"The "Provisional" Designation in CSA Armies" Topic

I was looking at an OB from Gettysburg and saw in Archer's brigade of Hill's Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia a regiment listed as the 1st (Turney's)Tennessee(Provisional)Regiment….Can someone inform me what the term "provisional" means as used in this context? Thanks!

The original designation (Confederate Congress, February 1861) was that "provisional" units were those that were formed for the immediate emergency and had a state designation (e.g. 1st Louisiana Infantry) rather than the regular army of the Confederate States, which was intended to replace the provisional army (now there's a plan that did not exactly work out)

By 1863 I think the Confederates had worked out that the "provisional" army was about the only one they would have for the immediate term – however if you look at the records of the 1st Tennessee there are times in 1862 when it is referred to as "1st Tennessee Regiment, Provisional Army, CSA" – they were actually formed, as I recall, in June of 1861

So – I think this use of "provisional" is a hand-over from the original Confederate regimental designations

Your best answer is to read the article here in its entirety:

link

However, here is the quick and dirty bit: You really SHOULD read the whole thing, however, to get a feel for how things were intended to work.

The Confederate Congress provided for a Confederate Army patterned after the United States Army. It was to consist of a large provisional force to exist only in time of war and a small permanent regular army. The provisional, volunteer army was established by an act of the Confederate Congress passed February 28, 1861, one week before the act which established the permanent regular army organization, passed March 6, 1861. Although the two forces were to exist concurrently, very little was done to organize the Confederate regular army.

The Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS) was authorized by the Provisional Confederate Congress on February 28, 1861, and began organizing on April 27. Virtually all regular, volunteer, and conscripted men preferred to enter this organization since officers could achieve a higher rank in the Provisional Army than they could in the Regular Army. If the war had ended successfully for them, the Confederates intended that the PACS would be disbanded, leaving only the ACSA.[2]

The Army of the Confederate States of America (ACSA) was the regular army, provided for by Act of Confederate Congress on March 6, 1861. It was authorized to include 15,015 men, including 744 officers, but this level was never achieved. The men serving in the highest rank as Confederate States Generals, such as Samuel Cooper and Robert E. Lee, were enrolled in the ACSA to ensure that they outranked all militia officers.[2] ACSA ultimately existed only on paper. The organization of the ACSA did not proceed beyond the appointment and confirmation of some officers. Three state regiments were later denominated "Confederate" regiments but this appears to have had no practical effect on the organization of a regular Confederate army and no real effect on the regiments themselves.

Members of all the Confederate States military forces, to include the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps were often referred to as "Confederates", and members of the Confederate States Army were referred to as "Confederate soldiers". Supplementing the Confederate States Army were the various state militias of the Confederate States:

Confederate States State Militias were organized and commanded by the state governments, similar to those authorized by the United States Militia Act of 1792.

There are certain oddities in the units that fought for the Confederacy which probably reflects how and under what authority they were raised, but which may have had some residual distinctions even after the units were accepted into the PACS. Before it joined the Confederacy Tennessee created a provisional army. Later many of the units raised for this force and then serving in the west were renumbered, perhaps to avoid confusion with Tennessee Volunteer units of the same number serving in the same theatre. In the case of Tennessee units in Archer's Brigade this renumbering may not have been necessary because there were no other units from Tennessee with the same numbers serving in the ANV.

Awesome information, Gents: Thank You!