Person Sheet


Name Smith Scroggins Jr.
Birth 1829, Wake County, North Carolina
Death Oct 8, 1863, Chickamauga, Georgia
Father Smith Scroggins Sr. (1793-)
Mother Tabitha George - Bush (1794-)
Spouses:
1 Ellender "Eleanore" Wells Holt
Birth Apr 1830, Lincoln County, Tennessee
Death Aug 19, 1904, Cothrans Store, Lamar County, Texas
Marriage Nov 10, 1849, Lincoln County, Tennessee
Children: William Alexander (1850-1930)
Hannah Tabitha Caroline (1852-1897)
Elizabeth (1855-1885)
Robert Allen (Bobby) (1857-)
Stewart
Notes for Smith Scroggins Jr.
On March 7, 1862, Smith Scroggins and Abner Scroggins enlisted in the Tishomingo Avengers, a local militia company with Captain James G. Lowrey as its commander. Then enlisted in Rienzi, Tishomingo County, Mississippi.

On April 12, 1862, Smith and Abner both go to Corinth, Mississippi with the Tishomingo Avengers where they are sworn into the Confederate Army. The Tishomingo Avengers become Company A of the 32nd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel Mark Perrin Lowrey. Colonel Lowrey is a very popular local Baptist clergyman. The 32nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment is assigned to General S.A.M. Wood's Brigade, in General Simon B. Buckner's Division, Hardee's Corps, Army of Mississippi.

On August 28, 1862, Smith and Abner cross the Tennessee River at Chattanooga and march through Pikesville, Sparta, and Carthage, Tennessee. They cross into Kentucky at Tompkinsville and arrive at Glasgow, Kentucky on September 13th.

October 8, 1862 - Smith and Abner are with the 32nd Mississippi at the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. This is the Regiment's first major battle and their casualties are very high. The 32nd Mississippi is with the Army of Mississippi. Smith and Abner share in the hardship nd disaster of the retreat afterwards to Middle Tennessee. The Army of Mississippi is depleted by battle casualties, disease, desertions and straggling. They march over 200 miles on bad roads in terrible winter weather. Their clothing and shoes are tattered. Rations are limited or nonexistent and the whole retreat is made worse by a severe snowfall.

December 26, 1862 - Smith and the 32nd Mississippi are stationed at Triune, Tennessee (4 miles north of College Grove) on the Nashville & Shelbyville Turnpike. Abner Scroggins is still assigned to the hospital as a cook.

December 29, 1862 - Smith & Abner Scroggins' regiment rejoins General Patrick R. Cleburne's Division on Stones River, after conducting a delaying action against General Rosecran's Yankee army.

December 31, 1862 - Smith is with the 32nd Mississippi Regiment at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This is during the Battle of Murfreesboro, but the Regiment is not involved in the battle, as they are assigned to guard the railroad line between Normandie Station and New Fosterville. General Breckinridge is ordered to send a regiment of not less than 250 men to relive them, but no one relieves them before the battle ends. Abner Scroggins is still assigned as a cook.

January 3, 1863 - Smith, with the 32nd Mississippi Regiment and the Army of Tennessee, retreats to Tullahoma, Tennessee. The Army goes into winter quarters here. Abner Scroggins is still assigned to the hospital as a cook in Winchester, Tennessee.

April 23, 1863 - Smith moves with the 32nd Mississippi Regiment to Wartrace, Tennessee to guard the mountain passes at Liberty Pass and Bell Buckle Pass. Abner remains with the Johnson Hospital at Tullahoma.

June 27, 1863 - Smith falls back, with the 32nd Mississippi, to Tullahoma in a hard rain. The troops have a very hard retreat due to the deep mud.

July 3, 1863 - Smith and Abner, with the 32nd Mississippi Regiment and the Army of Tennessee, march through the Cumberland Mountains. On July 6th and 7th, they march through Jasper, Tennessee and cross the Tennessee River on pontoon bridges arriving at Tyner's Station on July 10th.

August 2, 1863 - Smith is ordered, with the 32nd Mississippi, to Blythe's Ferry to guard the crossing there. This was 30 miles northeast of Chattanooga, where the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers meet.

September 6, 1863 - Smith, with the 32nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment, goes back to Chattanooga. The next evening, they lead the Army of Tennessee southeast down the LaFayette Road, up Missionary Ridge and through Rossville Gap. Seven and a half miles past Rossville Gap, they camp for the night on Chickamauga Creek at Lee & Gordon's Mills. On the morning of September 8th, they march 14 more miles to LaFayette, Georgia.

