General W. B. Stokes 15th Tennessee Regiment, Federal Cavalry

Three of Stokes's regiments

Company A
J. H. Blackburn, captain

Company B
Shelah Waters, captain

Company K,
E. W. Bass, captain-were made up of DeKalb County men.

There were some resignations from this regiment in 1864, and a new regiment was formed by J. H. Blackburn. Colonel Stokes resigned March 10, 1865, but was breveted brigadier general by President Andrew Johnson.

Resignations from Stokes's original Regiment

The following captains were appointed some months after the regiment was organized:
W. O. Rickman, April 22, 1863
R. C. Couch, September 10, 1863
James Clift, March 26, 1864
H. N. T. Ship, July 1, 1864

W. P. Hough was made first lieutenant November 11, 1862
W. B. Pickering, adjutant, June 9, 1863
Second lieutenants: W. H. Nelson, August 6, 1863
Wingate T. Robinson, August 9, 1863
J. B. Raulston, September 10, 1863
W. G. Davis, July 10, 1864
E. H. Gowen, December 14, 1864
C. W. Stewart, regimental quartermaster, February 8, 1865

Later appointments of second lieutenants were:
Elisha P. Reynolds, January 23, 1863
John B. Turner, August 9, 1863
J. W. Mallard, November 4, 1863
Henry H. Morris, January 1, 1864
H. M. Marshall, February 28, 1864
John J. White, July 10, 1864
J. W. Bryan, February 7, 1865
G. B. Johnson, February 22, 1865

General Stokes was born in Chatham County, N. C, September 9, 1814, and died at Alexandria, Tenn., March 20, 1897. As shown in the sketch of Temperance Hall, his widowed mother located on her husband's land near that village, where she remained until her death, in 1853. This section was attached to DeKalb County in 1850, so that the county claims William B., Jordan, and Thomas Stokes among its pioneer citizens. In 1832 General Stokes married Paralee, daughter of Col. Abraham Overall. Farming for several years, he began his political career in 1849 as Representative of DeKalb County. He was twice elected to the House and twice to the Senate, and, defeating John A. Savage for Congress in 1859, was reelected. He served in Congress two years after the war, and he was the nominee of his party for the governorship in 1870.

Until 1868 he resided three miles north of Liberty, when he removed to Alexandria, where he devoted himself to the practice of law.

In the memoranda of the volume by Adjutant General J. B. Brownlow giving the rolls of Tennessee Federals for 1861-65 it is said of Stokes's Regiment that it was in the routing of Colonels Bennett and Ward on the Dickerson Pike in September, 1862; in the defeat of Colonel Dibrell, driving him out of Neely's Bend, in October, 1862; in the battle with Forrest on the Franklin Pike, and drove him from the field at Lavergne. It was in numerous skirmishes around Nashville and on Big Harpeth in the same year; fought at Triune December 27, 1862, and was in the battle of Murfreesboro from first to last; a part, under Colonel Murphey, was at Bradyville; and, under Colonel Blackburn, a part was in the battle of Milton and in numerous engagements around Liberty and Snow's Hill. The muster rolls of his three DeKalb County companies are given below:

DeKalb County | Tennessee