1st Alabama Infantry Regiment
"The 1st Alabama Regulars" - From Mobilization to Final Capitulation
Formation and Early Deployment
The 1st Alabama Volunteer Infantry represents one of Alabama's earliest and most significant contributions to the Confederate war effort. Organized in March 1861 at Pensacola, Florida, the regiment formally mustered into Confederate service on May 4, 1861, for a three-year term. As the first regiment of the line raised by Alabama, it earned the distinguished title of "Regulars," setting it apart from subsequent volunteer formations.
The flag of the 1st Alabama Infantry depicts the common Alabama theme of a snake protecting the cotton harvest. Included above the design is the Latin phrase "NOLI NI TANGERE" or "touch me not". Interestingly the original flag's Latin is misspelled, where is should read "NOLI ME TANGERE".
The Latin phrase Noli me tangere had a rich history spanning over a millennium. It was widely used in religious, medical, literary, and military contexts, often carrying distinct meanings depending on the field. Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, this specific scene became a major subject in Christian art. Famous painters such as Titian, Holbein, and Fra Angelico created works titled Noli me tangere, typically depicting Jesus pulling away from a kneeling Mary Magdalene. In many of these depictions, Jesus is shown carrying a hoe or spade, referencing the biblical detail that Mary initially mistook him for a gardener.
The phrase appeared in secular literature to signify something unattainable, sacred, or dangerous. A prominent example is the 16th-century sonnet "Whoso list to hunt" by Sir Thomas Wyatt (c. 1520s). In the poem, the speaker chases a deer that wears a diamond collar inscribed with the warning: "Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am." In this context, the phrase served as a warning of possession and exclusivity. The deer is widely believed to represent Anne Boleyn, and "Caesar" represents King Henry VIII, signaling to the poet that the woman he desires is claimed by the King and is therefore untouchable.
By the late 18th century, the sentiment behind the phrase had taken on a martial and political tone, particularly in the United States. The phrase Noli Me Tangere is the official motto of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard"), the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, organized in 1784. This usage parallels the American Revolutionary War slogan "Don't Tread on Me," famously associated with the Gadsden Flag and the rattlesnake symbol. While the English phrase was used for the general public, the Latin Noli Me Tangere was adopted by military units to convey a similar warning of defensive aggression: "Do not interfere with us," or "We are dangerous if provoked."
In 1859, due to political unrest in the United States and the looming threat of civil war, the people of Perote in Bullock County Alabama raised a militia unit and was known as the Perote Guards. The uniforms and company flag were hand-made by the ladies of Perote and presented to the men on the steps of Perote’s Methodist Church. In the Summer of 1861, the Perote Guards traveled to Pensacola Florida, and became company “D” the 1st Alabama Infantry which had already been organized in February and March of 1861. The 1st Alabama numbering about 1000 men remained in Pensacola on duty for a year mainly manning the batteries there.
The regiment comprised ten companies drawn from diverse counties across Alabama, including Mobile, Montgomery, Greene, and Coosa. These men, primarily farmers and tradesmen, answered the call to defend Southern sovereignty with enthusiasm and patriotic fervor. Under the initial command of Colonel Henry D. Clayton, the regiment established its military foundation in the coastal defenses surrounding Pensacola Bay, focusing on Fort Barrancas and the nearby Navy Yard.
This early period was characterized by intensive drilling and garrison duty, as the regiment faced the constant threat of Union forces holding Fort Pickens across the bay. Though relatively uneventful in terms of combat, this formative phase instilled essential military discipline and prepared the Alabamians for the brutal campaigns that lay ahead. The regiment's initial deployment reflected the Confederacy's strategic priority of defending vital Southern ports during the war's opening stages.
Regimental Command Structure
Initial commander who led the regiment during its organization and early service in Pensacola. Later promoted to brigadier general.
Took command after Clayton's promotion, leading the regiment during the Island No. 10 campaign and subsequent surrender.
Second-in-command who played a crucial role in maintaining regimental discipline and organization throughout its service.
