Bristor Brown Gayle

Of Morgan County, Alabama, he was commissioned Captain, Company H, 12th Alabama Infantry, on the initial organization of the regiment, date not given. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at Yorktown, VA and to Colonel and command of the 12th Alabama on the death of Colonel Robert T. Jones in action at Seven Pines, VA on 31 May 1862.

Col Gayle was killed while in command of his Regiment at Turner's Gap during the defense of that pass on September 14:

... the fight at close quarters was resumed, and again accompanied by the enemy throwing their, by this time apparently interminable right around toward my rear. In this position the Sixth Alabama and the Twelfth suffered pretty severely. The latter, together with the remainder of the Third Alabama, which had been well handled by Colonel [C. A.] Battle, was forced to retire, and in so doing lost heavily. Its colonel (Gayle) [B. B.] was seen to fall, and its lieutenant-colonel [Samuel B.] (Pickens) was shot through the lungs; the former was left on the field, supposed to be dead; Pickens was brought off ...

The enemy pushed forward ... and soon came upon Colonel Gayle and the rear support. He was ordered to surrender, but, drawing his pistol and firing in their faces, he exclaimed: 'We are flanked, boys, but let's die in our tracks,' and continued to fire until he was literally riddled by bullets, and surrendered up his pure, brave young spirit to the God who gave it.

Service from the Alabama Civil War Service Database. 1 Personal details from family genealogists. The first quote above from Brigadier General Rodes' Report; the second from Park's narrative in the SHSP. He was reinterred from Maryland to Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth, VA in 1867.

04/19/1839; Suffolk, VA

09/14/1862; Turner's Gap, MD; burial in Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, AL