Based on his enlistment date and the fact that his unit was called Academy Cadets. I would assume he was a young 17 year old Conscript.

Tate R. Driesbach/Dresbach, Private, Company F, 7th Alabama Cavalry, enlisted June 4, 1863 at Tuskaloosa by Capt. C. P. Storrs for the war, captured near Nashville, Tenn. December 16, 1864, forwarded to Military Prison, Louisville, Ky., received at Camp Chase, Ohio prison January 4, 1865, died of Pneumonia February 14, 1865

M311: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama

Company F - many men from Montgomery County
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/7th_Regiment,_Alabama_Cavalry

See also:

http://www.civilwarhome.com/7alacav.htm

http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/regimental/alabama/confederate/alcav.cfm

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There is one mention of the Cadets in the Official Records, below:

Numbers 10. Report of Brigadier General James R. Chalmers, C. S. Army, commanding cavalry DIVISION.

HDQRS. CHALMERS' DIVISION, FORREST'S CAVALRY,
Perryville, Tenn., November 8, 1864.

MAJOR: In obedience to orders from Major-General Forrest, commanding, &c., I moved on the morning of the 30th of October from Paris, Tenn., with Rucker's brigade, my escort battalion, and four pieces of rifled artillery (one section of Rice's and one of Hudson's battery), to Paris Landing, on the Tennessee River, where I arrived about 11 a. m. on the same day. I found Colonel Bell at the landing with his brigade, of Buford's DIVISION, and a section of Morton's battery. He reported to me that a short time before my arrival a gun-boat and two transports had passed his position, going down the river, and that in obedience to orders from General Buford he had reserved his fire until they had passed, and had then opened upon them, and he thought had done them some damage. One of the transports succeeded, as I was afterward informed, in passing Fort Heiman, where General Buford was stationed with the Kentucky brigade of his DIVISION, a section of Morton's battery, and the two 20-pounder Parrott guns of Hudson's battery, but was badly crippled in the attempt. The other transport (the Venus) and the gun-boat (the U. S. steamer Undine, Numbers 55) were are a bend of the river about midway between the positions of Colonel Bell and General Buford, and out of the range of the guns of either. After consultation with Colonel Bell, I directed him to move his artillery down the river to a point as nearly as possible opposite to the boats, and to drive them from their position. He rode off to reconnoiter, and on returning reported that the order could not be executed on account of the ground to be passed over. My artillery having arrived was placed in position on the bank of the river above that held by Colonel Bell, with an interval of several hundred yards between the sections.

Colonel Rucker, coming upon the field, suggested that guns should be moved down the river to attack the boats, and on being told that Colonel Bell had reported the ground impracticable for artillery, he proposed that he and I should re-examine it. We accordingly rode down the river, Colonel Bell accompanying us, but before we had found a suitable position a courier reported another transport coming down, and Colonel Bell and I returned to the batteries, leaving Colonel Rucker with orders to continue his reconnaissance. The transport proved to be the J. W. Cheeseman, a stern-wheel steamer. She was allowed to pass the upper battery (Rice's) unmolested, but as soon as she came opposite to the middle battery (Hudson's) the guns of both opened upon her, and her steam pipe was cut and other parts of her machinery disabled. As she was passing Hudson's battery Colonel Bell's battery also opened upon her, and a heavy fire of small-arms being poured into her by troops stationed along the bank of the river, she was soon compelled to surrender. Soon after this Colonel Bell moved his brigade to Fort Heiman, in obedience to orders from General Buford, who I had directed to consolidate his DIVISION at that point.

Colonel Rucker having reported that he had found a practicable route and a good position for attacking the boats below the landing, I directed him to move down to it with the section of Hudson's battery (two 10-pounder Parrott guns), the Fifteenth Regiment, and Twenty-sixth Battalion Tennessee Cavalry, of his brigade, and attack them, which he did with such vigor and success that after a severe artillery duel between his battery and the gun- boat, the latter was disabled and driven to the opposite bank, where all of her officers and crew, who were able to do so, abandoned her and escaped, leaving only the dead and wounded behind.

