This is a list of military units that were part of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry Corps during the American Civil War.
1863 After serving as a brigade commander, in 1863 Forrest was assigned command of the Cavalry Corps in General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee. Organization of Forrest's Cavalry Corps, September 19-20, 1863, at the time of the Battle of Chickamauga.
DivisionBrigade Regiments and OthersArmstrong's Division
BG Frank C. Armstrong Armstrong's Brigade
Col. James T. Wheeler 3rd Arkansas, Col. A. W. Hobson 2nd Kentucky, Lt. Col. Thomas G. Woodward 6th Tennessee, Lt. Col. James H. Lewis 18th Tennessee Battalion, Maj. Charles McDonald Forrest's Brigade
Col. George G. Dibrell 4th Tennessee, Col. William S. McLemore 8th Tennessee, Cpt. Hamilton McGinnis 9th Tennessee, Col. Jacob B. Biffle 10th Tennessee, Colonel Nicholas N. Cox 11th Tennessee. Col. Daniel Wilson Holman Shaw's, Hamilton's, and Allison's consolidated Tennessee battalions, Maj. Joseph Shaw Huggins' Tennessee Battery, Cpt. A. L. Huggins Morton's Tennessee Battery, Cpt. John W. MortonPegram's Division
BG John Pegram Davidson's Brigade
B.G. Henry Brevard Davidson 1st Georgia, Col. J. J. Morrison 6th Georgia, Col. John R. Hart 6th North Carolina, Col. George N. Folk Rucker's (1st Tennessee) Legion, Col. E. W. Rucker 12th Tennessee Battalion Huwald's Tennessee Battery, Cpt. Gustave A. HuwaldScott's Brigade
Col. John S. Scott 10th Confederate, Col. C. T. Goode Detachment of BG John H. Morgan's command, Lt. Col. R. M. Martin 1st Louisiana, Lt. Col. James O. Nixon 2nd Tennessee, Col. H. M. Ashby 5th Tennessee, Col. George W. McKenzie N. T. N. Robinson's Louisiana Battery (one section), Lt. Winslow Robinson After Chickamauga, most of these units were transferred to General Joseph Wheeler's command by order of General Braxton Bragg, which famously led to a heated confrontation between Forrest and Bragg. Forrest was left with only his escort company, Charles McDonald's 18th Tennessee Battalion, and John Morton's Tennessee Artillery under his command, and had to recruit an entirely new Cavalry Corps from his base at Okolona, Mississippi.
1864 New units were recruited in West Tennessee and North Mississippi, along with consolidated units formed from other scattered cavalry companies that had suffered losses in 1863, adding to the strength of the Corps. A major reorganization took place on January 25, 1864, following Forrest's promotion to Major General, with 4 brigades divided into 2 divisions.
DivisionBrigade Regiments and OthersFirst Division
MG James Ronald Chalmers Second Brigade Col. Robert McCulloch 2nd Missouri, Lt. Col. Robert A. McCulloch. Willis' Texas Battalion, Lt. Col. Leo Willis 12th Kentucky Regiment, Col. W.W. Faulkner Keizer's/Franklin's Tennessee Battalion A.H. Chalmer's Mississippi Battalion 2nd Arkansas, Cpt. F.M. CochranFourth Brigade Col. Jeffrey E. Forrest McDonald's Tennessee Battalion 3rd Mississippi , Col. John McGuirk 5th Mississippi, Lt. Col. Barksdale Duff's (19th) Mississippi Battalion, Col. William L. Duff 7th Tennessee Regiment, Col. William L. Duckworth First Brigade BG Robert V. Richardson 12th Tennessee, Lt. Col. John U. Green 14th Tennessee, Col. J.J. Neely 15th Tennessee, Col. Francis M. Stewart 16th Tennessee, Col. Thomas H. Logwood 17th Tennessee, Maj. Marshall Street's Mississippi Battalion Bennet's Tennessee (7th) BattalionThird Brigade Col. Tyree H. Bell 22nd Tennessee, Col. Clark R. Barteau 21st Tennessee Col. Andrew N. Wilson 20th Tennessee, Col. Robert M. Russell Greer's Tennessee Regiment
Later in 1864, additional commands from Mississippi temporarily joined the Corps: Brigade Regiments and OthersMabry's Brigade (attached August 16, 1864 - March 3, 1865)
Col. H.P. Mabry 14th Confederate, Col. Felix Dumonteil 4th Mississippi, Col. C. C. Wilbourn 6th Mississippi, Col. Isham Harrison 38th Mississippi, Col. Preston BrentGholson's Independent Brigade,Mississippi State Troops(Attached May 1864 - February 1865)
Col. John McGuirk 2nd Mississippi State Cavalry, Col. William L. Lowry 3rd Mississippi, Lt.Col. H. H. Barksdale Ham's Mississippi Battalion, Col. T. W. Ham Ashcraft's Mississippi Battalion, Lt. Col. Thomas C. Ashcraft Harris's Mississippi Battalion, Maj. Thomas W. Harris In March 1864, General Abraham Buford was assigned to command the Corps' 2nd division, consisting of two brigades. By September, the organization of the Corps was as follows: DivisionBrigade Regiments and OthersChalmers's Division
BG James Ronald Chalmers First Brigade
Col. Edmund W. Rucker 7th Tennessee, Lt. Col. William F. Taylor 12th Tennessee, Col. John U. Green 14th Tennessee, Lt. Col. Raleigh R. White 15th Tennessee, Col. Francis M. Stewart 26th Tennessee Battalion, Lt. Col. David C. Kelley Second Brigade
Col. Robert McCulloch 7th Mississippi 8th Mississippi 18th Mississippi Battalion 2nd Missouri Willis' Texas Battalion Hudson's Mississippi Battery (one section)Bufords's Division
BG Abraham Buford Lyon's Brigade
BG Hylan B. Lyon 3rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Lt. Col. Gustavus A. C. Holt 7th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Col. Edward Crossland 8th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Lt. Col. Absalom R. Shacklett 12th Kentucky, Col. W. W. FaulknerFourth Brigade
Col. Tyree H. Bell 2nd Tennessee, Col. Clark R. Barteau 16th Tennessee, Col. Andrew N. Wilson 18th Tennessee, Colonel John F. Newsom 20th Tennessee, Col. Robert M. RussellArtillery Battalion Capt. J.W. Morton Four field-batteries: Morton's, Thrall's, Rice's, and Walton's, 16 guns.
