William Elias Sykes in the Civil War

William fought with the Confederacy in the Civil War. While William, known as Buck, was away during the war his wife Amanda lived with members of her family in the Temperance Hall community in neighboring DeKalb County. Mandy’s father, Wilson Turner, had died in 1850 but she had many Turner relatives living in DeKalb County during this period. Buck’s son from his first marriage to Huldah would have been about four years old when Buck joined the army and Buck and Mandy had a daughter who was born in 1862 while he was fighting in the war. This must have been a very difficult time for Mandy and the children.

The following information on William's service during the Civil War has been obtained by the writer from the files in the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) in Nashville.

William enlisted on December 19, 1861, at Camp Trousdale, as a private in Captain James's Independent Company, Tennessee Infantry, afterwards designated Company C, 44th Tennessee Infantry, C. S. A., and he was appointed sergeant March 18, 1864. On the muster roll of his company dated December 31, 1864, the last company roll on file, he was reported sergeant, present. The prisoners of war records (Union) show that William E. Sykes, sergeant, Company C., 44th Tennessee, C. S. A., was captured April 2, 1865, at Petersburg, Virginia, and that he was released May 5, 1865, on taking the oath of allegiance to the United States.

The records in the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville show that William fought in the battles of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Knoxville, Beans Station, and Petersburg, Virginia. He was shot in the arm at Murfreesboro, in the hand at Beans Station, and had a spell of fever at Mississippi. He was imprisoned at Camp Delaware.

The following information on William's service during the Civil War has been provided to the writer by Keith Sykes, a descendant. This information was provided to Keith in conversations with our uncles and seems to completely agree with the TSLA information.

Buck entered the Civil War in Captain B. A. James' Co_______, 55 (McKoin's) Tennessee Infantry. This Company was Consolidated in April 1862 with the 44th Tennessee Infantry and formed the 44th Consolidated Confederate Infantry. His rank was Private. He was enlisted on December 19th, 1861 at Camp Trousdale by a R. Farquliarson for a period of 12 months. The 55th (McKoin's) regiment was organized in the early part of 1862. About April 18th 1862, it was consolidated into 5 companies and united with the 5 consolidated companies of the 44th Regiment Tennessee Infantry (this was after Shiloh). He also served under ??? William Terry, Levi ? Evans and Mose Preston Lieutenants. He fought at Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Knoxville, Beans' Station and Petersburg, Virginia. He was shot in the arm at Murfreesboro, in the hand at Beans Station and had a "spell of fever" in Mississippi.

An interesting story that he told to our Uncle Jess who told it to Uncle Al was that he (Buck) and a buddy were sleeping under a pile of brush at Beans Station one night. They woke up and it had snowed several inches. They got up and headed across a field to meet up with all the others and the Yankees started shooting at them. They were running across that field when all of a sudden Buck dropped his gun. He went to pick it up and could not. It was then he noticed that he had been shot in the hand and could not pick up his gun with that hand. He was out of service about 50 days when shot in the arm and about 60 days when shot in the hand. Dr. Ben Davis and two or three others treated his wounds. He got out of the army by taking the oath of allegiance to the United States at Fort Delaware about May 10, 1865.

J.B. Reasonover and D. Gwaltney (other Smith County residents) served with Buck for about 3 years and 4 months.

Buck applied for, and was granted, a confederate disability pension in 1907 and his widow, Amanda, applied for, and was granted, a widow's pension in 1908. A copy of the relevant documents regarding these pensions can be viewed on this web site by clicking War Records.

Questions or Comments: Jim Sykes

Last Updated November 2005.

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All of the following information was obtained from the following web site:

http://tennessee-scv.org/4455/index.htm

Excerpted from Roster of Tennesseans in the Civil War *

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Name                        Rank       Company

Sykes, William E.      Pvt          Major B. A. James

* Original Data extracted by Milton L. Campbell; Transcribed by Terryle A. Campbell;

Copyright 1997, all rights reserved

55th (McKoin’s) Infantry

The following history is taken from "Tennesseans in the Civil War" as compiled by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964.

