Alan J. Pitts
Re: A couple of guards' names.
Wed Aug 1 19:53:22 2001


As you might have guessed, the Hopkins T. Hankins in the 1st Confederate Battalion and Dent's Battery are one and the same. However, you might recall that the military law of Feb. 17, 1864, required that senior reserves take over duties of able-bodied men on provost guard duty. Any deficiencies were to be supplied by younger men not capable of doing regular field duty.

The OR for 1864 should tell us which senior reserve regiment (3rd or 4th) had companies posted at Cahaba. The cavalry company was Young's Reserves.

By the way, your information on the post of Cahaba was right on the money. Information I collected on staff officers serving on post duty in Alabama towns matched it in every detail.