Enlistment Anniversaries

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard gave the order to open fire on Fort Sumter.  Thus began the war that pitted American against American and brought destruction to many of the southern states.

   This year we are remembering the 150^th anniversaries of the events of 1861 and how our country was torn apart during the next four years.  Divisions were created and wounds opened, some of which have yet to heal.  In 1964, when this boy from St. Louis, Missouri married a beautiful girl from south Mississippi her grandmother almost disowned her.  Her grandmother’s father-in-law was a Confederate veteran of the Army of Tennessee and had fought beginning in Shiloh and ending with his capture at Franklin.  The years have been kind to this Missouri boy and the only thing that is keeping him from being considered a “native Mississippian” is that my grandfather was not born or raised in Mississippi.  August and September mark the anniversary of the organization of two companies of Confederate soldiers In South Mississippi.

   On 1 August 1861, a group of men were organized and mustered into State Militia Service in Mississippi at the small coastal town of Shieldsboro (now known as Bay St. Louis, MS). John J. Bradford (a lawyer) and some of his friends had enlisted a group of men from the Gainesville, MS area in answer to Gov. Pettus’ call to arms following Fort Sumter.  The group was known as the “Gainesville Volunteers” and became Company G of the Third Regiment Mississippi Infantry. Originally stationed on the Mississippi Coast they would later see action at Vicksburg, Jackson, and Atlanta.

   On 17 September 1861 another group of men enlisted in Covington County, Mississippi to fight the expected invasion of their homeland.  They became known as the “Covington Rangers” under the leadership of Captain John T. Fairley.  Most of the men in this group were from Mt. Carmel, Jaynesville and the surrounding area of south Mississippi.  Mustered into State Service in Shieldsboro, MS they became Company I of the Seventh Regiment Mississippi Infantry.  Originally stationed on the Coast at Camp Clark with the Third Regiment they were ordered to Tennessee and fought at Shiloh with General Albert Sidney Johnston and General Beauregard.  Following Shiloh and Corinth the Seventh went with General Braxton Bragg and served with the Army of Tennessee until its surrender in April, 1865.

   Another confederate company of interest was also enlisted from the same general area as the Gaines Volunteers.  They became Company C, 38th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry.  Since they did not muster into service until March, 1862 we'll wait untill March, 2012 to discuss their enlistment anniversary. 

Carlos F. Alexander, private

Carlos F. Alexander:

Born 1842, Died 1920 in Poplarville, MS, Buried Juniper Grove Cemetery, Poplarville

Father: Francis (Francisco) Alexander
Mother: Anna Rester
Married 1^st: Mary Elizabeth Cooper 26 May 1864

Children:
·         Lemuel (1865 – 1942)
·         Jane (1867 -- )
·         Turner (1869 --)
·         Louisa Elizabeth (1871 – 1952)
·         Mazaline (1873 --)
·         George Rayburn (1875 -- )
·         James ? (1877 -- )
Married 2^nd: Elizabeth Jarrell 21 August 1889 (1900 census shows they had been married 11 years)

Civil War Record:
          Enlisted in Gainesville Volunteers at Shieldsboro in October 1861, Present on muster roll for July/August 1862; present October/November 1862; present January/February 1863; absent without leave since May 17 1863 on July/August 1863 return.
   May 17^th is the day after the Battle of Champion Hill (Baker’s Creek).  Several members of Company G are reported absent without leave since May 17^th. Many of those absent returned, however, some did not. Family tradition holds that Carlos was wounded and came home to Gainesville never to return.  Carlos may have been one of the 72 inside Vicksburg.  However, there is no record of his being paroled after the surrender of Vicksburg.  If he had been with the main body of the Third there should be additional muster roll records.  It is entirely possible, especially since he married Mary Cooper on 26 May 1864 (in Hancock County before the end of the war), that he just walked away from the war.

Gainesville Volunteers -- Expanded Information

Brief History of the Third Regiment Mississippi Infantry
Jerry Stough

   The nucleus of the Third Regiment was the Shieldsboro Rifles and the Gainesville Volunteers.  These two units reported in camp Clark at Shieldsboro in August, 1861.  The Third was mustered into Confederate service in October, 1861 and sent to reinforce General Leonidas Polk in Columbus, KY in November of 1861. Governor Pettus and others complained so strongly, that in January 1862 the Third was returned to the Coast.  The coast defenses at this time consisted of The Third Regiment, the Seventh Regiment, two batteries, and Captain Norman’s Cavalry.

