LOCAL DEFENSE AND
SPECIAL SERVICE TROOPS

Units listed below are mentioned in material furnished by the National Archives, or in the Official Records, or in local county histories.

DETAILED CONSCRIPTS

A command of two companies organized in April, 1864, composed of conscripts for local defense in Sullivan County. They were also detailed as laborers in the service of the Nitre and Mining Bureau, District Number Seven.

CAPTAINS

• John W. Pearce, Co. "A".
• B. W. L. Holt, Co. "B".

LIEUTENANT J. A. WALLACE'S COMPANY "B"

Organized for the purpose of receiving, processing and guarding conscripts in the places in the neighborhood to which they were ordered.

Commandant of the Camp of Instruction Camp of Instruction, near Knoxville, and at was Major L. Peck.

SULLIVAN COUNTY RESERVES, LOCAL DEFENSE TROOPS

Organized in June, 1863, by the Commandant for Conscripts for Kentucky and East Tennessee, in Sullivan County. The intention was apparently to organize the companies listed below into a battalion, to be staffed by unassigned officers or officers from the Invalid Corps, but these plans apparently were not carried to completion. Officers were: Major-. C. Johnston, commanding:

CAPTAINS

• Owen M. White, "The Jackson Hom~ Guards," 1st Company.
• G. R. McClelland, 2nd Company. J. M. Crumley, 3rd Company.
• James Witcher, "The Zollicoffer Mounted Rifles," 4th Company. This was originally mustered as a mounted company, but later served as infantry. Its members came from south of the river in Sullivan County and from the lower edge of Washington County.
• M. H. Morrell, 5th Company. J. F. Trevitt, 6th Company, "The Harris Guards," organized June 6, 1863, at Double Springs, Sullivan County.

LIEUTENANT BLAIR'S COMPANY, LOCAL DEFENSE TROOPS
"The Young Rebels of Jonesboro"

This was a skeleton company, enlisted at Jonesboro, Washington County, June 23, 1863, by Captain Thomas F. Jones, 16th Georgia Battalion. The company commander was 1st Lieutenant W. W. Blair, and numbered 23 men.

CAPTAIN J. B. McLIN'S COMPANY, LOCAL DEFENSE TROOPS

Organized June 20, 1863, at Jonesboro. The company commander was for a time prior to this second in command of the 1st (Rogers) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment.

CAPTAIN JACOB MILLER'S COMPANY, LOCAL DEFENSE TROOPS
"The Beech Creek Jerkers"

Organized June 18, 1863, in Hawkins County.

CAPTAIN T. C. PARK'S COMPANY, LOCAL DEFENSE TROOPS

This officer was authorized by General Bragg, on March 6, 1862, to organize company for local defense, to be retained at Grand Junction, Hardeman County, for as long as circumstances permitted. It is not of record that the company completed its organization.

KNOXVILLE CITY POLICE GUARD

This unit is shown in a list of troops available to Major General Edwin Kirby, commanding in East Tennessee in February, 1863. There is no other information about them.

THE CHATTANOOGA HOME GUARDS

Also called The Hamilton County Guard. According to Armstrong's History of Hamilton County, this organization was composed of men too old or too infirm for regular military service. It was commanded by Captain Michael Harrington, and served as local defense forces in Hamilton County.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY HOME GUARDS

Captain J. B. Duncan's Company, Montgomery County Home Guard was formed in April, 1861; that organization was followed by the INDEPENDENT GUARDS, 1st Company, Cpatain Joshua Cobb; 2nd Company, Captain W. W. Valiant. In June, 1861, the city was divided into two areas, each had a HOME GUARD OF MINUTE MEN, unders Captains John Shelton and J. C. Read.

CAPTAIN DARIUS WATERHOUSE'S COMPANY STATE GUARDS

Allen's Rhea and Meigs Counties in the Confederate War lists this company as having been organized in Rhea County, and attached to Welcker's Tennessee Cavalry Battalion (State Troops), which was a six months organization serving from August, 1863 to January, 1864.

155th TENNESSEE MILITIA REGIMENT

This organization appears in the index of the Official Records as being mentioned on page 86, Volume 52, Part 2. The reference is to a letter from S. R. Anderson, dated May 4, 1861, to Brigadier General L. T. Sneed with reference to muskets furnished to Colonel E. Pickett for his regiment of Home Guards, and to Colonel Walker for his regiment which he then tendered for active service. Since Pickett's Home Guards appeared as a separate item in the index, it seems probable that the 155th Militia Regiment was Colonel J. Knox Walker's Regiment, which became 2nd (Walker's) Tennessee Infantry Regiment.

Return to:

Hamilton County Homepage
Hardeman County Homepage
Hawkins County Homepage
Knox County Homepage
Meigs County Homepage
Montgomery County Homepage
rhea County Homepage
Sullivan County Homepage
Washington County Homepage

This unit history was extracted from Tennesseans in the Civil War, Vol 1. Copyrighted © 1964 by the “Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee” and is published here with their permission.

This history may not be republished for any reason without the written permission of the copyright owner.

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