Alan J. Pitts
Re: 4th Al Cav
Mon Apr 16 12:30:34 2001


There are really only three units involved: Roddey's 4th Cavalry, Russell's 4th Cavalry and Love's 4th Cavalry Battalion. The generic 4th Cavalry was intended as a default for records which weren't readily identified with any of the three units named above. Of course if War Department clerks had known the particulars of Roddey's and Russell's regiments as we do today, most of these records would be properly filed. As it is, researchers need to reference the generic 4th Alabama file in most searches for men who belonged to either Roddey's or Russell's 4th Regiments.

Service records of the 4th Battalion, which was a provisional organization, are continued with the Jeff Davis Legion. By the way, George, thanks to the foresight and perseverance of Our Lady of Confederate Archives and Records, Yvonne Crumpler, microfilm records of the Jeff Davis Legion, the 12th Mississippi Cavalry and Forrest's 3rd Tennessee Cavalry are also accesible to us at the Birmingham Public Library.