THE FOURTH ALABAMA REGIMENT
This regiment was organized at Dalton, Georgia, April 28, 1861, as follows: Egbert J. Jones as colonel, E. M. Law as lieutenant-colonel, and Charles M. Scott as major. Jones was killed, and Law and Scott were both wounded at the first battle of Manassas. Scott resigned. He had been a member of Congress from California. Under President Cleveland's first administration he was minister of the United States stationed at Bogota. He was a citizen of Monroe County, Alabama.
Law became colonel of the regiment, was then promoted to brigadier general, and in the winter of 1864-65 to major-general. He now lives at Bartow, Florida, and is engaged in teaching.
The regiment was composed of the very best material. It was the only regiment I ever saw that would fight about as well without officers as with them. The discipline was not of a high order, nor did it seem to be necessary. L. R. Terrell, second lieutenant in Company D, was made General Law's adjutant-general until the summer of 1864, when he was made lieutenant-colonel of the Forty-seventh Alabama, and in the fall of that year was killed while leading that regiment in a charge.
Doctor Wm. 0. Hudson, first sergeant of Company D, was made regimental surgeon, and then brigade surgeon, in which he served with great success and distinction. He aided in the amputation of my arm August 16, 1864.
The late Wm. M. Lowe, who died in October, 1882, a member of Congress from the Eighth District, was a private in Tracey's company from Huntsville. Many other men who became distinguished served in the ranks of this regiment. It was indeed an
honor to belong to it in any capacity.
The companies were all volunteers for twelve months only, but at the expiration of their term of service a majority of the men reenlisted for three years or the war. This is the reason why such an unusually large number of discharges occur in the account of each company. A remarkable thing in the casualties is that the proportion of killed to the number wounded is greater than usual. I attribute it to the daring and reckless individual exposure of the men. Such a result is more likely to occur in a regiment wherein there is great independence-individualism, and correspondingly slacker discipline, than in one where the latter is enforced and the fighting done by order. Great bravery and intelligence frequently make a
volunteer citizen regiment overcome and drive one of regulars; but if so, you will find the greater number of casualties in the volunteer regiment. The regulars are trained to the work with the regularity and precision of machinery. A regiment without strict discipline fights by pride and courage of the individual members.
Another remarkable feature in the statistics of this regiment is the small number who died of disease when compared with the number killed in battle243 were killed and but go died of disease, 2 7-10 to
1-whereas in most regiments a greater number died from disease incident to camp life than from the bullets of the enemy. I think that one reason why there were so few deaths from disease in this regiment was that nearly all the companies were from the towns and composed of young men accustomed to irregular habits. Company K, from Jackson County, was mainly composed of young farmers, and had nearly twice as many deaths from disease as any other in the regiment.
Company_A Company_B Company_C Company_D Company_E Company_F Company_G Company_H Company_I Company_K