September 9, 1863 - Smith is ordered, with General S.A.M. Wood's Brigade, to hold Dug Gap in Pigeon Mountain. On September 10th, Wood's Brigade skirmishes with Yankee troops from Hindman's Division.

September 11, 1863 - Smith and the other soldiers of Wood's Brigade, remove the wooden obstacle in Dug Gap at 1:30 in the morning. It takes 3 hours and they have it removed before daylight. They advance in line of battle on Hindman's Division, but are halted by General Bragg. The Yankee arm is allowed to retreat behind their defenses at Steven's Gap. Cleburne's Division remains on Pigeon Mountain guarding the gaps until September 18th, when they are ordered to Dr. Anderson's house (4 miles southeast of Lee & Gordon's Mills) where they go into line of battle.

September 19, 1863 - General Patrick Cleburne's Division, with the 32nd Mississippi and Smith Scroggins, marches west across Chickamauga Creek at Thedford's Ford. This is the Battle of Chickamauga. They go into battle in a field on the Winfrey farm, west of Jay's steam mill at dusk. The fighting is very confused in the predusk twilight and ends after full dark. They spend a miserable night with wet clothes on one of the coldest nights of the year. Their uniforms had gotten wet fording the armpit deep water of Chickamauga Creek. Due to the close proximity of the enemy, no campfires are allowed. Abner is detailed with Cleburne's Division Hospital near Alexander's Bridge as a cook.

***September 20, 1863 - Smith Scroggins, Jr. is with the 32nd Mississippi when it is ordered into battle at 9:45 a.m. The battle is on tope of a ridge along the edge of a field, belonging to the Poe family, on the LaFayette Road. The Regiment immediately loses 25% of their men to very intense Union musket and artillery fire. Their losses are 25 killed and 141 wounded. 19 of those dead are found grouped around the Regimental Colors. They hold the ridge for one and a half hours before being ordered to fall back. After falling back, Colonel Lowrey tells Company A that their Major F. C. Karr still lies mortally wounded at the top of the ridge. Colonel Lowrey asks the men of Company A if they are going to leave their Major on the field. Eight Company A soldiers go back to the top of the ridge to attempt to bring Major Karr off the filed. They are immediately hit with the same intense musket and artillery fire as before. All eight are killed or wounded. Another attempt is made to remove Major Karr and more Company A men are wounded, but they finally succeed in removing Major Karr from the field. Major Karr later dies in the field hospital. Smith Scroggins is among the fatally wounded, receiving multiple gunshot wounds. He is taken to Cleburne's Division Field Hospital near Alexander's Bridge, where Abner Scroggins is still on duty as a cook.

October 8, 1863 - Smith Scroggins, Jr. dies of his wounds at Cleburne's Division Hospital near Ringgold, Georgia. Abner Scroggins, his brother, is with him when he dies and takes Smith's final statement. Smith's personal effects are turned over to Abner. Smith's comrades in Company A, later elect him posthumously to the Confederate Roll of Honor for his actions during the battle. This is a very prestigious award, as only a little over 2,000 men were placed on the Confederate Roll of Honor during the entire Civil War. This Roll of Honor is the equivalent of the modern day Medal of Honor, a very elite award. Smith might have been one of the men attempting to keep the Regimental Colors flying during the battle, or more likely, one of the men attempting to remove the wounded Major F. C. Karr from the battlefield.
He is buried in the Marietta Confederate Cemetery


32nd Regiment, Mississippi Infantry

32nd Infantry Regiment was assembled at Iuka and mustered into Confederate service at Philadelphia, Mississippi, during the summer of 1862. Its members were recruited in Tishomingo, Lee, Prentiss, and Alcorn counties. The unit was assigned to General S.A.M. Wood's and Lowrey's Brigade and participated in the difficult campaigns of the Army of Tennessee from Chickamauga to Atlanta, was with Hood in Tennessee, and saw action in North Carolina. During the Murfreesboro Campaign this unit was detailed to guard the stations and bridges on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. For a time the regiment was consolidated with the 45th Regiment and in the fight at Chickamauga lost 25 killed and 141 wounded and at Tunnell Hill reported 18 casualties. In December the 32nd/45th totalled 515 men and 387 arms. At the Battle of Atlanta the 32nd had 18 killed, 45 wounded, and 23 missing. Only a remnant surrendered in April, 1865. The field officers were Colonels Mark P. Lowrey and William H.H. Tison, and Majors F.C. Karr and J.W. Swinney.







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