Over the years of studying the exchanged POWs from Ft Donelson, etc, I have accumulated a mass of information. Some of the information has become seperated from the source document, but here are some bits and pieces of info on the 9th Tn Cav bn.

-One slip of paper in my files says that [1] company was not at the surrender of Donelson-

-Exchanged at Vicksburg 9/16/62 and reorganized in Jackson in late Sept.

-about the time of reorganization, Col Gantt and several details returned to Tenn for recruits and horses in order to remount the battalion, and battalion is now under command of Akin

-6 companies under Akin, reported to Col Simonton of the 1st Miss and with him left Jackson 10/2 to join Van Dorn near Holly Springs

-the consolidation under Simonton apparently also inlcuded the 46 Tn, 53 Tn, 27th Ala, 1 Miss, & 9th Tn Bn dismounted cavalry

-The first [2] entries for the 9th bn appear in the "Post Hospital Ledger" at Port Hudson Nov. 7-indicating approximate arrival date at that post [although other notes indicate arrival there around Nov 1st

-helped build fortifications at Port Hudson, where they were rejoined by Col Gantt, recruits and remounted about the first of January

And here are a couple more bits of information about this unit:

-Private William Nicholas Demastus-9th (Gantt's) Battalion Tennessee Cavalry
William Nicholas Demastus from Lawrence County, Alabama joined Captain Bradshaw W. Porter's Company of the Tennessee Volunteers on November 28, 1861 as a private. This became Company B, 9th (Gantt's) Battalion Tennessee Cavalry. William Demastus and his company were captured with the surrender of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862. They were exchanged at Vicksburg on September 16, 1862, and the unit was reorganized at Jackson, Mississippi

-A Battalion report dated March 16, 1864, at Tunnel Hill, Georgia gives a sketch of the battalion's history up unfil that date. "The battalion remained prisoners until exchanged at Vicksburg September 16, 1862. It was re-organized at Jackson, Mississippi, and was then consolidated for a time, until it could be remounted, with the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment, and ordered to report to Major General Van Dorn in North Mississippi. It moved thence to Port Hudson, Louisiana, drilling and fortifying until remounted January 6, 1863

I'm still frustrated in my atempts to nail down the ever changing regimental consolidations, and brigade assignments for the exchanged POWs during the last quarter of 1862.