Ken Jones
6th AL Infantry
Thu Nov 2 15:59:33 2000


I suspect this happened more than once, but [later] Gen'l John B. Gordon early on raised a company of men in Georgia, maountaineers, who called themselves the "Raccoon Roughs". These men were eager to fight, but when they presented themselves to the Georgia governor, Joe Brown, they were told that the state "quota" was already filled and that their services would not be needed. Rather than surrender to pessimism, the company agreed to offer themselves in service to Alabama, where they were accepted. Marching to Montgomery, they were accepted into the 6th AL Infantry and Gordon was elected major.

What the Raccoon Roughs found both in Georgia and Alabama was a hubbub of eager soldier candidates, all wanting to go and fight the war (and get it over with). Since each state had only so many available spaces, it could well be that Gordon's experience was duplicated many times as men sought a place where they could be used.

(See John B. Gordon, Reminiscences of the Civil War)