Memoirs of Captain Asaph Hill

Memoirs of Captain Asaph Hill
Company "H" "Statesville Tigers"

By Edgar Quarles Rooker

A chronological outline of Captain Asaph Hill with particular emphasis of the Seventh Tennessee Infantry Regiment and the Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade.

Seventh Tennessee Infantry Regiment

Organized May 28, 1861

Mustered into Confederate Service July 1861

Reorganized April 1862

Surrendered at Appomattox Court House, [Virginia] April 9, 1865

Colonels-Robert Hatton John A. Fite

Co. "A" Men from Alexandria, Dekalb Counties Robert Y. Wright, Jonathan S. Dowell, John F. Goodner, Captains

Co. "B" Men from Smith County; John Allen Captain

Co. "C" Men from Gallatin, Sumner, Counties, James Barber, John D. Fry Oliver H. Foster, Captains

Co. "D" "The Harris Rifles" Men from Wilson County; James [Monroe] Anderson, Marcus L. Walsh, Captains

Co. "E" Men from Gallatin, Sumner Counties; Dewitt C. Douglas, James Franklin,

Robert Miller, Captains

Co. "F" "The Statesville Tigers" Men from Wilson County; Asaph Hill, Nathan Oakley, John C. Sloan, Captains

Co. G "The Hurricane Rifles" men from Wilson County; Samuel G. Shepard, James H. Bond, William Graves, Captains.

Co. "H" "The Grays" Men from Wilson County; John K. Howard, William H. Williamson, William M. Tate, Captains

Co. "I" "The Silver Springs Guard" Men from Wilson County; Joseph A. Anthony, William E. Curd, James O. Bass, Captains

Co. "K" "The Blues" Men from Wilson County; Thomas H. Bostick, Archibald D. Norris Captains

1836 Wilson County, Tennessee Asaph Hill was born

Regimental History

May 20, 1861

Nashville, Tennessee Asaph Hill enlisted in the 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment as Sergeant Major of Co. "F" "The Statesville Tigers"

July 25, 1861

Staunton, Virginia---Brigade formed with 1^st, 7^th , and 14^th Tennessee Infantry Regiments; Brigadier General Samuel R. Anderson Commanding.

August 1861

Cheat Mountain---Western Virginia Campaign --Unsuccessful attempt to destroy Federal Forces at cheat Mountain Pass. Commanding General Robert E. Lee, Federal Commanding Officer William S. Rosecrans

December 1861

Winchester, Virginia---Joined Major General Thomas J. Jackson

January 4, 1862

Bath, Virginia---Expedition to Bath, Virginia, to destroy railroad bridge; successful under Major General Thomas J. Jackson

February 9, 1862

Aquia District, Virginia, Placed in brigade commanded by Major General Theophilus H. Holmes

February 24, 1862

Manassas, Virginia---Joined General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army in winter quarters

March 8, 1862

Evansport [now Quantico] Virginia,---7^th and 14^th Tennessee Infantry Regiments joined by Turney’s 1^st Confederate Regiment to form Anderson’s Brigade with 2030 men. These three regiments remained in the same brigade throughout the war. They were the only Tennessee regiments to spend their entire term of service in the Virginia theater.

April 26, 1862

Yorktown, Virginia---Asaph Hill elected Captain of Company "F" "The Statesville Tigers" 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment

May 23, 1862

Etham, Virginia---Skirmish at Etham, Virginia in withdrawal from Yorktown, Virginia

May 31, 1862

Brigadier General [former colonel] Robert Hatton given command of the Tennessee Brigade.

May 31, 1862

Battle of Seven Pines [Fair Oaks]. First major battle of Tennessee Brigade. Tennessee Brigade fought in General G. W. Smith’s Division. General [Robert] Hatton killed and Brigadier General James J. Archer assumed command of brigade. Brigades becomes famous as "Archer’s Brigade" Brigade reduced to 1,228 [men]. Commanding General Joseph E. Johnston. Federal Commanding General George B. McClellan. Federal Victory.

June 1862

Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade placed in Major General A. P. Hill’s Division. Division composed of 5^th Alabama Battalion, 19^th Georgia, and Braxton’s Artillery. Division known as Hill’s Light Division.

June 26, 1862

Battle of Mechanicville, Virginia ---43 killed in Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade. Reduced to less than 1,000 men. Confederate commanding General, Robert E. Lee. Commanding Federal commanding General George B. McClellan. Federal Victory

June 27, 1862

Battle of Gainesville, Virginia---All field officers of the 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment killed or wounded. Lt. Colonel John H. Howard killed. Asaph Hill wounded. 49 in

Tennessee Brigade killed. Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal commanding General George B. McClellan. Confederate Victory

August 1862

General A. P. Hill joined Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson Corps

August 9, 1862

Battle of Cedar Run, Virginia---[Cedar Mountain] near Gordonville, Virginia, Colonel Fite in Command of 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. 11 killed in Tennessee Brigade killed. Confederate General commanding Thomas J. Jackson. Federal General commanding John Poe. Confederate Victory

August 29, 1862

Battle of Second Manassas [Bull Run] Virginia, 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment commanded by Major Sam G. Shepard. 17 in Tennessee Brigade killed. Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal Commanding General John Pope. Confederate Victory.

