What is going on here?

[JacobCSA]

there is a James M Sanders on this Alabama CS Cav record I was trying to see if it was one of my ancestors but I have no Idea whats even going on with it. The man says he lives in St Clair CO Alabama. That doesn't make sense hes in the 11th Alabama Cav (10th Alabama Cav) men in this Regt where from Northern Alabama mostly from North of the TN River. How then is this man a resident of St Clair Co. Is there any information on what men from what companies came from what specific counties individually for this regiment? Who is Pvt Lowe and why is his name at the top of this James M Sanders record card saying "Pvt Lowe's Ala Cavalry? Didn't know Privates could lead entire regiments but according to this very confusing card they can. That or im not reading that correctly. Could someone please clear up whats going on here. Here is the link to the Fold 3 record

 

[lupaglupa]

Lots of funny stuff here!

I'd say it's possible that a man from outside the usual area could belong to any unit, especially if they joined later in the war. People got separated from their original units and joined up with the folks near where they were. That part isn't too hard to believe.

Could a private had led a company? Maybe - especially if it was an irregular or partisan ranger company. I went back into the unit information for the 11th and I don't find a mention of a Lowe there. There isn't a service card for anyone named Lowe in the 11th either. But the 11th was one of those regiments that was frankensteined from other parts so who knows where everybody ended up in the records.

I note that the card you linked to is grouped with a second card for James M Sanders, placing him in the 17th infantry. Those cards show he enlisted in October of 1861 and was discharged for disability the following July. The regimental return for January of 1862 has a note "on sick furlough from Jany 19 1862 for 20 days Randolph Co Ala."

Are these the same men? If so, is this your ancestor? I think you'd need to look for pension records and other sources to get the story straight.

 

[Allyn]

Love the term "frankensteined." It's so descriptive!

 

[lupaglupa]

Spell check does share your enthusiasm

 

[Stryker65]

there is a James M Sanders on this Alabama CS Cav record I was trying to see if it was one of my ancestors but I have no Idea whats even going on with it. The man says he lives in St Clair CO Alabama. That doesn't make sense hes in the 11th Alabama Cav (10th Alabama Cav) men in this Regt where from Northern Alabama mostly from North of the TN River. How then is this man a resident of St Clair Co. Is there any information on what men from what companies came from what specific counties individually for this regiment? Who is Pvt Lowe and why is his name at the top of this James M Sanders record card saying "Pvt Lowe's Ala Cavalry? Didn't know Privates could lead entire regiments but according to this very confusing card they can. That or im not reading that correctly. Could someone please clear up whats going on here. Here is the link to the Fold 3 record

William M. Lowe was a private in Company I, 4th Alabama Infantry. By 1863-1864, he had returned to Alabama, and soon raised his own cavalry command, completely unauthorized by the Confederate government. Owing to the confusing nature of Confederate recruitment in the region, his unit was known variously as Lowe's, the 11th, and the 13th Alabama Cavalry. Lowe declared himself a Lieutenant Colonel (although he was never actually appointed as such), and the unit operated in northern Alabama, primarily behind enemy lines, from the fall of 1864 to the end of the war. Lowe himself was captured with some of his men during Hood's Middle Tennessee Campaign, and imprisoned for the remainder of the war.

Due to the nature of the way Lowe's "regiment" was formed, there is no company information, as no muster rolls were ever made, as the unit never officially existed. For all intents and purposes, "Lowe's cavalry" was a guerrilla outfit.

 

[lupaglupa]

I'm patting myself on the back for guessing why it was a Private in charge!

These local partisan ranger units can be a bear to track. Some of them were just outlaws, some of them were a real help to the CSA. If you read things written by civilians behind the lines you get a very mixed view of their tactics.