David --

You may have to search message board archives, but we have reviewed the Fowler rolls more than once. Towards the end of the war the Alabama legislature commissioned Col. Wm H Fowler to draw up composite rolls of all Alabama Confederate commands. Ancestry has copies on line, but the ADAH is the sole repository of these truly unique documents. Documents printed by the legislature are in oversize booklet form, about twelve pages, designed as a roll of all officers and men who ever belonged to a company.

The last page titled Historical Memoranda is sometimes left blank. All the other pages for the roll are complete and reasonably accurate through the enf of 1864, when they were written.

You're asking about information not included in the Historical Memoranda; it's found in the rolls. Names, ranks and other information about officers and men are found on the left side of the booklet. Reading each row across to the right, you see columns for each military action in which the company was involved. Each officer and man has a notation showing him absent or present in each one. If the man was killed, wounded or captured, that is noted as well. The final column on the right gives additional information and final disposition of the soldier.

You'll want to read the list of actions and dates found in the column headings. It's interesting to find alternate names for some actions, particularly those occuring during the seige of Petersburg.

If you visit the ADAH, ask for the roll of a specific company or companies. Unfortunately only rolls for regiments of the Army of Northern Virginia exist, and none for Battle's Brigade. Surviving offices of that brigade reported that all records were lost or destroyed during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. They are definitely available for the 8th Alabama Regt.