1865 Following costly defeats at the Battle of Tupelo and in the Franklin–Nashville campaign, Forrest retreated to Corinth, Mississippi in the final days of 1864. The final reorganization of the Cavalry Corps took place in February-March, 1865, following Forrest's promotion to Lieutenant General, when he was given command of all remaining Confederate cavalry forces in Alabama, Mississippi, & East Louisiana. New units were thus added to Forrest's command, but at this stage many of the cavalry brigades were only at regimental strength, having been decimated by battles in the previous year. Forrest's Cavalry Corps surrendered at Gainesville, Alabama on May 9, 1865.
DivisionBrigade Regiments and OthersChalmers's Cavalry Division,
BG James R. Chalmers Armstrong's Brigade
BG Frank C. Armstrong 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. R. A. Pinson 2d Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. E. Dillon Ballentine's Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. John G. Ballentine Ashcraft's Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. Thomas C. Ashcraft detachment of the 12th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment Company A, B, F, G, and I of the 5th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment Adams' Brigade
BG Wirt Adams Wood's Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. R. C. Wood 38th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. P. Brent 9th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. H. H. Miller McGuirk's Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. John McGuirk 14th Confederate Cavalry Regiment, Col. Dumonteil Moorman's Mississippi Cavalry Battalion 23d Mississippi Cavalry Battalion Butler's Mississippi Cavalry Company Ashby's Mississippi Cavalry Company Withers' Mississippi Cavalry Company Starke's Brigade
BG Peter B. Starke 4th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. Wilbourn 6th Mississippi and 8th Confederate Cavalry Regiment,Col. William B. Wade 8th and part of 7th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Col. T. W. White 28th and part of the 7th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Maj. McBee 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion and Companies C, D, E, H, and K of the 5th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Lt. Col. A. H. Chalmers Hudson Battery
Lt. E.S. Walton Jackson's Division
BG William Hicks Jackson 1st Tennessee Brigade
Col. Tyree H. Bell2nd Tennessee 12th Tennessee 16th Tennessee 18th Tennessee 20th Tennessee 2nd Tennessee Brigade
BG A.W. Campbell 7th Tennessee 14th Tennessee 15th Tennessee 26th Tennessee Battalion Texas Brigade
BG Lawrence Sullivan Ross 3rd, 6th, and 9th Texas, Col. Griffith 11th and 17th Arkansas (consolidated) Willis' Texas Battalion Cobb's Texas Scouts Morton's Battery
Col. J.W. MortonBurford's Division
BG Abraham Buford Consolidated Alabama Brigade consisting of the commands ofBG Phillip RoddeyBG James H. Clanton & Col. Charles G. Armistead (each on detached service) 4th Alabama, Lt. Col. F. M. Windes 5th Alabama, Lt. Col. James M. Warren 6th Alabama, Col. Charles H. Colvin 8th Alabama, Lt. Col. Henry J. Livingston 10th Alabama, Col. Richard O. Pickett 11th Alabama, Col. John R. B. Burtwell 16th Confederate (12th Mississippi), Col. Charles G. Armistead Stuart's Alabama Battalion, Maj. James H. Stuart Clanton's Alabama Battery, Cpt. N. H. Clanton Ferrell's Georgia Battery, Cpt. Coleman B. Ferrell Merrin's Mississippi Battery, Cpt. F. W. Merrin Various companies of Alabama Reserves Kentucky Brigade
Col. Edward Crossland Consolidated remnants of the 3rd, 7th, & 8th KentuckyUnattached Brigade -
BG Dan Adams Alabama Reserves & Militia
References