Pvt. William G. Bryant 20th Tennessee Infantry The tintype of Bryant in his gray frock coat and cap is unique not only because of the documentation of his name and unit, but also for the drum with which he posed. The folk art painting on the side of the rope tension snare drum has a patriotic Confederate motif and shows three Confederate first national flags surrounding a shield with the red, white and blue national colors. After entering Confederate service, Private Bryant and his regiment were assigned to the command of General Felix K. Zollicoffer, and they participated in the Battle of Fishing Creek, also known as Mill Springs, Kentucky on January 19, 1862. General Zollicoffer was killed in action and the 20th Tennessee sustained 110 casualties. The following month, the regiment was placed in Colonel W.S. Statham's Brigade, with which they withdrew from Kentucky to join General A.S. Johnston's Army at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They then proceeded to Iuka, Mississippi. On April 6—7, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, the 20th Tennessee served in General John C. Breckinridge's Division. Out of 400 men from the regiment who fought at Shiloh, 187 were killed or wounded. Standing in front of their regiments near the color guard, drummers and fifers were particularly exposed to enemy fire. As he stood in line of battle playing his snare drum, Bryant was shot in his left arm, breaking several bones near the elbow. The regimental surgeon extracted the ball, but the Confederate drummer lost the use of his arm. On October 10, 1862, Bryant was discharged because of his wounds. After the war, he moved to Wilson County, Tennessee and renewed his farming occupation. Close