September, 1862

Battle of Antietam [Sharpsburg] Maryland. 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment commanded by Lt. George A. Howard. Nearly one-third of the Tennessee Brigade killed, wounded, or missing. Asaph Hill wounded [second time] September 17, 1862. Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal commanding General George B. McClellan.

Federal Victory

September 20, 1862

Battle of Shepardstown, Maryland ---Battle fought in Lee’s retreat into Virginia. 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment commanded by Lt. Colonel George A. Howard.

October 3, 1862

Asaph Hill wounded [third time] September 20, 1862 sent to General Hospital No. 1, Lynchburg, Virginia. Asaph Hill furloughed to Tennessee for forty days.

December 1862

Asaph Hill present for muster roll

December 13, 1862

Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia---7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment had 38 casualties.

Confederate Commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal Commanding General Ambrose Burnside. Confederate Victory

December 13, 1862-May 1, 1863

7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in winter quarters near Fredericksburg, Virginia [Guinea Station]

May 2-3, 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia---Tennessee Brigade opened the battle and later was in charge which captured Chancellor House. Tennessee Brigade called "Heroes of wounded and missing." 7^th Tennessee Infantry commanded by Lt. Colonel John A. Fite. Confederate Commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal commanding General Joseph Hooker.

Confederate Victory

Spring 1863

Army of Northern Virginia reorganized into three Corps First Corp--General R. S. Ewell, Second Corps--General Longstreet, Third Corps--General A. P. Hill. Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade including 7^th Tennessee Infantry was place placed in Major General Henry Heth’s Division of General A. P. Hills Third Corps.

July 1-3, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania---Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade participated in an assault on Cemetery Ridge known as Pickett’s Charge. The charge was actually made by Heth’s Division as well as Pickett’s Division. Heth’s Division was on the left and Pickett’s Division on the right. In the official report the Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade was on the right of Heth’s Division in the following order; 1^st Tennessee, 7^th Tennessee and the 5^th Alabama. Tennessee Colors were the only flags placed inside the Federal works. Of 1,043 men, the Tennessee Brigade lost 677 wounded, missing and captured. Asaph Hill was wounded [4^th time] and missing in action. Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee. Federal commanding General George B. Meade. Federal Victory

July 8, 1863

Federal Prisoner of War Hospital, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Captain Asaph Hill died of

G. S. [Grape shot] wounds in the breast.

Additional History of Tennessee [Archer’s] Brigade

May 5-7, 1864

Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia

Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee

Federal commanding General U. S. Grant

Confederate Victory

May 12, 1864

Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia

Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee

Federal Commanding General U. S. Grant

Federal Victory

June 3, 1864

Battle of cold Harbor, Virginia

Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee

Federal commanding General U. S. Grant

Confederate Victory

June 1864-April 1865

Siege of Petersburg, Virginia

Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee

Federal commanding General U. S. Grant

Federal Victory

April 9, 1865

Appomattox Court House, Virginia

Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia

47 men left in the 7^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment

Confederate commanding General Robert E,. Lee

Federal commanding General U. S. Grant

Federal Victory

Resources

1. Civil war Records: Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee

2. Freeman’s Douglas,
Southall, Lee’s Lieutenants Vol 1. Charles Quarles

3. Merritt, Dixon, History of Wilson County, Tenn. Benson Printing Co Lebanon, Tennessee 1961

4. Porter James D., Confederate Military History ---Volume 8, Confederate Publishing Co. Atlanta, Georgia 1899

5. Tucker Glenn, High Tide At Gettysburg, The Bob Merrill Company, Inc. New York, New York 1958

6. Transcription taken from microfilm roll Tennessee Civil War Collection, Tennessee State Archives, Nashville, Tennessee. THS Accession Number 481--Microfilm Accession Number 1092.

INDEX || WHAT'S NEW || CONFEDERATE RECORDS || UNION RECORDS
HOW-TO || MISCELLANEOUS || SEARCH || SITE MAP

This page was last updated on Monday, March 21, 2005.

©Tennessee and the Civil War Project 2005. All Rights Reserved.
All content found on this site is the property of the Tennessee and the Civil Project and her contributors
and may not be used without written permission.

This TNGenWeb Project website is hosted by USGenNet, a nonprofit web-hosting service solely supported by tax-deductible donations. If this website has provided you with useful information, please consider making a donation to USGenNet to help keep websites like this online.