Alan Pitts
Lowe's Regiment (?)
Mon Jan 22 11:11:22 2001


That's him. His highest rank appears to be Lt.Col., but I'd be surprised to see it authenticated. At least three references are made to Lowe in the O.R.: (1) April 1864 w/J. J. Clanton as an officer w/o command, (2) Nov. 1864 as an officer w/command, and (3) Feb. 1865 as having a camp south of the Tennessee suprised by the 68th N.Y. All place Lowe and his men at or near Whitesburg, Ala.

Lowe's command provides an example of Alabama paramilitary units unknown to the C.S.A. War Department, Brewer and other recognized sources. Most of these were recruited in the Tennessee Valley. They never attained official status for at least three reasons. Some, like Foster's Regt., were dispersed by Federal forces before organization. Others, like Lowe's Regiment, recruited mainly among men absent from their assigned units and would never have been accepted by the War Department. Gilbert's Battalion might also be cited as a unit usually 'on the run' north of the Tennessee which included numbers of men 'cut off' from their regular commands.

Microfilm service records will have little to tell us about these units. Some information exists in individual pension records while most of the rest may be found in Federal Provost Marshall and Prisoner-of-War microfilm. If anyone knows about either of these sources, I'd be interested.

• "Burr tailed regiment" — Bruce Allardice, Mon Jan 22 11:42
• William Manning Lowe — Alan J. Pitts, Tue Jan 23 11:15
• 13th Ala. Cav. — Hayes Lowe, Tue Jan 23 16:11
• 13th Ala. Cav. — Alan Pitts, Wed Jan 24 12:28