Island No. 10: The First Capitulation
By early 1862, the strategic focus of the Western Theater had shifted decisively to the Mississippi River. The Confederate stronghold at Island No. 10, positioned at a critical double-bend in the river near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, represented a linchpin in Southern defensive strategy. This formidable position, supported by extensive mainland batteries, was designed to block Union naval advancement and protect the river approaches to Memphis and ultimately Vicksburg.
The 1st Alabama, now part of Colonel W. H. Forney's brigade in General W. W. Mackall's division, was assigned to the mainland defenses, primarily occupying Battery No. 4, known as the "Redan Battery." This position placed them at the forefront of the coming confrontation with Federal forces.
For the soldiers of the 1st Alabama, the Island No. 10 campaign was an introduction to the grim reality of modern siege warfare. Throughout March 1862, they endured relentless bombardment from Union gunboats under Flag Officer Andrew Foote and General John Pope's army. The regiment's artillerymen engaged in daily duels with Federal vessels while the infantry endured life in waterlogged trenches under constant threat of explosion from enemy shells.
The tactical situation deteriorated dramatically when Union forces executed a brilliant flanking maneuver, cutting a canal that allowed transport vessels to bypass the island's guns entirely. Pope's army crossed the river downstream, effectively trapping the entire Confederate garrison. With escape routes severed and supplies dwindling, General Mackall recognized the hopelessness of their position.
On April 8, 1862, the Confederate command surrendered the entire garrison of approximately 7,000 men, including the complete roster of the 1st Alabama Infantry. For these soldiers, this marked their first experience of capitulation—a humbling and disorienting event for men who had begun their service with expectations of certain victory.
Following standard practice of the early war period, the regiment was paroled, with soldiers giving their word not to bear arms until formally exchanged. The men returned to Alabama in a state of limbo, awaiting the bureaucratic process of formal exchange that would eventually allow them to rejoin the Confederate war effort in September 1862.
Interlude: Reorganization and Return to Service
Following their exchange in September 1862, the 1st Alabama underwent substantial reorganization. The regiment was replenished with new recruits to replace losses from disease and captivity, and its mission was transformed from line infantry to heavy artillery—a reflection of the changing needs of Confederate defense strategy along the Mississippi River.
This period of retraining and refitting occurred in Mississippi, where the regiment honed its skills in operating the large-caliber guns that would become central to their role in the defense of Port Hudson. The conversion to artillery required significant adjustment for the infantrymen, but they adapted to their new responsibilities with the discipline that had characterized their service from the beginning.
By early 1863, with Ulysses S. Grant threatening Vicksburg and Nathaniel Banks moving against Port Hudson, the 1st Alabama was dispatched to the latter fortress, recognizing its strategic importance as the final barrier preventing Union control of the entire Mississippi River.
Port Hudson: The Final Stand
When the 1st Alabama arrived at Port Hudson in the spring of 1863, they joined a garrison commanded by the determined General Franklin Gardner. The fortifications at Port Hudson represented one of the most formidable defensive positions on the Mississippi, with bluffs rising 80 feet above the river, providing natural advantages augmented by extensive earthworks and powerful artillery batteries.
The regiment was assigned to Colonel I. G. W. Steedman's Brigade, manning critical sectors of the defensive line. Their conversion to heavy artillery meant they now operated the massive guns that constituted Port Hudson's primary defense against naval assault, while remaining prepared to function as infantry if the walls were breached.
Beginning on May 23, 1863, Union forces under General Banks initiated what would become one of the longest sieges in American military history. The 1st Alabama found themselves at the heart of this maelstrom, enduring constant bombardment from Union land and naval artillery while repelling three major infantry assaults on May 27, June 14, and June 16.
The regimental artillerymen exacted a terrible toll on attacking Union forces during these assaults, particularly during the failed attack of May 27, which one Northern newspaper described as "a slaughter pen." Between assaults, the Alabamians endured relentless sniper fire, artillery duels, and increasingly desperate conditions as supplies dwindled.
