This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/xhC.2ACE/741.1 Message Board Post: Obviously this man's parents were great admirers of the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. If you've seen "The Patriot", Mel Gibson plays the role of Francis Marion in this film. You asked about the 9th Alabama Battalion. It organized at Newbern Ala. in the winter of 1861-62 under Lt.Col. Robert P. Blount. Orders issued February 13, 1862, directed Blount to take his battalion to Decatur, Ala. From there it went to Corinth, Miss., but was not involved in the Battle of Shiloh. After the battle, General Bragg ordered Blount's Battalion to be disbanded. Despite a petition by Blount and his officers protesting the order, on April 28, 1862, most officers were relieved of their commissions and the rest scattered with the enlisted men among companies of the 17th and 18th Alabama Infantry Regiments. The battalion (which members usually called the 5th Alabama Battalion) went out of existence for a time. Meanwhile the War Department received Lt.Col. Blount's application to have staff officers appointed for his command. Another Alabama unit had already been designated the "5th Battalion", so the War Department gave Blount the next available number: the 9th Alabama Battalion. Eventually the authorities in Richmond learned what General Bragg had done and reversed his action. By order of the War Department, the 9th Alabama Infantry Battalion reorganized at Mobile, Alabama, on March 2, 1863. Members reassembled from the 17th and 18th Alabama Infantry Regiments and reformed in their original companies. I apologize for the long story. The experience of these men -- being disbanded, reassigned, then reformed in their original companies -- was unique among Alabama Confederate commands. I've summarized the story was told by John Washington Inzer in his book mentioned in my other post. For your purposes, it means that your ancestor's name could be recorded in several places. If he's not recorded with the 9th Ala. Battalion & 58th Ala. Regt., he might be on roll with either the 17th or 18th Ala. It's also possible that a roll constructed from memory by a veteran of your ancestor's command might be among the 58th Alabama files in Montgomery. Keep in mind that the pension boards didn't award payments to applicants without some kind of proof. However, they knew that many records had been lost or destroyed. If your ancestor's name didn't appear in the records, he had to secure affidavits from other veterans to certify his service. Check for these in the pension application. You might also check the 1907 census of Alabama to see if your ancestor's name appears there. I would also look to see if anyone mentioned his name in Confederate Veteran magazine. Of course the name "Harris" is fairly common, so we have to be careful to check the first name and/or initials. Did he sign his name "G. M." or "G. Marion"? Or was he "Francis Marion"/"F. M."/"Marion"/"Frank"?