At the same time Lieutenant-Colonel Kelley, commanding Twenty-sixth Battalion Tennessee Cavalry, attacked the transport Venus, which was defended by a small detachment of U. S. infantry, so sharply that she surrendered to him, and the gallant colonel, going on board of her with two companies of his battalion, crossed the river, took possession of the gun-boat, and brought both safely to the landing.

While this fight was going on another gun-boat (the Numbers 29) appeared above us, and coming to anchor about a mile and a half above our batteries, began to shell them. The upper battery (Rice's) returned a few shots, but finding that the distance was too great for effective firing, I directed it to move up nearer to the boat and ordered a portion of my escort battalion and the cadet company of the Seventh Alabama Cavalry to support the battery and act as sharpshooters. After a brief and spirited engagement the gun-boat weighed anchor and withdrew up the river. The Cheeseman was so badly injured that it was impossible to repair her with the means at our command, and she was afterward burned by order of the major-general commanding, as were also the three barges captured on the same day. The transport Venus and the gun-boat Undine being only slightly injured, were soon put in repair, by his order. These boats being bound down stream, after having delivered their cargoes of freight for the U. S. Government at Johnsonville, contained no stores beyond the usual supplies for their own use and a small quantity of private freight of but little value for army use. The Undine belonged to the class of gun-boats known as "tin-clads," and was one of the largest boats of her class on the river. she carried eight 24-pounder brass howitzers, and when captured had all of her armament and equipment on board of her. An attempt had been made to spike two of the guns and to disable one by placing a shell in its muzzle, but these were soon removed.

I have been more minute than may seem to be necessary in giving all the particulars of the capture of these boats, because I am aware that some dispute has arisen as to what troops are entitled to the honor of their capture. I do not regard this as a matter of much importance, since all that was done was but the execution of the plans of the major-general commanding, and whatever of honor may arise therefrom is due first to him who conceived and then to those who executed them.

All of the troops, so far as I am informed, acquitted themselves well, but I feel it is but to those who took the most prominent part in the execution of those plans that they should receive the greater share of that honor which is the dearest reward of the soldier. I repeat, therefore, that when the Cheeseman was captured there were six guns playing upon her, of which two (of Morton's battery) belonged to Colonel Bell's command, and four (two of Rice's and two of Hudson's battery) belonged to my command. They were placed on the bank of the river, Rice's being the upper, Hudson's the center, and Morton's the lower battery, and the boat was disabled before she had passed the center battery by one of the first shots fired at her.

The gun-boat Undine and the transport Venus were captured after Colonel Bell had withdrawn his brigade, including his artillery, and when there were no troops present excepting those belonging to this DIVISION. The troops immediately engaged in the capture were the Fifteenth Regiment and the Twenty-sixth Battalion Tennessee Cavalry and one section of Hudson's battery. It has been said, however, that these boats were badly crippled by Colonel Bell as they passed his position in the morning and before any part of this DIVISION had arrived, but in reply to this I would respectfully say that the Venus was not materially injured when she was captured, as is shown by the fact that she was used immediately afterward to tow the gun-boat to the landing. The shot which struck her injured her cabin and upper works, but had not damaged either her machinery or her hull. Colonel Bell stated to me that, in obedience to orders, he did not fire at either of the boats until they had passed his position. This exposed their sterns and larboard sides to his fire, but the shot which disabled the Undine struck her in front and on the starboard side, and could not have come from Colonel Bell's battery. In addition to this, the boat was manageable, and maintained a sharp fight for some time after Colonel Bell had withdrawn his brigade. In view of these circumstances I think it evident that the greater share of the honor of capturing these boats belongs tot hose troops to whom they were actually surrendered.

