The original 8^th Tennessee was organized, for the most part, in Lincoln Co. in May 1861. The original 16^th Tennessee was made up of men mostly from Warren Co. and were mustered into Confederate service in April 1861. The regiments were sent to training camp at Camp Trousdale, where a relationship began that lasted the whole war.

The regiments were sent to western Virginia and served under Lee in his unsuccessful campaign there. Their first action was at Cheat Mountain in September of 1861. They were then assigned to Port Royal, South Carolina in December 1861, and were involved in some skirmishing there. The regiments were transferred to Corinth, Mississippi just after Shiloh in April 1862.

At Perryville, KY, in October of 1862, the 16^th took 199 casualties. And both regiments captured Federal cannons.

Perhaps the defining moment of the 8th Tennessee occurred during the battle of Murfreesboro(Stone's River) on December 31, 1862. As the battle rolled from the Confederate left to right, the 8th went in under the command of Colonel William L. Moore. The 8th overran the 19th U.S. Regulars, inflicting 400 causalities on the elite Union Troops, capturing 1,000 more and eleven pieces of artillery. The cost was heavy, though. Moore was dead, and the 8th had lost 41 killed and 265 wounded out of 444 engaged, a loss of more than 68%. This percentage was the fifth highest loss incurred in a single battle by a Confederate regiment. It is important to note that not a single man was reported missing.

At Chickamauga on Sept. 20, 1863, the regiments were part of the breakthrough that cut the Union army into.

Following hard service in the Atlanta campaign, the regiments were with John Bell Hood's ill-fated offensive into Middle Tennessee. At Franklin, on November 30, 1864, they joined the suicidal charge against entrenched, cannon studded Union lines and penetrated the position just west of the Columbia Pike, near the Carter House. The Army of Tennessee effectively died at Franklin. The regiments retreated with the army to Alabama, then embarked to North Carolina, joining up with General Joe Johnston's last stand. They surrendered and were paroled at Greensboro eighteen days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox.