Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/475

year 1833, and was the son of Judge Tracy, a native of Connecticut, who came to Georgia and married a sister of Judge Campbell, of Mobile. Edward received an excellent education, and practiced law in Macon for two or three years. In 1858 or 1859 he settled in Huntsville, Ala., and entered into partnership with Hon. D. C. Humphreys. In the presidential election of 1860 he was an alternate elector for the State at large, on the Breckinridge ticket, and stumped the northern counties, making a brilliant reputation. When it became evident that secession was going to lead to war, a company, composed of young men from the best families of Madison county, was formed at Huntsville, and he was chosen captain. He accepted, and his company became a part of the glorious Fourth Alabama infantry. When the Twelfth Alabama infantry was organized he was appointed its major, but did not accept. He remained with the Fourth, and at First Manassas made a fine reputation for steady courage and intrepidity. He soon after became major of the Fourth (July 17, 1861), and on the 12th of October, 1861, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Nineteenth Alabama, Col. Joe Wheeler's regiment. In the great battle of Shiloh, so full of glorious memories to the soldiers of the South, and yet so disappointing in its results, he led the Nineteenth, amid the hottest fire, and had a horse killed under him. Going to east Tennessee, with McCown's division, he soon attracted the attention of Gen. E. Kirby Smith, who wrote, July 22d, "Should any new appointments be made for this command, I would recommend Lieut.-Col. Edward D. Tracy. Upright, intelligent and accomplished, Colonel Tracy, by his services at Manassas and Shiloh, has attested his soldierly qualities." The Alabama regiments in the various brigades of Smith's army were collected in a brigade, and he was put in command and commissioned brigadier-general, August, 1862. The regiments under his leadership were the Twentieth, Twenty-third, Thirtieth, Thirty-first and Forty-sixth, and under him