John Carter
26th/50th Alabama
Wed Feb 14 14:32:55 2001


I am currently working on a book about the 9th Alabama Regiment, and many of its members were from Limestone County. Some of the correspondence between my gr-gr-grandfather, William Cowan McClellan, and his two brothers back at home (Robert A. and John B. McClellan) indicate a lot of scurrying around was being done in October-November 1861 to raise additional regiments.

Robert and John McClellan were attempting to join up with one of the local companies or regiments during this time. A family friend, Nick Davis, was attempting to raise an entire regiment as early as August '61 and in a letter in December of that year it was stated that Nick had taken his "battalion" to Corinth, Mississippi to remain until they could procure arms. He eventually failed to raise a regiment and dropped out of the picture all together (although he shows up as dropping out of the 2nd Battalion as Lt. Col. at consolidation). There was also mention in a letter that "Humphries 15 companies were at Decatur in October to form a brigade, but the men had left for their homes"

In July of 1861 John B. McClellan and Capt.Hal Malone were attempting to raise a company in the Limestone area. John's brother Robert later attempted to join this company. It seems that it took awhile, for it wasn't until October that Robert and John McClellan wrote to their brother that they had gone into Hal Malone's company in Huntsville, AL. They also reported that "Higgins and Gilbert's companies had come to Huntsville. They mentioned two of the company names: Sander's Rebels and the Limestone Rebels- I'm not sure if the names are related to Higgins & Gilbert. Rumors had Malone's Company going to Pensacola, FL as well as the L.P. Walker Brigade in November, but most of the movement seems to have been between Mobile and Huntsville.

Many of these regiments, companies, and brigades seem to have never gotten off the ground, or had been merged into other, more successful. They seem to have had trouble being outfitted with weapons, and coupled with no overall organization, it may have been hard to keep the men together while they waited to be officially organized.

After all of this the McClellans reported to their brother in VA that their companies had now become a battalion (no name of the battalion mentioned). I do know for a fact that John B. McClellan became 3rd Lt. in Malone's Company and was later promoted to Capt.of Co H in the 26th/50th regiment, Also Robert A. McClellan ended up with Malone in the 7th/9th Alabama Cavalry shortly after that. Malone apparently bailed out of the infantry to start up a cavalry unit at that time. My gr-gr-grandfather, William, spent most of the first year in VA trying to get transferred to that cavalry company.

Damned confusing, isn't it...Anyway the reason for this epistle is to suggest that the 26th/50th may have been born out of this confusion (as well as possibly the 7th/9th Cavalry and maybe even parts of the 5th AL Batt).

If anyone can fill in some of these blanks, I would appreciate it.

John Carter






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