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13th Alabama Infantry

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this unit’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: Organized on July 19, 1861. Mustered in on July 19 and 26, 1861.1
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel James Aiken
Commander Image

Commander 2
Commander Image

Commander 3
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army3

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army4

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army5

  • Commander: (Lieutenant?) Colonel James Aiken6
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army7

  • Commander: (Lieutenant?) Colonel James Aiken (at least August 15, 1864)8,9
  • Unit Strength:
    • 158 officers and men PFD (August 15, 1864)10
  • Weapons: Springfield and/or Enfield Rifles11

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army12,13

  • Commander: Colonel James Aiken (at least September 30, 1864)14,15
  • Unit Strength: 135 officers and men PFD (September 30, 1864)16
  • Weapons: .54 and .58 caliber (presumably mix of Model 1841 “Mississippi” rifles and Springfields and/or Enfields)(September 30, 1864)17

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army18

  • Commander: Colonel James Aiken19
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Archer’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army20,21

  • Commander: Colonel James Aiken (November & December 1864)22,23
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle:

McComb’s Brigade | Heth’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army (January 1-9, 1865)24,25

Forney’s Brigade | Mahone’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army (January 9-February 28, 1865)26,27,28,29,30

  • Commander: Colonel James Aiken (definitely January 18, 1865)(January & February 1865)31,32,33
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Forney’s Brigade | Mahone’s Division | Third Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army34,35

  • Commander: None listed. (March & April 1-2, 1865)36,37
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles38:

  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • Squirrel Level Road (September 30, 1864)
  • Jones’ Farm (September 30, 1864)
  • Pegram’s Farm (October 1, 1864)
  • Harman Road (October 2, 1864)
  • Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 73-74 ↩
    2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 73-74 ↩
    3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 112 ↩
    4. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 112 ↩
    5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 121 ↩
    6. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 121: Sibley lists Aiken as a full Colonel, but an August 15, 1864 inspection report lists Aiken as a Lieutenant Colonel. ↩
    7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 131 ↩
    8. Confederate Inspection Report 16-P-17: Fry’s Brigade, August 15, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.: This inspection report lists Aiken as a Lieutenant Colonel rather than a full Colonel. ↩
    9. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 131: Sibley indicates Aiken was a full Colonel.  However, an August 15, 1864 inspection report lists him as a Lieutenant Colonel. ↩
    10. Confederate Inspection Report 16-P-17: Fry’s Brigade, August 15, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    11. Confederate Inspection Report 16-P-17: Fry’s Brigade, August 15, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    12. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 139 ↩
    13. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1312. ↩
    14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 139 ↩
    15. Confederate Inspection Report 19-P-24: Archer’s / Walker’s Brigade, September 30, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    16. Confederate Inspection Report 19-P-24: Archer’s / Walker’s Brigade, September 30, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    17. Confederate Inspection Report 19-P-24: Archer’s / Walker’s Brigade, September 30, 1864; Inspection Reports and Related Records Received By the Inspection Branch in the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M935, Roll 10: Inspection Reports P-12 – 39-P-24); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    18. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 148 ↩
    19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 148 ↩
    20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 156 ↩
    21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 165 ↩
    22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 156 ↩
    23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 165 ↩
    24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 174-175 ↩
    25. Evans, Clement A. Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History. Vol. 7. Atlanta, GA: Confederate Pub., 1899, p. 99. Hat tip to Sanders’ Brigade historian David White.  See his comment at the bottom of this page. ↩
    26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 174-175 ↩
    27. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1174: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, January 31, 1865”; This list contains many commanders who were not there.  They were the “official” commanders but may have been gone on leave.  I have used none of the leaders from this list as a result. ↩
    28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 185 ↩
    29. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1272: “Organization of the Infantry and Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, February 28, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from February 28, 1865.  However, leaders listed are from January.  I’ve chosen to ignore the leaders and just use this source for the organization of the order of battle. ↩
    30. Evans, Clement A. Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History. Vol. 7. Atlanta, GA: Confederate Pub., 1899, p. 99. Hat tip to Sanders’ Brigade historian David White.  See his comment at the bottom of this page. ↩
    31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 174-175 ↩
    32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 185 ↩
    33. Per brigade historian David White, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, National Archives, Roll 762 (William H. Forney, 10th Alabama, Fold3.com Page 99): “Letter recommending Colonel Forney for promotion to Brigadier General.” Multiple officers signed this letter, including Aiken, and he indicated he was commanding the regiment on January 18, 1865. ↩
    34. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 194 ↩
    35. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 203 ↩
    36. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 194 ↩
    37. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 203 ↩
    38. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 73-74 ↩

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    { 2 comments… add one }
    • David White February 8, 2015, 6:19 am

      Brett. I found the date that the 13th Alabama Infantry Regiment transferred from Archer’s Brigade to Forney’s Brigade.

      I found the information in “Confederate Military History”, by Clement A. Evans, Volume VII, Alabama, 1899, page 99.

      Extracted from the Official Record, Volume XXI, No. 96 (page 1025). Special Order Number 8, dated January 9, 1865, Regiment transferred from Archer’s brigade, Heth’s division, Third Army Corps, to Sanders’ brigade, Mahone’s division,

      In addition, as supporting information, the Officers of the 13th Alabama (along with all the officers of the brigade) signed the letter of recommendation for Forney’s promotion to Brigadier General that is dated January 18, 1865. See the letter of recommendation for promotion in General Forney’s service record at the National Archives, M311, Roll 193.

      Also see the Official Record, Volume XXI, No. 96 (page 1272) Reported in Forney’s brigade on February 28, 1865.

      ∞
    • Brett Schulte February 8, 2015, 9:48 am

      Thanks David! I’ll go add that this morning.

      Brett

      ∞

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