Organized January 30, 1862; consolidated with 44th Tennessee Infantry April, 1862 to form 44th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment.

FIELD OFFICERS

Colonel -- James L. McKoin
Lieutenant Colonel -- Wiley M. Reed
Major -- B. A. James

CAPTAINS

Benjamin F. Duggan, Co. "A". Men from Bedford County. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 9, 1861. Formed part of Co. "G", 44th Consolidated.

James E. Scobey, Co. "F". Mustered in at Camp Trousdale, Sumner County, December 20, 1861. Roll reads "33 miles to rendezvous." Consolidated with "H" to form "E", 44th Consolidated.

William W. Burnette, Co. "H". Formed by the consolidation of two incomplete companies, William H. Moore's "Lady's Guards", men from Lincoln County, with William W. Burnette's Company from Davidson County. Consolidated with "F" to form "E", 44th Consolidated.

Wiley M. Reed, John Overton, Jr., Co. "I". Men from Davidson County. "The Nashville Confederates."

George W. Bounds, unlettered company. Men from Rutherford County. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 13, 1861. Formed part of Co. "G", 44th Consolidated.

Henry B. Day, unlettered company. Men from Sumner and Macon Counties. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 17, 1861. Formed part of Co. "H", 44th Consolidated.

Alexander R. Dillehay, unlettered company. Men from Smith County. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 23, 1861. Formed part of "C", 44th Consolidated.

B. A. James, unlettered company. Men from Smith County. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 19, 1861. Formed part of "C", 44th Consolidated.

James H. Joyner, unlettered company. Men from Sumner County. Mustered in at Camp Trousdale December 21, 1861. Formed part of "H", 44th Consolidated.

John L. McEwen, Jr., unlettered company. Men from Williamson County. Enlisted at Franklin November 26, 1861. Mustered in at Nashville December 21, 1861. Formed part of "I", 44th Consolidated.

McKoin's regiment never did receive a regimental number from the Adjutant and Inspector General's Office at Richmond, Virginia, as they seemed to have it confused with Colonel A. J. Brown's Regiment, which was officially designated as the 55th Tennessee Infantry. However, the regiment was known in the field as the 55th (McKoin's) Tennessee Infantry. The regiment was organized at Camp Weakley, near Nashville, on January 30, 1862, from these companies which had been formed in November and December, 1861.

On February 16, 1862 the regiment was placed in the forces commanded by Major General William J. Hardee, and on February 23, at Murfreesboro, was reported in Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow's Division, Brigadier General S. A. M. Wood's Brigade, composed of the 7th, 16th Alabama, 8th Arkansas, 9th Arkansas Battalion, 3rd Mississippi Battalion, 27th, 44th and 55th (McKoin's) Tennessee Infantry Regiments, Avery's Cavalry, and Byrne's and Harper's Batteries.

At Shiloh, April 6-7, it participated in the battle as part of this brigade. General Wood, in his enumeration of his forces, listed the 55th with 280 muskets. No record of regimental casualties was found, but Doctor Noblitt of the 44th Tennessee Infantry stated its casualties were so heavy it did not have the minimum numbers to preserve its organization. The 44th had also suffered heavily, and on April 18, 1862, the two regiments were consolidated to form the 44th Consolidated. The consolidation was later pronounced illegal, but it was deemed inexpedient to annul it, and the consolidated organization served the rest of the war as the 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Consolidated.

For the further history of the regiment, see the history of the 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. Colonel McKoin resigned on account of ill health, and was placed on the "superannuated roll." Lieutenant Colonel Reed was placed on the supernumerary roll and later served on General Forrest's Staff. He was killed at Fort Pillow April 12, 1864.

 

Questions or Comments: Jim Sykes

Last Updated April 2007