Our loss in this affair was 1 man of Rucker's brigade severely wounded; that of the enemy, so far as we have been able to ascertain it, was 5 killed and 6 wounded on the Venus; 3 killed and 4 wounded on the Undine, and 1 wounded on the Cheeseman; total, 8 killed and 11 wounded. We also captured 43 prisoners, among whom was 1 officer and 10 men of the U. S. Infantry. The others belonged to the different boats.

On the morning of November 1 moved my command up the river as far as Danville, where we encamped, placing our guns in position on the river-bank so as to protect our boats (the Undine and Venus), which had been ordered to move up the river, keeping in rear of our batteries.

On the following morning I moved toward Reynoldsburg, in accordance with previous instructions, but was afterward orders, by the major- general commanding, to halt near Davidson's Ferry, and to place my guns in position at that place, which was done. Our boats having ventured too far beyond the protection of our batteries, were attacked by two of the enemy's gun-boats, and the Venus was recaptured by them.

On the 3rd instant we moved up the river opposite to Reynoldsburg and Johnsonville, and had frequent skirmishes during the day with the enemy's gun-boats, of which there were three at the latter place, but without any decisive results. Here we were joined by Colonel Mabry's brigade of cavalry and Thrall's battery of 12- pounder howitzers, attached to this DIVISION, which had been left at Paris, and had moved directly from that place and take position a short distance above Johnsonville.

On the 4th instant, General Buford having come up with his DIVISION and Morton's battery, the latter was ordered to the position occupied by Colonel Rucker, and my DIVISION was formed as follows: Colonel Mabry, with his brigade and Thrall's battery, on the right immediately above and opposite to Johnsonville; Colonel Rucker, with Morton's battery and the Seventh Alabama Cavalry, immediately below and opposite to that place; Lieutenant-Colonel Kelley, with the Twenty-sixth Tennessee Battalion and two guns of Rice's battery, opposite to Reynoldsburg, and Lieutenant-Colonel Logwood, of the Fifteenth Tennessee Cavalry, with his regiment and a section of Hudson's battery, at Clark's house, still farther down the river and about two miles below Johnsonville.

The enemy had at Johnsonville three gun-boats and a number of transports and barges - variously estimated at from eight to ten of the former and from twelve to fifteen of the latter, some of them laden - together with an immense quantity of Government stores, a part of which was contained in a large warehouse, and the remainder piled upon the bank, covering about an acre of ground. The town was defended by a strong earth-work, well garrisoned and supplied with artillery, and they possessed an additional advantage in the fact that the bank of the river on that side is much higher than that on which we were.

At 2 p. m. the bombardment began, and in a short time one of the gun-boats was set on fire. One after another the others followed, and before night-fall all of the gun-boats, transports, and barges, the warehouse, and the greater part of the stores on the shore, were set on fire and consumed. The enemy kept up a heavy fire from their gun-boats and land batteries until the former were disabled, but without inflicting any serious injury upon us or forcing any part of our troops to abandon their positions. During the engagement five gun-boats came up the river, evidently with the intention of re-enforcing the town, but they retired after a sharp cannonading with the artillery under Colonel Logwood's command.

Our loss in this engagement was very small, but as the official reports have not been received it cannot now be stated with accuracy.

All the officers and men under my command deserve honorable mention for the very creditable manner in which they have borne themselves during the entire expedition, and I do not desire to detract in the slightest degree from the honor due to the others in calling especial attention to the gallant conduct of the Seventh Alabama Cavalry in this their first engagement, and to the very effective service rendered by Thrall's battery in setting fire to the enemy's boats and stores.

My thanks are due to the officers of my staff and to Captain Lawler, Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, and Lieutenant D. F. Holland, aide-de-camp to Major General D. H. Maury, who were temporarily on staff duty with me, for their efficient services.

I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAS. R. CHALMERS, Brigadier-General.

Official Records, V. 39 Part 1, pp. 872-875