Bedford County Military Units - Civil War

Bedford County was divided on the great questions which led to the late civil war, and when the election was held June 8, 1861, to vote for or against separation from the Union and representation in a Confederate Congress, the county voted in the negative by a majority of nearly 200. When the time came for action the county furnished almost as many soldiers to the Northern as to the Southern army. Indeed, so loyal was Shelbyville to the Union as to earn for the town the name of "Little Boston," and being on the line of march of both armies, witnessed many movements and counter-movements of large bodies of troops, and though much damage was sustained to property and not a few lives lost, yet through the influence of prominent citizens on both sides the consequences were no more serious than could have been expected in time of war.

In September, 1861, the "Shelbyville Rebels," the first Confederate company raised in the county, was organized by the election of A. S. Boon as captain. Immediately following this company, Confederate companies were organized as follows, all of which were mustered into the Forty-first Regiment of Tennessee Infantry: Scudder Rifles, Capt. W. C. Blanton, organized in the vicinity of Unionville; Erwin Guards, Capt. M. Payne, organized at Wartrace; Richmond Guards, Capt. Brown, organized in the vicinity of Richmond; a Flat Creek company, under Capt. Keith, and Capt. J. F. Neil's Bell Buckle company, also about half of Capt. Thomas Miller's company, which went from Marshall County, was made up from Bedford County by those living near the county line.

During the same year a company was organized at Bell Buckle, and James Dennison (fleeted captain, which joined the Second Regiment of Tennessee Infantry. During the summer of 1861 three companies were organized in the county, and joined the Seventeenth Regiment of Tennessee Infantry. They were as follows: a Flat Creek company, Capt. J. D. Hoyl; a Fairfield company, Capt. James L. Armstrong, and Capt. W. A. Landis' company, made up part in Bedford and part in Lincoln County. In 1862 a company of artillery was organized in Shelbyville, of which J. L. Burt was elected captain, and Capt. R. B. Blackwell also took out a company in that year.

In 1862 Capt. Montgomery Little was deputized by Gen. Forrest to raise a company of 100 men to act as an escort to the daring cavalry commander, which company was to be mounted and known as "Forrest's Escorts." Capt. Little proceeded to Shelbyville, where, October 6, 1862, he completed the organization of the Escorts. The company was composed of the picked men from Bedford, Rutherford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore Counties, and were provided with choice arms and the best horses the county afforded. On the above date the escort fell into line in front of the court house, on the south side, in Shelbyville, from which place they took up their line of march to Nashville, and from that time until the close of the war was with Gen. Forrest through all his campaigns.

The Federal troops furnished by Bedford County were as follows: Those who were attached to the Fifth Regiment of Tennessee Mounted Infantry: Capt. R. C. Couch's company, Capt. J. L. Hix's company, Capt. Robert C. Wortham's company and Capt. Rick man's company. Those of the Fourth Tennessee Regiment of Mounted Infantry: Capt. James Wortham's company and Capt. John W. Phillips': and Capt. C. B. Word's company, of the Tenth Tennessee Mounted Infantry, known as Johnson's Guards.

Throughout the war Shelbyville was infested with troops at short intervals, first the Confederates and then the Federals having possession. The same troops also visited Wartrace, and at that place entrenchments were thrown up by the Confederates, while the latter also dug a line of rifle pits around Shelbyville, extending from Horse Mountain to Duck River, and on the mountain both, armies established signal stations at different times. The first troops to visit Shelbyville was a detachment of Confederates under command of Col. Gordon, during the summer of 1861. During 1862 troops visited the town as follows: Fourth Ohio Cavalry, Gen. Forrest's cavalry, Gen. Mitchell's division, Gen. Lytle's brigade, Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Regiment of Infantry, Gen. Wood's division, the First Kentucky Cavalry and Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston's entire army corps, who came here on their retreat from Bowling Green, Kentucky. While here Gen. Johnston replenished his commissary department with about 30,000 head of hogs and a large quantity of beef. In April, 1863, Gen. Bragg's army was encamped in Shelbyville for a month or more. After the battle of Murfreesboro in December, Gen. Bragg retreated to Shelbyville, and going into camp remained until January, 1864. During 1864 Gen. Milroy's division, a Missouri regiment of infantry, under command of Col. Fox, and the One Hundred and Seventh New York Regiment of Infantry encamped in Shelbyville.

At Wartrace, in April, 1862, the Forty-second Regiment Indiana Infantry, was attacked by Col. Starn's Regiment, when a sharp skirmish took place. In 1863 a lively skirmish occurred between the Fifth Tennessee Cavalry and the Confederate Cavalry under Gen. Wheeler at Wartrace, and in October following, Gen. Wheeler again had a brush with the Federal Cavalry, between 3,000 and 4,000 men being in the fight, two miles west of Shelbyville, in which quite a number were killed and wounded. On the 27th of June, 1863, four companies of the Fifth Tennessee made an attack on the Confederates who were holding Shelbyville. The Federals, commanded by Col. Bob Galbraith, advanced from Guy's Gap, and by the time Shelbyville was reached the Confederates were on the retreat. A running fight occurred on Martin Street, during which several were killed on the Confederate side. The Confederates retreated from the town and crossed Duck River at the Scull Camp Bridge, at which point, being so closely pursued, they threw a large brass field-piece from the bridge into the river, and the cannon remains to this day in the mud at the bottom of the river. No lives were lost on the Federal side during the hot engagement.

In May, 1864, twelve soldiers belonging to the Fourth Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Federal), were captured while guarding the Shelbyville depot, which was stored with hay, by Robert B. Blackwell, who was at the head of a company of bushwhackers. The depot and contents were burned, and the twelve soldiers escorted a short distance from town and shot.

 AHGP Tennessee

Source: History of Tennessee, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886.