Thomas Armstrong Jones was with Company D 16th Regiment, Alabama Infantry. His reputation may now be in jeopardy at least in the eyes of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. I must admit I too believed at one time he was a former Union deserter.

According to the Federal POW records a Thomas Jones of Company D 16th Regiment, Alabama Infantry was taken prisoner at the Gettysburg Campaign and later joined the 3rd Maryland Cavalry (Union) where he deserted on October 16, 1863. His Confederate CMSR's stated the same information which was probably why the ADAH listed him in that light.

The 16th Regiment, Alabama Infantry was not at the Gettysburg Campaign but rather near or at the Tullahoma Campaign in Tennessee during the last days of June 1863 and early days of July 1863.

From prior research I knew that some galvanized Yankees of the 3rd Maryland Cavalry had been captured at the Tullahoma Campaign. If in fact he did desert or was captured during the Tullahoma Campaign then he should have prison transfers. The prison transfer route would have been Nashville, TN., forwarded to Louisville, KY., and forwarded to Camp Chase, Ohio and finally forwarded to Fort Delaware if in fact he had desirous intentions of joining the Federal Army. No prison transfers could be located in either Nashville, Louisville, or Camp Chase in regards to Thomas Jones of company D 16th Regiment, Alabama Infantry.

From what information I could gather Thomas Armstrong Jones was a hard nosed Confederate. He was made sergeant in 1862 and elected as a second lieutenant in May of 1864 and was one of the few who surrendered with his company when Johnston surrendered to Sherman on April 26, 1865. He also had sent for his Negro in 1864 according to manuscripts. Thomas Armstrong Jones died in 1917 and his second wife Lillian Jones ordered a Confederate tombstone for him in 1930 from Tate, Georgia and correctly listed his unit and rank as 1st Lieutenant Thomas A. Jones Company D 1st Alabama Infantry. The 16th had consolidated to the 1st Alabama on April 8, 1865.

If the ADAH is correct than Thomas Armstrong Jones would have been taken prisoner in July 1863 at a place he was hundreds of miles from and then joined the 3rd Maryland Cavalry and then deserted in October 1863 and rejoined his Confederate unit, all within about a 90 day period of time. In my opinion he was more likely to have been a Union deserter using an alias name of Thomas Jones during the Gettysburg Campaign.

Thomas Armstrong Jones did write letters home during the war and I am hoping to find one dated between July 1, 1863 and November 1, 1863. It appears that General Ainsworth and his staff may have made an error when making the Confederate CMSR's and incorrectly placed the Federal POW records of a Thomas Jones in the jacket of Thomas A. Jones of Company D 16th Alabama. Until more research can be revealed Thomas Armstrong Jones reputation is still in jeopardy.