Here are the units from Anderson County:

Confederate: Thomas' North Carolina Legion, Company K.

Federal: Company L, 2nd Tennessee Cavalry Regiment; Companies F, G, and I, 7th Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment; Company D, 1st Tennessee Light Artillery Battalion; Companies H and K, 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment; Company C, 2nd Tennessee Infantry Regiment; Company E, 8th Tennessee Infantry Regiment.

Here are a couple of issues that you will run into.

1. William and James Smith are really, really, really common names. If you can find middle names or initials that will be a step to make things less complicated. There several dozen Williams and James that fought for both the Confederates and Federals and this does not include people that are listed just by initials.

2. As you can see, Anderson County was decidedly pro-Union. Many that were pro-Confederate went to other counties to join other units (my ancestor from Anderson County being an example). You will want to look beyond the bounderies of Anderson County in other Confederate units. Start with neighboring counties and then counties where they had relatives.

If you know the county and state where they lived postbellum, assuming they survived the war, then that will allow you to check and see if they or their widows filed for an Indigent Confederate Veteran's or Widow's Pension. That will potentially give you a lot of information such as unit, middle initial, and widow's name, etc.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
M.A. Military History - Civl War Concentration
War Between the States Historian
Research - Preservation
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment