Company B
1861-1865
Company B of the 7th Tennessee Infantry was composed of men and boys from the hills and farms of central Tennessee's Smith County. The regiment was organized at Camp Trousdale in Sumner County, Tennessee on May 25, 1861. They answered the call of their state when the request came forth to defend the state against Northern aggression. The regiment remained at Camp Trousdale until the middle of July, where the men drilled for six hours each day.
About this time, the Confederate government requested that Tennessee send several regiments to Virginia. The 7th Tennessee, along with the 14th and Maney's 1st Tennessee headed to Staunton, Virginia. These Tennessee regiments were the only Tennessee regiments to spend the entire war fighting with the famous Army of Northern Virginia. (Maney's 1st was replaced by Peter Turney's 1st Tennessee in early 1862.) Known as the Tennessee Brigade, they would become recognized for their dependability and fighting prowess.
The Brigade's first action was the unsuccessful Cheat Mountain campaign in Western Virginia in late 1861. After returning to Big Springs, they were ordered to Winchester, Virginia, where they spent the winter. In February 1862, the Tennesseans were ordered to Manassas to join General Joseph E. Johnston's army. In May 1862, the 7th's Colonel Robert Hatton was promoted to Brigadier General of the Tennessee Brigade. At his first engagement, Seven Pines, Hatton was killed. James J. Archer replaced him. From that day forward, the Brigade became famous as Archer's Brigade.
The Brigade was placed in A.P. Hill's "Light Division" where it saw heavy action during the Seven Days campaign, specifically at Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, and Glendale, suffering heavy losses. Placed in Stonewall Jackson's Corps, Archer's Brigade saw intense fighting at Cedar Mountain and during the Second Manassas campaign. The 7th was part of Jackson's Corps that surrounded Harper's Ferry in September 1862, then marched to the rescue of Lee's beleaguered forces at Sharpsburg, Maryland (Antietam), arriving in the nick of time and saving the day.
In May 1863, Archer's Brigade fought at Chancellorsville, capturing Hazel Grove, a key Union strong point. At Gettysburg, the 7th helped open the battle on July 1, fighting on McPherson's Ridge where General Archer was captured. They participated in Pickett's Charge and penetrated the stone wall along with the Virginians. They then served as Lee's rear guard on the retreat back to Virginia.
The 7th was heavily involved in the Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, and ended up in the trenches during the siege of Petersburg. In October 1864 General Archer was paroled and returned to his unit. However, captivity had broken his health and he died on October 24, 1864.
On February 3, 1865 a deserter to the Federal lines indicated that there were not more than 60 men left in the regiment. At Appomattox, after four years of hardships, the gallant 7th surrendered 47 men, with Company B having but six men left.