43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry

Historical Notes:
The Tennessee 43rd Infantry Regiment [also called 5th East Tennessee Volunteer Regiment] was organized at Knoxville, Tennessee, during December, 1861. Its members were recruited in the counties of Polk, Rhea, Meigs, Bledsoe, Hawkins, Roane, Jefferson, McMinn, Bradley, and Hamilton. It moved to Virginia, Kentucky, then Mississippi where it was assigned to A.W. Reynolds' Brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The unit fought at Champion's Hill and Big Black River Bridge , then was captured in the fight for Vicksburg . After being exchanged and reorganized as mounted infantry, it was attached to General Vaughn's Brigade and during April, 1864, contained 215 effectives. It joined General Early in the Valley of Virginia and was active in the battles and skirmishes of his campaign. Later the regiment fought at Russellville in Tennessee, returned to Virginia, moved to North Carolina where it joined President Davis' escort, and ended the war at Washington, Georgia, in May, 1865, with a force of 123 men. Officers:
Colonel-James W. Gillespie
Lieutenant Colonel-David M. Key
Majors-Lawson Guthrie, W. H. McKamy Major Guthrie resigned in January, 1864, but all the other officers served throughout the war.
Assignments:
Unattached, Dept. of East Tennessee (May - June 1862)
Taylor’s Brigade, Stevenson’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (June 1862)
Barton’s Brigade, Dept. of East Tennessee (June – July 1862)
Taylor’s Brigade, Stevenson’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (July 1862)
Heth’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (August – October 1862)
Reynold’s Brigade, Heth’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (October – December 1862)
A. W. Reynold’s Brigade, Stevenson’s Division, 2nd Military District, Dept. of Mississippi and East Louisiana (December 1862 – April1863)
A.W. Reynold’s Brigade, Stevenson’s Division, Second Military District, Dept. of Mississippi and East Louisiana (April – July 1863)
Vaughn’s Brigade (mounted), Stevenson’s Division, 1st Corps, Army of Tennessee (November 1863)
Vaughn’s Brigade, Buckner’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (December 1863 – January 1864)
Vaughn’s Cavalry Brigade, Dept. of East Tennessee (January – February 1864)
Vaughn’s Brigade, Cavalry Corps, Dept. of East Tennessee (February – March 1864)
Vaughn’s Brigade, Vaughn’s Division, Cavalry Corps, Dept. of East Tennessee (March – April 1864)
Johnson’s Brigade, Buckner’s Division, Dept. of East Tennessee (dismounted detachment) (April 1864)
Vaughn’s Brigade, Cavalry Corps, Dept. of East Tennessee (April – May 1864)
Vaughn’s Cavalry Brigade, Dept. of Western Virginia and East Tennessee (May 1864 – April 1865)
Detachment Vaughn’s Brigade, Breckinridge’s Division, Valley District, Department of Northern Virginia (dismounted detachment) (June – July 1864)
Vaughn’s Brigade, Davis’ Escort (April – May 1865)
Battles:
Campaign, Cumberland Gap, TN (March 15 – April 8, 1862)

Retreat from Perryville, KY to Loudon, TN (October 10 – 22, 1862)

Action, Stanford, KY (October 14, 1862)

Affair near Gordon’s Landing, Red River, LA (detachment), Capture of the “Queen of the West” (February 14, 1863)

Capture of the “Indianola” near Grand Gulf, MS (detachment) (February 24, 1863)

Skirmish, Edward’s Station, MS (May 15, 1863)

Engagement, Big Black River Bridge, MS (May 17, 1863)

Siege, Vicksburg, MS (May 18 – July 4, 1863)

Assault, Vicksburg, MS (May 19, 1863)

Assault, Vicksburg, MS (May 22, 1863)

Surrender, Vicksburg, MS (July 4, 1863)
Operations around Dandridge, TN (January 16-17, 1864)

Operations around Dandridge, TN (January 26-28, 1864)

Engagement near Fair Garden, TN (January 27, 1864)

Operations against Hunter’s Expedition to Lynchburg, VA (detachment) (May 26 – July 1, 1864)

Engagement, Piedmont, Mount Crawford, VA (detachment) (June 5, 1864)

Engagement, Lynchburg, VA (detachment) (June 17-18, 1864)

Battle, Monocacy, MD (detachment) (July 9, 1864)

Engagement, Snicker’s Ferry (Parker’s Ford), Shenandoah River, VA (detachment) (July 17-18, 1864)

Engagement, Kernstown (Winchester), VA (detachment) (July 24, 1864)

Sheridan’s Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, VA (detachment) (August 7- November 28, 1864)

Engagement, Berryville, VA (detachment) (September 4, 1864)

Battle, Opequan and Winchester, VA (detachment) (September 19, 1864)

Battle, Fisher’s Hill, VA (detachment) (September 22, 1864)

Battles, Cedar Creek, Middletown, Belle Grove, VA (detachment) (October 19, 1864)

Action, Morristown, TN (October 28, 1864)

Action, Bulls Gap, TN (November 11-13, 1864)

Action, Russellville, TN (November 14, 1864)

Operations against Stoneman’s Raid from East Tennessee into Southwestern Virginia and Western North Carolina (March 21- April 25, 1865)
Rosters:
The roster of this unit contains the names of 2005 men.

Company A - Captains John Goodman, John Tonkin - Polk County.
◾Company B - Captains Anderson J. Cawood, William M. Wilson - Rhea County.
◾Company C - Captains William J. Hill, Alex H. Roberson - Bledsoe County.
◾Company D - Captains Ambrose W. Hodge, Isom R. Binyon - Meigs County.
◾Company E - Captains John W. Philips, Joseph Huffmaster - Hawkins County.
◾Company F - Captains Sterling T. Turner, Eli C. Jones - Roane County.
◾Company G - Captains David Neff, Calvin L. Hensley - Jefferson County.
◾Company H - Captains W.L. Lafferty, Thomas G. Bryan - McMinn County.
◾Company I - Captain William H. McKamy - Bradley County.
◾Company K - Captains Lawson Guthrie, Jasper N. Aiken - Hamilton County. Bibliography for Research: