15th Alabama Infantry Regiment
The 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment was a Confederate volunteer infantry unit from the state of Alabama during the American Civil War. Recruited from six counties in the southeastern part of the state, it fought mostly with Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, though it also saw brief service with Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee in late 1863 before returning to Virginia in early 1864 for the duration of the war. Out of 1,958 men listed on the regimental rolls throughout the conflict, 261 are known to have fallen in battle, with sources listing an additional 416 deaths due to disease. 218 were captured (46 died), 66 deserted and 61 were transferred or discharged. By the end of the war, only 170 men remained to be paroled.
| 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Flag of Alabama in 1861 (obverse and reverse) | |
| Active | July 3, 1861 – April 9, 1865 |
| Country | Confederate States of America |
| Branch | Confederate States Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Equipment | Mississippi Rifles (Co's A-B); altered smooth-bore "George Law" muskets (Co's C-L). Later issued Enfield and Springfield rifle-muskets. |
| Engagements | Valley Campaign Malvern Hill Second Manassas Antietam Fredericksburg Gettysburg Chickamauga Knoxville Campaign The Wilderness Spotsylvania Court House Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg Appomattox Campaign |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | James Cantey William C. Oates Alexander Lowther Francis Key Schaff Robert C. Norris |
The 15th Alabama is most famous for being the regiment that confronted the 20th Maine on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. after several ferocious assaults, the 15th Alabama was ultimately able to dislodge the Union troops, but was eventually forced to retreat in the face of a desperate bayonet charge led by the 20th Maine's commander, Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain. This assault was recreated in Ronald F. Maxwell's 1993 film Gettysburg.