Rucker's Brigade existed well before the winter of 1864. They were at Brice's Crossroads on June 10, 1864 under Forrest as part of his cavalry corps.

Edmund Rucker started his CS service in the heavy artillery at Ft. Pillow and Island No. 10. From there he was commander of the 16th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion. Rucker's Legion formed in June, 1863 when his 16th TN was merged with the 12th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion and they served in East TN as part of John Pegram's Cavalry Brigade. Pregram's men were soon placed under Forrest's cavalry command through Chickamauga. In February, 1864 the legion was disbanded and its men transferred to other commands in John Vaughn's Brigade reverting back to their original battalion designations of the 12th and 16th.

When Forrest was sent to Mississppi after that battle he requested that Rucker be sent to him which was done in early 1864. In the Spring of 1864 he was given a cavalry brigade under Forrest and led that brigade at Brice's Crossroads and Tupelo (July 14), where he was badly wounded leading a charge on that ill-fated day that saw Forrest's troopers badly beaten thanks to an inept Stephen D. Lee.

Rucker returned to duty in September and was given another brigade of cavalry under Forrest.

I did check the files I have for this flag and it was presented in 1864. I am not sure why the 1863 date is on the Alabama web site other than that is the date that Captain Storrs stated the flag was presented.

I have read your report and I cannot find any concrete evidence that a similar flag was taken with Rucker at Nashville in December, 1864. I have never found any evidence of unique flags in Forrest's Corps during this time frame or earlier. This command used First Nationals into 1864 for the most part, with a smattering of home made Second Nationals coming in the Spring of 1864 (7th Tennessee Cavalry and 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion being the only definite flags so far - the latter flag captured at Brice's Crossroads). In July 1864, all of Forrests's Corps got Mobile Depot battle flags which is what they used at Nashville.

The flag I think was taken with Rucker was the Mobile depot battle flag for the 12th Tennessee Cavalry. I again maintain that Yankees had no clue what "brigade" flags were as they mis-identified several such flags taken during the war which turned out to be unit colors.

I guess we'll have to agree to disgraee here.

Greg Biggs