UNITS OF LEE'S ARMY

The following is a list of all Confederate Infantry units in the ACWS, along with the dates that unit was formed into ANV Service, with a list of commanding officers for that unit and which long-arms were used for that unit. This information has been extracted from The Army of Robert E Lee, by Philip Katcher.

1st Maryland Infantry

Formed: Winchester, Virginia, summer 1861.
ANV Service: summer 1861 - August 1862 (disbanded)
Brigade assigned: Elzey's
Commanders: Colonels Arnold Elzey (May-July 1861), George H Stuart (July 1861-March 1862), Bradley T Johnson (March-June 1862), Lieutenant Colonel Edward R Dorsey (June-August 1862).
Notes: initially armed with Hall carbines converted flintlock muskets, M1842 muskets. M1841 rifles without bayonets.

43rd North Carolina Infantry

Formed: Camp Mangum, March 1862
ANV Service: May 1863-April 1865
Brigades assigned: Daniel's, Grimes.
Commanders: Colonel Thomas S Kenan (March 1862-July 1863), Lieutenant Colonel William G Lewis (July 1863-May 1864), Major Walter J Boggan (May-December 1864).
Notes: does not state muskets used, but most N Carolina units used M1842.

2nd South Carolina Infantry

Formed: Winchester Virginia, summer 1861.
ANV Service: May 1861-Sept 1863, April-June 1864.
Brigades assigned: Bonham's, Toomb's, Kershaw's, Kennedy's, Connor's.
Commanders: Colonels Joseph B Kershaw (May 1861-Jan 1862), John D Kennedy (Jan 1862-Oct 1864).
Notes: arms not stated. S Carolina units used M1841 - M1855 and Enfields.

1st Tennessee Infantry

Formed: Nashville, May 1861
ANV Service: Dec 1861- Feb 1862
Brigade assigned: S R Anderson's
Commander: Colonel George Maney
Notes: This regiment only served in ANV for this period of time. Arms not stated.

Webmaster's note:
When stationed in East Tennessee in July 1861, Colonel George Maney's regiment had 944 men with "rifle muskets". Out of 19,400 Infantry available to the Provisional Army of Tennessee, the First Tennessee were the only regiment to be fully armed with this weapon, the others being mostly armed with "flint-lock" or "percussion muskets" (O.R. Series I, Volume LII/2/110).
A proud sergeant in the First Tennessee wrote on March 29, 1862: "We have Drew the finest Arms in the Confederate states they were made last year they are Enfield rifles." (Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee, Larry J. Daniel, p.43)

4th Texas Infantry

Formed: Richmond, Sept 1861.
ANV Service: as 1st Texas Infantry.
Brigade assigned: as 1st Texas Infantry.
Commanders: Colonels John B Hood (Sept 1861-Mar 1862), John Marshall (Mar-June 1862), John C G Key (June 1862-April 1864), John Bane (April 1864-April 1865).
Notes: armed with Enfield rifled muskets by 1862.

13th Mississippi Infantry

Formed: Corinth, May 1861.
ANV Service: spring 1861-Apr 1865
Brigades assigned: Griffith's, Barksdale's, Humphries.
Commanders; Colonels William Barksdale (May 1861-Aug 1862), James W Carter (Aug 1862-July 1863), Kennon McElroy (July-Nov 1863), Major George L Donald (Nov 1863-Apr 1865).
Notes: initially armed with M1842 muskets, issued 0.54 calibre rifles in 1862, eventually all had Enfield rifles with sword bayonets.

4th Virginia Infantry

Organised: April 1861.
ANV Service: July 1861-Apr 1865
Brigade assignments: 1st Brigade, Second Corps; Stonewall Brigade; Terry's Consolidated
Commanders: Colonels James F Preston (Apr 1861-Jan 1862), Lewis T Moore (Jan-Apr 1862), Charles A Ronald (Apr 1862-Sept 1863), William Terry (Sept 1863-May 1864), Major Matthew D Bennett (May-Sept 1864), Capt. Hamilton D Wade (Sept 1864-Apr 1865).
Notes: Company F issued M1855 rifles and sabre bayonets in 1861.

18th Virginia Infantry

Organised: May 1861.
ANV Service: June 1861-Feb 1863, May-Sept 1863, May 1864-Apr 1865.
Brigade assignments: Cock's, Pickett's, Garnett's, Hunton's.
Commanders: Colonel Robert E Withers (May 1861-June 1862), Lieutenant Colonel George C Cabell (June 1862-May 1864) Colonel Henry A Carrington (May 1864-Apr 1965).
Notes: initially mostly armed with converted flintlocks. These would probably be M1816-M1822 muskets.

32nd Virginia Infantry

Organised: May 1861.
ANV Service: May 1862-Feb 1863, May-Sept 1863, May 1864-Apr 1865.
Brigade assignments: Prior's, Semmes', Corse's.
Commanders: Colonels Benjamin S Ewell (July 1861-May 1862), Edgar B Montague (May 1862-Apr 1865)
Notes: used converted flintlocks, and M1855.

Although there may be other sources with the above information, this is simply an exercise on the type of muskets used in the war between the States, and is simply for the benefit of the re-enactor, to show him/her the type of musket they should be using. The muskets available to the re-enactor of today are as follows:

M1842
Enfield Musket
Enfield Rifle
Springfield 1861-1863
Richmond Musket 1864

Greg Boothroyd, 18th Va.

The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, April, 1999