Hayes Lowe
5th Alabama Infantry (long)
Thu Nov 9 10:18:40 2000


First, yes the 5th Alabama Infantry fought in Virginia.

Second, yes there was more than one 5th Alabama. Another, as Jim states, was the 5th Alabama Battalion, yet another was the 5th Alabama Cavalry, and there may have been a unit called the 5th Alabama Dragoons. And, there was possibly a 5th Alabama Infantry Reserves.

Third, apparently you mean that J.P. Cottles was supposed to be in the 5th Alabama Infantry, Co. H (since there was no Company H in the 5th Alabama Battalion).

Now it gets even more confusing. There were two Company H's in the 5th Alabama Infantry. The first was composed of men from Tuscaloosa Co. I don't have my notes on this company at hand, but I think Fowler was Capt. of this Company H, and you'll see why I think that, further down.

This Company H enlisted for one year, and *may* have been called the Warrior Guard (although there is some evidence that this often stated "fact" is untrue, and that Company A was actually the Warrior Guard). These men enlisted for one year. When Company H's year was up, most of them went to Tuscaloosa and left the regiment.

Then, "New Company H" was formed from men of Company C Pickensville Blues of Pickens County. Strong evidence exists that Company C actually became Company H.

The original Company H was called Rode's Company and Fowler's Company, with those two men evidently the Captains at different times. Fowler left after the expiration of his year's term and organized Fowler's Battery. The reorganization occured at the end of the one year enlistments.

S.N. Ferguson was Captain of Company C until reorganization. He apparently was never a Captain of Company H. There is some confusion as to what he did later. It appears that he was Capt. of the Dupree's Independent Cavalry, athough, some sources list that person as S.V. Ferguson. S.N. was apparently, actually, Sydenham "Sydney" H. [but the middle initial is N. according to some sources].

I don't have my roll of original Co. H at hand, but I do have the roll of New Co. H. [Note that New Co. H is how this is listed in the regimental microfilm.] J.P. Cottles is not on my list, which I have compiled from many sources. That doesn't mean that he was not in that company, though! It just means that I haven't found a record of him...yet.


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