45th Alabama Confederate Infantry

Brief History

The 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized at Auburn in May 1862. Companies that made up the unit were from the counties of Barbour, Randolph, Lowndes, Macon, and Russell. It was immediately sent to Corinth. At Tupelo it lost many men by disease, but in the autumn it moved into KY, part of Patton Anderson's Brigade. It charged a battery at Perryville and suffered severely in casualties. The regiment came out of KY with the army and was soon after engaged in the battle of Murfreesboro where its casualties were numerous. Placed in the brigade of Gen'l Sterling A. M. Wood of Lauderdale, Cleburne's Division (with the 16th, 26th, 50th, and 33rd AL regiments), the 45th remained on duty with the Army of Tennessee, passing the first half of the year 1863 at Tullahoma. it fought under the eye of Gen'l Pat Cleburne at Chickamauga, and its mutilated ranks told the eloquent story of its services. Gen'l Mark Lowery of Mississippi succeeded to the command of the brigade, and the 45th was present at Mission Ridge and Ringgold Gap with slight loss. The winter was passed at Dalton, and the regiment took a full share in the Dalton-Atlanta campaign, especially at Resaca, and at New Hope, where Cleburne's Division grappled with Union Gen'l John A. Logan's Corps. On the 22nd of July, at Atlanta, "Death" reveled in its ranks, and half the regiment went down on the hard-fought field. Six weeks later it again fought "where Cleburne crossed the line" at Jonesboro, with considerable loss. Then followed the long and disastrous march into TN. The 45th opened the battle at Franklin the evening before by a brilliant fight at Springhill, and the next day was in the bloody and desperate assault of Cleburne's Division on the enemy's works, and was almost annihilated around the corpse of its heroic division commander. Its colors floated before Nashville, and a remnant of the 45th moved into North Carolina. It was there consolidated with other Alabama regiments, and surrendered with Gen'l Joseph E. Johnston's forces.
 

Statistics: The 45th Alabama was organized with 750 men, reported 91 casualties at Murfreesboro, and 117 at Chickamauga, and totaled 366 effectives and 309 arms in December 1863. The regiment lost 27 k, 72 w, and 32 missing at the Battle of Atlanta and was almost annihilated at Franklin. Only a remnant surrendered on 26 April 1865.
 

Field officers: Cols. Ephraim B. Breedlove, James G. Gilchrist, William S. Goodwyn, and Harris D. Lampley; Lt. Col. Robert H. Abercrombie; and Major George C..

First Hand Accounts:

Lt Robert Watson noted in his diary on October 19 he had nothing to eat “except a little sour cornbread.” Few days later he recorded “Drew one days rations of cornbread and beacon, just enough for one meal and we eat it up immediately although it is for tomorrow.” - Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee pg.58-59

“We have not received any beacon since I have been in the fight (Chickamauga) we do not get beef every 3 days out of 10 we have not got any beef. They give us rice and sugar in place of beef” - Daniel Weaver of the 45th Alabama

I learned that we aire not a going to get any meat onely beeaf every seven days and beacon every ten days….that is pretty haird living we not had aney meat in too days now when we don’t get aney meat we get two ounces and a half of sugar a day to man. - Solder in Z.C. Deas Brigade

Links to more information:

Photos of 45th Alabama Members (most are post war)