The Thirteenth was organized at Montgomery, July 19, 1861, and at once proceeeded to Virginia. Ordered to Yorktown, it was there brigaded under Gen. Rains. It lay at that place till the army fell back on Richmond the following spring. At Seven Pines the regiment was engaged warmly, and the casualties were 7 killed and 45 wounded. Held in reserve during the battles in front of Richmond, it was nevertheless subjected there to a destructive fire, from which it suffered severely. As part of Archer's brigade, under Colquitt of Georgia, the regiment took part in the first Maryland campaign, losing lightly at Boonsboro, but heavily at Sharpsburg. The winter was passed on the Rappahannock, and its monotony was relieved by the frightful repulse of Burnside at Fredericksburg, of which the Thirteenth was a witness; and where it suffered lightly. Col. Fry led the brigade in the assault on Hooker at Chancellorsville, and there the Thirteenth lost half of the 460 men with which it went into the battle. It was in the Pennsylvania campaign, and at Gettysburg its colors were planted on the crest of the ridge, where they were torn to shreds, and the regiment was again terribly mutilated. Retiring to Virginia, the Thirteenth passed the winter of 1863-4 mostly in camp. At the Wilderness the regiment actively participated, and the loss was comparatively heavy. It took part in the subsequent operations around Petersburg, being now in the brigade of Gen. Sanders of Greene. - the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth Alabama regiments - subsequently commanded by Gen. W.H. Forney of Calhoun. Under Col. Aiken the remnant of about 100 men surrendered at Appomattox. Of the 1245 men on its rolls, about 150 were killed in battle, or died of wounds, 275 died of disease, 64 were transferred, and 202 were discharged.
Colonels - B.D. Frey of Tallapoosa; wounded at Seven Pines and Sharpsburg, and wounded and captured at Gettysburg; promoted. James Aiken of Randolph.
Lieutenant Colonels - Julius C.B. Mitchell of Montgomery; resigned. Reginald H. Dawson of Wilcox; resigned. Wm. H. Betts of Macon; resigned. James Aiken; wounded at Chancellorsville and Bristow Station; promoted.
Majors - Samuel B. Marks of Montgomery; resigned. Wm H. Betts; promoted. James Aiken; promoted. John T. Smith of Randolph; killed at Chancellorsville; retired. L.P. Broughton of Butler; killed at Wilderness.
Wilcox - R.H. Dawson; elected lieutenant colonel. Jas. D. Clark; killed at Mechanicsville. Samuel Sellers.
Macon - Wm. H. Bettes; promoted. E.C. Chambers; wounded and captured at Gettysburg.
Coosa - Osceola Kyle; resigned. N.J. Taylor; died in the service. B.A. Bowen.
Randolph - James Aiken; promoted. A.S. Reeves; wounded at Sharpsburg.
Randolph - M.D. Robinson; wounded; retired. John D.H. Robinson; wounded and captured at Gettysburg.
Tallapoosa - S.T. Strickland; resigned. J.V. Ashurst; wounded at Chancellorsville; retired. James M. Simpson; wounded at Gettysburg.
Butler - John Glasgow; resigned. R.N. Cook; killed at second Cold Harbor.
Coosa - Ellis Logan; resigned. J.A. Allison.
Randolph - John T. Smith; promoted. L.D. Ford.