Company F Muster Rolls
July & August, 1862, stationed at Geonire [?] dated October 31, 1862, recorded present, Driving Brigade Waggon [sic]
January & February, 1863, stationed near Vicksburg, Miss., recorded present [Tracy's Brigade, Stevenson's Divison]
March & April, 1863, stationed near Vicksburg, recorded as absent, sick hospital Vicksburg, there are no surviving subsequent muster rolls for Company F
Note: This is the last muster roll on record.
Note: I see nowhere in the records of the 23rd where they were actually engaged with the enemy during this period. They were stationed at Warrenton, approximately 10 miles below Vicksburg, on the river. There was a large Marine Battery located there, and it could be possible that he may have been wounded in exhanging fire with Yankee gunboats. However, I doubt this as there appears nothing in the Official Records re the 23rd at this time.
The regiment had been rushed south to Port Gibson to counter Grant's crossing of the Mississippi May 1
Robert was among the sick and wounded in Gen'l Hospital No. 2 captured July 4 1863, paroled July 16/20
Among those shipped with the sick and wounded from Vicksburg to Mobile, Ala. via New Orleans, n.d.
Delivered off Mobile Harbor August 4
As Alan noted, I would assume he was hospitalized in the Mobile, Alabama area until well enough to be furloughed home.
Upon recovering, he may well have rejoined the regiment and served out the war. Or, he could have been invalided out of the army. We have no way of knowing of his post Vicksburg subsequent service in light of the lack of muster rolls. Have you checked to see if he or his widow filed for a Confederate pension?
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Partial History
The Regiment arrived at Vicksburg, Mississippi on January 1, 1863, too late to participate in the repulse of General Sherman's Army at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. However, upon their arrival, General S.D. Lee ordered the Regiment, along with the 2nd Texas, 3rd Tennessee, and 30th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, to pursue the beaten Federal army back to their transports on the Yazoo River. Following that victory, the 23rd Alabama, along with the other regiments of Tracy's brigade, occupied defenses near Snyder's Bluff, Mississippi. Lieutenant General Pemberton shifted Tracy's Brigade south to Warrington, Mississippi in March, 1863 in response to General Grant's southward movement past Vicksburg to Hard Times on the Louisiana shore.
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On May 1, 1863, the Regiment participated in the Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi against General Grant's Army. In this battle, General Tracy's Brigade, numbering 1,516 soldiers, was assigned to General Bowen's Division. General Bowen had about 5,500 men engaged against roughly 23,000 Union troops.
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The Regiment surrendered with General Pemberton's Army on July 4, 1863 and was paroled. They marched to Demopolis, Alabama to await exchange. While there, General Pemberton furloughed the men and allowed them to go home for 30 days.
The Regiment was exchanged on September 12, 1863, re-equipped and, in November, 1863, assigned to General Bragg's Army of the Tennessee, General Stevenson's Division, Pettus' Brigade. This Brigade was composed of the Twentieth, Twenty-third, Thirtieth, Thirty-first, and the Forty-sixth Alabama Infantry Regiments.
Shortly thereafter, the Regiment joined General Bragg's Army laying siege to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and took positions on the Confederate's extreme left flank atop Lookout Mountain. Both sides recognized the mountain was of little tactical importance, and its possession was not a critical part of the Confederate's defensive plan. It served only as extension of General Bragg's line and its defense, assigned to General Stevenson's Division, was little more than a strong picket line. He posted one brigade, General Walthall's Alabama brigade, on its northwestern slope, another at the eastern base of the mountain, and General Pettus' Brigade, including the 23rd Alabama Infantry, on the top of the mountain.
The 23rd and 30th Alabama Infantry Regiments, were assigned the mission of holding the passes on Lookout Mountain from its northern point and extending southward for 2 1/2 miles. Additionally, reserves from both regiments were held at the town of Summertown on the mountain's summit, under the command of the Officer of the Day.
The Union attack on November 24, 1863, focused on the Cravens' farm on the northern point of Lookout Mountain and was met by Walthall's Brigade which General Stevenson had posted on the mountain's northwestern flank. When General Stevenson ordered General Pettus to reinforce Walthall's brigade, he also directed him to leave the 23rd and 30th Infantry regiments in place. Therefore, the 23rd Alabama Infantry did not take an active part in the defense and subsequent defeat at Lookout Mountain.
Early on the evening of November 24, 1863, General Bragg directed General Stevenson to evacuate Lookout Mountain and withdraw his division to the Confederate main line of defense on Missionary Ridge. General Stevenson's Division bivouacked that night just east of Chattanooga Creek near Rossville, Georgia. The Regiment participated the next day in the Battle of Tunnel Hill on the north flank of Missionary Ridge, and retreated with the rest of the army when the Confederate's center collapsed.
Following their defeat at Chattanooga, the Army of Tennessee, including the 23rd Alabama Infantry, pulled back to winter quarters in Dalton, Georgia. The 23rd enjoyed this respite until February 25, 1864 when General Grant attempted to force General George H. Thomas' Corps through the gap at Rocky Face Ridge west of Dalton. The Twenty-third Alabama Infantry, as a part of General Pettus' Brigade, was held in reserve about 100 yards behind Brigadier General Cumming's Brigade. Although they were not directly engaged, the Twenty-third Alabama Infantry suffered seven wounded, one of them mortally in this engagement.
In the last two weeks of April, 1864, the Twenty-third Alabama Infantry prepared defensive positions on Rocky Face Ridge in the vicinity of the signal station. Early in May, 1864, Pettus' Brigade, with the Twenty-third Alabama Infantry, was moved from the trenches they had just completed to new positions atop Rocky Face Mountain. On May 8, 1864, the Federal Army began its attack on the Confederate positions. Their attack was focused on the angle in Pettus' line on the mountain and was quickly repulsed. The next day, the Federals again assaulted General Pettus' positions and, again, they were repulsed. However, following their unsuccessful attacks, the Federal Army made a flanking movement to the south of the Confederate position compelling them on May 13, 1864 to withdraw to a new line at Resaca, Georgia.
At Resaca, the Twenty-third Alabama Infantry, as a part of General Pettus' Brigade, occupied the second line of General Stevenson's position north of Resaca, on the right side of the Resaca and Dalton road. Although General Pettus' Brigade was present at the Battle of Resaca on May 14, 1864, General Stevenson never ordered it into battle. Another Federal flanking movement to the south, compelled General Johnston to withdraw from Resaca. He moved his army to New Hope Church, Georgia, where he once again hoped to stop the Union Army.
The Twenty-third Alabama Infantry occupied the front line of General Stevenson's Division, as a part of General Pettus' Brigade at New Hope Church from May 25 to June 4, 1864, but the enemy did not directly assault them. Instead, they were subjected to a heavy fire of skirmishers and artillery which inflicted considerable losses.
Once again the Confederate were forced to retreat and next took up defensive positions outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The Twenty-third Alabama Infantry fought in the Battle of Atlanta on June 22, 1864 as a part of General Stevenson's Division along the Powder Springs road near Marietta, Georgia. At about noon on June 22, 1864, General Stevenson moved his division to Mount Zion Church and by 2:30 p.m., had engaged the Union forces.