Courage and Devotion

Courage and Devotion

by Bruce R. Kindig

A History of Bankhead's/Scott's Tennessee Battery in the American Civil War

This is a regimental history of a Confederate battery in the American Civil War. The battery was originally recruited by Smith P. Bankhead in Memphis in 1861, and this book gives a breakdown of all of the members of the unit. This case study examines the reasons the men joined the unit and provides insight into their backgrounds. Although slavery is often given as a reason for the war, most of the men fought for other reasons, as few of them owned any slaves. The book touches on the trials of training and the difficulties of army life and addresses why some men deserted while others fought to the very end. After the battle of Shiloh, Bankhead was promoted, and William L. Scott assumed command. The history of the battery explains the part the men played in the battles and campaigns in the Western theater. When the battery was overrun at Missionary Ridge, many of the men continued to fight in other units, while others went home. All the men who served in Bankhead/Scott's Battery are accounted for in this book, with information about recruitment, occupations, deaths, wounds, illness, desertions, and discharges. Four men were still serving when the Army of Tennessee of Tennessee surrendered in April 1865.