) 2 January 1863.

The 23rd TN Infantry Battalion was added to Brown’s Brigade, and the brigade transferred to Cheatam’s Division. The 18th, 26th, 32nd, 45th and 23rd Infantry Battalion would remain brigaded for the remainder of the war.

Bragg’s Army of Tennessee (AOT) retreated shortly thereafter, and the brigade spent most of the spring and summer in camp in central Tennessee around Tullahoma, Wartrace and Fairfield. In late June to early July, Union forces under Major General Rosecrans out-maneuvered the AOT forcing its abandonment of Middle Tennessee and the vital supply hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The 18th and 26th were temporarily attached to Bushrod Johnson's Brigade for a few days during the action around Hoover's Gap in late June and early July.

General Bragg attacks Rosecrans at the Battle of Chickamauga in north Georgia on 19-20 September 1863. The 18th and the 26th were again part of Brown’s Brigade, and the brigade was attached to Bushrod Johnson’s Provisional Division. At Chickamauga, the 26th lost 98 out of 229 effectives. They lost eight officers, including Colonel Lillard who was killed. After Chickamauga due to significant combat losses, the 18th was field consolidated with the 26th under the command of the 18th's Lt Col. Butler, but separate rolls were maintained.

AOT pursued the Army of the Cumberland now under the command of Major General Thomas back to Chattanooga, TN resulting in a near siege of the Union forces.

On 12 November 1863, the 18th/26th of Brown’s Brigade was transferred to Stevenson’s Division. This division was transferred from the right of Bragg's army to the left. This division received responsibility of Lookout Mountain and everything west of Chattanooga Creek. Brown’s Brigade was tasked with providing pickets, patrols and outposts to control the approaches to the north of Lookout Mountain. The 18th/26th performed said tasks. In the two weeks before the battle, the unit maintained outposts at several gaps atop the ridge known as Lookout Mountain and conducted excusions in Lookout Valley from Wauhatchie to Trenton.

The 18th/26th was not engaged in the Battle of Lookout Moutain - it was too many miles away from the battle. Nearly cutoff from the rest of the army during the battle, the unit retreated to the rear (east) and to the right (north) by way of Rossville, GA. The unit rejoined Brown's Brigade ber and participated during the Battle of Missionary Ridge with the rest of Stevenson’s Division.

On December 10, 1863 the brigade reported 348 effectives out of 423 present.

The 18th/26th Tennessee retreated with the remainder of the AoT. Except for one excursion to Rome, Georgia, the unit wintered in the vicinity of Dalton and Calhoun, GA from 5-24 February 1864.

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Last updated 25 January 2003 at 2300 hrs.

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