By late June, the situation within the fortress had become apocalyptic. Rations were reduced to a handful of peas and cornmeal, then to mule and horse meat, and finally to rats, boiled leather, and whatever roots soldiers could scavenge. Disease ran rampant through the malnourished garrison, with scurvy, dysentery, and malaria adding to the casualties from enemy fire.
The pivotal moment came on July 4, 1863, when General Gardner received confirmed intelligence that Vicksburg had fallen to General Grant. This news shattered the strategic rationale for continued defense of Port Hudson. With the Mississippi now effectively under Union control north of their position, further resistance served no military purpose beyond needless sacrifice.
After a council of war with his officers—including commanders of the 1st Alabama—Gardner initiated surrender negotiations on July 7. The formal capitulation occurred on July 9, 1863, marking the second time the 1st Alabama had been captured en masse. The fall of Port Hudson, coming just five days after Vicksburg, gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River, severing the Confederacy in two.
Aftermath and Legacy
Prisoner of War Experience
For the men of the 1st Alabama, the surrender at Port Hudson marked the beginning of a harsh captivity far different from their experience after Island No. 10. The breakdown of the prisoner exchange system meant most would remain in Federal prisons for the duration of the war. Enlisted men were primarily sent to Camp Douglas, Illinois—notorious for its harsh conditions and high mortality rate—while officers were transported to Johnson's Island on Lake Erie or Fort Delaware.
These prison camps became scenes of immense suffering, where disease, malnutrition, and exposure claimed countless lives. The soldiers who had survived the siege of Port Hudson now faced a different kind of battle for survival in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions far from home.
The Regiment's Formal End
The handful of 1st Alabama soldiers who avoided capture at Port Hudson—those on detached service, in hospitals, or serving as couriers—were consolidated with other depleted Alabama units, primarily the 4th Alabama Infantry. These fragments continued to serve through the Atlanta Campaign and the final desperate battles in Tennessee, but the 1st Alabama as a distinct regiment had effectively ceased to exist.
The formal records of the Confederate War Department would eventually mark the 1st Alabama as disbanded, its colors furled for the final time, its companies dissolved, and its remaining personnel absorbed into other units fighting a losing war.
Historical Significance
The story of the 1st Alabama Infantry represents a microcosm of the Confederate experience in the Western Theater. Their journey from the optimistic early days in Pensacola to the devastating capitulations at Island No. 10 and Port Hudson mirrors the broader trajectory of the Confederate war effort—initial confidence giving way to grueling sieges, strategic isolation, and ultimate defeat.
The regiment's unique distinction of suffering two of the largest mass surrenders of Confederate forces speaks not to any lack of courage or commitment, but rather to their unfortunate placement at critical strategic points where larger Union advantages in men and material proved decisive. Their tenacity during the 48-day siege of Port Hudson, in particular, stands as testament to the remarkable endurance of Confederate soldiers even in hopeless circumstances.
Today, the 1st Alabama is remembered as a regiment that endured extraordinary hardships and demonstrated steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds. Their story illuminates the brutal reality of the war in the West, far from the more celebrated battlefields of Virginia, where the struggle for control of the Mississippi River determined the ultimate fate of the Confederacy.
Regimental Timeline
Regiment organized at Pensacola, Florida, with ten companies from across Alabama.
Formally mustered into Confederate service for three years under Colonel Henry D. Clayton.
Garrison duty at Fort Barrancas and Pensacola defenses, facing Union-held Fort Pickens.
Transferred to the Mississippi River defenses, assigned to Island No. 10.
Surrendered with the entire Island No. 10 garrison; regiment paroled.
Formally exchanged and reorganized; converted to heavy artillery.
Dispatched to Port Hudson, Louisiana, as part of its defensive garrison.
Union siege of Port Hudson begins; regiment endures 48 days of continuous combat.
Learns of Vicksburg's fall, making Port Hudson's defense strategically pointless.
Surrenders with Port Hudson garrison; sent to Northern prisoner of war camps.
Surviving members endure imprisonment; regiment effectively ceases to exist.
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