7th Tennessee Infantry

Past:

The 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment was mustered on June 22nd, 1861. On July 13th of the same year the 7th received orders to march to Nashville, Tennessee. From Nashville the 7th was shipped by rail to Virginia where it was made part of the Army of Northern Virginia and put under the command of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Commanded by Col. John Fite, the 7th Tennessee Infantry was assigned to General A.P. Hill's division, and became part of General Archer's Brigade. In addition to the 7th Tennessee, this brigade was comprised of the 1st Tennessee Infantry, the 14th Tennessee Infantry, 8th Alabama, and 19th Georgia.

Their battle record is a long and impressive story of how a group of men can endure four years of horrible war. Perhaps one of the most extraordinary points in this storied history was July 1st, 1863 when Archer's Brigade, including the 7th Tennessee, was among the early regiments engaged in the epic battle of Gettysburg. In this particular fight, the 7th Tennessee and the rest of Archer's men were engaged with the famed Iron Brigade of the Union Army. The Iron Brigade, comprised of the 2nd Wisconsin, 6th Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and 24th Michigan, was one of the most famous Union brigades with a hard-earned reputation for hard fighting and determination in battle. The fight between Archer's Brigade and the Iron Brigade was nothing less than monumental, resulting in the near destruction of both brigades. Eventually the Army of Northern Virginia reinforced Archer's men with other elements, and drove the battle torn Iron Brigade, and the rest of the Union 1st Corps back into Gettysburg. This fight was one of the most significant points on the first day at Gettysburg.

The 7th fought through many a fight in the same fashion as it had in July 1, 1863. It served in nearly every engagement the Army of Northern Virginia had fielded soldiers. On April 9th 1865 the 7th Tennessee, along with the remainder of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Union forces under U.S. Grant at Appomattox Court House Virginia. As a result of the hard fighting the regiment had been involved in, the 7th Tennessee could muster only 41 enlisted men, and 6 officers.

Present:

The 7th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. was started in 1989 by a group of friends, mostly members of Richmond Purcells' Battery, who wished to expand the Northwest Territory of the North-South Skirmish Association. One of the founding members of this unit, Roy Barnett, had family ties to the original 7th Tennessee.

Our flag was hand sewn by Miss Anita Bliss, the mother-in-law of one of our members. It took one solid month to sew the 81"x53" flag, which has a blue field with 13 white stars in a circle and three bars. On the white bar are the words "7th Tennessee". The original flag was captured in battle on April 2nd, 1865 during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia.

The 7th Tennessee presently has 16 members, ranging from teenagers to retirees. Most of our members are "veteran" skirmishers, an honor earned after 10 years as a member of the North-South Skirmish Association. Many of our female shooters are former members of the Women's Skirmish Association (WSA), an organization which was disbanded years ago when women were allowed to join the N-SSA and compete along side their husbands and sons. As with many teams, we are open for new membership for any man or women who has a love for good fun and good friends.