6th Alabama Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries * Alabama

The 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized in Alabama in May of 1861 and fought through the war until it was surrendered by Lee in April of 1865 at Appomattox Court House. It mustered 2,109 men during the Civil War. Of these, almost 400 were killed and 243 died of disease.

1861
May 6 Organized at Montgomery with 12 companies and 1,400 men and Commanded by Colonel John J. Seibels.
May 11 Mustered in to state service
May 14 Captain Benjamin H. Baker of Company J was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Captain John B. Gordon of Company I was appointed major.
May 25-27 Moved by train to Camp Moore at West Point, Alabama.
June 2 Mustered in to Confederate service at Camp Moore.
June 7-12 Moved by train to Lynchburg, Virginia.
June 14-15 Ten companies moved by train to Manassas Junction
June 16 The remaining two companies arrived at Manassas.
June 20 Assigned to the Second Brigade, Army of the Potomac, under Brigadier General Richard Ewell.
June 21 Moved to Fairfax Station.
July 17 Stationed at Union Mills.
July 21
Battle of Manassas (Bull Run)

The regiment was in reserve at the ford.
July 23 Moved to Sangster’s Crossroads
July 25 Assigned to the Second Brigade, First Corps, Army of the Potomac
1862
March Reorganized at Orange Court House.
April 28 Lieutenant Colonel Baker resigned due to illness and Captain James J. Williangham of Company E was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
May The regiment reenlisted and was reorganized. Colonel Seibels was replaced by Colonel John B. Gordon. Augustus M. Gordon (Colonel Gordon’s brother) was elected major.
May 31- June 1
Battle of Seven Pines

The regiment suffered 108 men killed and 283 wounded out of 632 engaged. Captain Bell’s Company K lost 21 killed and 23 wounded out of 50 men engaged. Colonel Gordon temporarily took command of the brigade from the wounded General Rodes.

The killed included Lt. Colonel James J. Willingham, Major Samuel Perry Nesmith, and Captains James Matthew Fox, Thomas H. Bell, Augustus S. Flournoy and John B. McCarty. Major Gordon was wounded.

Captain James N. Lightfoot of Company A was wounded but was promoted to lieutenant colonel effective May 30.
June 26
Battle of Mechanicsville
June 27 – 28
First Battle of Cold Harbor, or Gaines’ Mill

3 killed and 13 wounded
July 1-5
Battle of Malvern Hill

The regiment lost 8 men killed and 39 wounded. Captain Isaac Culver was wounded.
September 15
Battle of Boonesboro (South Mountain)

Captain Isaac F. Culver was wounded for the second time.
September 17
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

Colonel Gordon commanded the regiment in desperate fighting in the Sunken Road, where it lost 52 men killed and 104 wounded.

Colonel Gordon, Lt. Colonel Lightfoot and Captains Milledge L. Bowie were wounded, Gordon severely, Bowie seriously enough to retire.
November Assigned to Rodes’ Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Second Corps
December 13
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 1 man killed and 7 wounded
1863
May 1-4
Battle of Chancellorsville

Lt. Colonel Augustus M. Gordon and 22 other men were killed and Colonel James N. Lightfoot and 135 other men were wounded in fighting on May 3. The regiment captured a Federal battery flag and 105 prisoners .
May 7 Colonel Gordon was promoted to Brigadier General; he would go on to become a corps commander. Lieutenant Colonel James N. Lightfoot was promoted to colonel, Major Augustus Gordon was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Isaac F. Culver of Company K was promoted to major.Assigned to O’Neal’s Brigade, Rodes’ Division, Second Corps
June Advance into Pennsylvania. Two men were wounded in skirmishes
June 17 Captain Ephraim M. Gorse died in service
June 30 Captain Thomas R. Lightfoot was wounded.
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment fought on Oak Ridge on July 1 and at Culp’s Hill on July 2 and 3. It was commanded by Colonel Lightfoot, and suffered 22 killed, 109 wounded and 31 missing out of 30 officers and 352 men engaged. Colonel Lightfoot, Major Culver and Captains John W. Burton and William B. Hunt were wounded, with Burton captured as well.

From the brigade monument at Gettysburg:

July 1. Soon after arriving at this position three regiments attacked the Union flank, the 5th Regiment being ordered to guard the wide interval between the Brigade and Doles’s Brigade in the valley on the left and the 3rd Regiment joining Daniel’s and afterwards Ramseur’s Brigade. The three regiments were repulsed with heavy loss but the entire Brigade took part in the general attack soon made by the Confederates which finally dislodged the Union forces from Seminary Ridge.

July 2. The Brigade in position all day in or near the town but not engaged.

July 3. The 5th Regiment lay in the southern borders of the town firing upon the Union artillery with their long range rifles. The other regiments moved to Culp’s Hill to reinforce Johnson’s Division.

July 4. Moved to Seminary Ridge. At night began the march to Hagerstown.
August 25 Assigned to Battle’s Brigade, Rodes’ Division, Second Corps
October 10 -21
Bristoe Campaign

The regiment lost 1 man killed and 1 wounded
1864
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness

Captains N. R. E. Ferguson was killed and Rinaldo M. Greene wounded
May 8-18
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Colonel Lightfoot was again wounded and Adjutant John Whit Thomas killed. The colors were captured by Captain Benjamin F. Davis of the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, who was killed shortly after. The flag was returned to the State of Alabama by the U. S. War Department in 1905 and is in the posession of the State of Alabama Archives.
June 13 Transferred to the Shenandoah Valley and assigned to Battle’s Brigade, Rodes’ Division, Army of the Valley.
June 17-18 Battle of Lynchburg
June 19-21 Pursuit of Hunter
June 26 At Stanton
June 30 At New Market
July 1 Marched through Winchester
Juy 5-6 Crossed the Potomac at Boteler’s Ford
July 9
Battle of Monocacy
July 11-12 Battle of Fort Stevens
July 24
Second Battle of Kernstown
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester

Captain Thomas Reese Lightfoot was killed and Lt. Colonel Isaac F. Culver and Captains Rinaldo M. Greene and William L. Rowe were wounded
September 20 Major General Ramseur took command of the division after General Rodes was killed.
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Captain R. M. Greene commanded the regiment. Captain W. C. Hunt was killed; many of the regiment were captured
October 20 With the death of General Ramseur, Brigadier General Bryan Grimes took command of the division.
mid-December The division left the Shenandoah Valley and returned to the Richmond defences as part of the Second Corps.
Siege of Petersburg

The regiment was stationed in Fort Mahone and was under continuous fire until the end of the war. Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Isaac Culver took command of the regiment from Captain Greene.
1865
February 23 Brigadier General Bryan Grimes was promoted to major general and given permanent command of the division.
March 11 Colonel Lightfoot retired due to his many wounds.
April 2 -9 Retreat to Appomattox. Adjutant Edgar Watson was killed at Farmville
April 9
Appomattox Court House

The regiment surrendered 4 officers and 80 men under Lt. Colonel Culver.