Tyree H. Bell
Encyclopedia
Tyree H. Bell often referred to by his full name, Tyree Harris Bell, was a Confederate States Army
brigadier general during the American Civil War
. He commanded a regiment of infantry in 1861 and most of 1862. He became a cavalry commander under Major General, later Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest
and fought with Forrest in several raids and battles during the last two years of the war. After the Civil War, he was a successful farmer in Fresno County, California
.
. He grew up on his father's small plantation at Gallatin, Tennessee
. He was educated in rural schools. Bell became a planter on his own plantation in Sumner County, Tennessee
.
. He was elected its captain, June 4, 1861. He soon became lieutenant colonel
of the regiment and commanded it at the Battle of Belmont
and the Battle of Shiloh
, where he was wounded in the leg by the fall of his horse, one of two shot from under him during the battle. He was promoted to colonel in May 1862, continuing as colonel of the consolidated 12th Tennessee Infantry and 22nd Tennessee Infantry on June 17, 1862. Bell led the regiment in the Confederate invasion of Kentucky and the Battle of Richmond, and operations around Corinth, Mississippi
.
After this service, Bell's consolidated regiment was further merged with the 47th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment on October 30, 1862 and Bell became an extra officer. In Spring, 1863, Colonel Bell was given a cavalry command under Major General, later Lieutenant General, Nathan Bedford Forrest
. Bell's regiment threatened the Union rear at the Battle of Perryville
and menaced the Union flank and rear at the Battle of Stones River
. In January 1864, Forrest gave Bell command of an independent brigade. Soon thereafter, in February 1864, Bell began command of a brigade in Brigadier General Abraham Buford's
division of Forrest's Cavalry Corps. Bell led the brigade for the rest of the war, receiving consistent praise. He and his brigade fought in the Battle of Fort Pillow
, the Battle of Brice's Crossroads
, the Battle of Tupelo
and against Union Brigadier General
Andrew J. Smith's force in Mississippi in August 1864 after the Battle of Tupelo. Bell was wounded in the chest, back and face at Pulaski, Tennessee
on September 27, 1864.
Tyree H. Bell was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
on February 28, 1865. At the end of the war, he participated in the defense of Georgia and Alabama against Union Brigadier General James H. Wilson's
1865 raid. and the Battle of Selma
, Alabama. After surrendering with the rest of Forrest's troops on May 9, 1865, Bell was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama
on May 10, 1865.
Tyree H. Bell died at New Orleans, Louisiana
, March 11, 1898, while returning from a visit to his old home in Gallatin, Tennessee and a Confederate veteran reunion. He is buried in Bethel Cemetery, near Sanger, California
.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
brigadier general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He commanded a regiment of infantry in 1861 and most of 1862. He became a cavalry commander under Major General, later Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
and fought with Forrest in several raids and battles during the last two years of the war. After the Civil War, he was a successful farmer in Fresno County, California
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
.
Early life
Tyree H. Bell was born on September 5, 1815 in Covington, KentuckyCovington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
. He grew up on his father's small plantation at Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
. He was educated in rural schools. Bell became a planter on his own plantation in Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
.
American Civil War
When the American Civil War started, Bell raised a company of infantry, Company G (later A) for the 12th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States ArmyConfederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. He was elected its captain, June 4, 1861. He soon became lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the regiment and commanded it at the Battle of Belmont
Battle of Belmont
The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861, in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S...
and the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, where he was wounded in the leg by the fall of his horse, one of two shot from under him during the battle. He was promoted to colonel in May 1862, continuing as colonel of the consolidated 12th Tennessee Infantry and 22nd Tennessee Infantry on June 17, 1862. Bell led the regiment in the Confederate invasion of Kentucky and the Battle of Richmond, and operations around Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...
.
After this service, Bell's consolidated regiment was further merged with the 47th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment on October 30, 1862 and Bell became an extra officer. In Spring, 1863, Colonel Bell was given a cavalry command under Major General, later Lieutenant General, Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
. Bell's regiment threatened the Union rear at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
and menaced the Union flank and rear at the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
. In January 1864, Forrest gave Bell command of an independent brigade. Soon thereafter, in February 1864, Bell began command of a brigade in Brigadier General Abraham Buford's
Abraham Buford II
Brigadier General Abraham "Abe" Buford II was a soldier and Thoroughbred horse breeder. Born in Woodford County, Kentucky, his origins were a Huguenot family named Beaufort who fled persecution in France and settled in England before emigrating to America in 1635.Abraham Buford was the son of...
division of Forrest's Cavalry Corps. Bell led the brigade for the rest of the war, receiving consistent praise. He and his brigade fought in the Battle of Fort Pillow
Battle of Fort Pillow
The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. The battle ended with a massacre of surrendered Federal black troops by soldiers under the command of...
, the Battle of Brice's Crossroads
Battle of Brice's Crossroads
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads was fought on June 10, 1864, near Baldwyn in Lee County, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. It pitted a 4,787-man contingent led by Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest against an 8,100-strong Union force led by Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis...
, the Battle of Tupelo
Battle of Tupelo
The Battle of Tupelo was a Union victory over Confederate forces in northern Mississippi which ensured the safety of General William T. Sherman's supply lines.-Background:...
and against Union Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Andrew J. Smith's force in Mississippi in August 1864 after the Battle of Tupelo. Bell was wounded in the chest, back and face at Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
on September 27, 1864.
Tyree H. Bell was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
on February 28, 1865. At the end of the war, he participated in the defense of Georgia and Alabama against Union Brigadier General James H. Wilson's
James H. Wilson
James Harrison Wilson was a United States Army topographic engineer, a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author.-Early life and engineering:...
1865 raid. and the Battle of Selma
Battle of Selma
The Battle of Selma was a military engagement near the end of the American Civil War. It was fought in Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865. Union Army forces under Major General James H...
, Alabama. After surrendering with the rest of Forrest's troops on May 9, 1865, Bell was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville is a town in Sumter County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 220.-Geography:Gainesville is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
on May 10, 1865.
Aftermath
Ten years after the end of the war, Bell moved to Fresno County, California where he became a successful farmer and participated in civic affairs.Tyree H. Bell died at New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, March 11, 1898, while returning from a visit to his old home in Gallatin, Tennessee and a Confederate veteran reunion. He is buried in Bethel Cemetery, near Sanger, California
Sanger, California
Sanger is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 24,270 at the 2010 census, up from 18,731 at the 2000 census. Sanger is located east-southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 371 feet .- Geography :...
.