   In late February, the Seventh Regiment was sent to Jackson, Tennessee to reinforce General P. T. G. Beauregard’s Army of Mississippi.  A grave mistake was made in coastal defense when the Third was split into two camps.  One camp was at Pass Christian with three companies and the other camp was at Handsboro with seven companies.  When General Butler landed about 1200 troops at Pass Christian on April 4, 1862, the three companies were easily over powered and retreated to Gainesville.  The seven companies at Handsboro also pulled back and marched overland to Gainesville.  I have been unable to determine if Company G was in camp at Handsboro or Pass Christian.

   Following the retreat to Gainesville, the Third returned to Pass Christian, then to New Orleans and by May 1862 were in Camp Moore in Tangipahoa, LA.  On May 29, 1862 the regiment was ordered to Vicksburg to reinforce Gen. M. L. Smith.  They were on picket duty during Admiral Farragut’s bombardment in May, June and July 1862.  They served in fortifying Sugar Loaf Hill and picket duty along the river front until ordered to Snyder’s Mill in December, 1862.

   The regiment operated on the Rolling Fork and Sunflower against Federal expeditions in March and on March 28 the Third went to Fort Pemberton, at the junction of the Tallahatchie and Yazoo.  The Federals were attempting to open a pathway through the Yazoo Pass into the Tallahatchie and then the Yazoo in an attempt to reach Vicksburg from the Yazoo River.  They were stopped at Fort Pemberton.  For more information on this expedition see Michael B. Ballard’s Civil War In Mississippi.

   At the Battle of Baker’s Creek (also known as Champion Hill) the Third did a lot of marching in an attempt to get in position until they were ordered in the afternoon to cover the retreat to Edwards.  In their attempt to find a crossing of Baker Creek the regiment was again divided.  Some of the men retreated to the fortifications of Vicksburg (about 72 men) and the larger portion of the regiment not finding a guide to the crossing turned back toward Crystal Springs and Jackson.  This group joined Joseph E. Johnston’s troops who were in Jackson rather than Vicksburg.  As part of General Johnston’s troops they confronted General Sherman’s Meridian Campaign.

   Transferring in the spring of 1864 to Alabama, the Third took part in the Atlanta Campaign against William T. Sherman’s army.  They were engaged at Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, and Peachtree Creek.  Following the fall of Atlanta, Hood’s army pulled back to Dalton, GA and to Gadsden, Alabama.  In November, 1864 the Third marched to Columbia, on to Spring Hill and then to Franklin, Tennessee where the Confederates were soundly defeated.  Defeated at Nashville, the entire army pulled back to Brentwood, then crossed the Duck River and the Tennessee River reaching Tupelo January 8, 1865.

   Ordered to the Carolinas to reinforce General Johnston, they participated in the battles of Kinston and Bentonville in March. Hostilities were suspended April 18, and the army was surrendered, near Durham Station, April 26.  

David Warden Stockstill (4 Oct 1830-21 Aug 1913) was the son of Thomas Jeremiah Stockstill and Harriet Virginia Warden and the husband of Talitha Margaret Mitchell, a daughter of Lavina West and John M. Mitchell Jr. He was a 1st Lt in the 3rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment Co. G (Gainesville Volunteers) and he is buried in the New Palestine Baptist Church Cemetery, Picayune. David Stockstill resigned his commission in October 1862 citing ill health. (Photo courtesy Mark Clinton Davis)

Rutilius Calvert Mitchell, born 30 October 1830, died 1906, buried in Red Hill Cemetery, Nicholson, MS.  Enlisted in the Gainesville Volunteers, July 17, 1861 and remained with Third Regiment Mississippi Infantry throughout the war.  Surrendered with General Taylor at Citronelle, Alabama on 4 May 1865 and paroled 18 May 1865 at Grenada, MS.  Following the war he returned to Hancock County Mississippi and lived in the surrounding area, including for a time in "Honey Island Swamp," until his death in 1906.

I learned a bit of trivia today from the Gainesville Volunteers Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. You will notice that the top of the tombstone is pointed.  The reason, I was told, is to keep Yankees from sitting on the tombstone. 

Pvt. Ben F. "Babe" Bennett, CSA

Benjamin Franklin (Babe) Bennett, PVT Co. G 3rd MS Infantry CSA 1835-1897. Bennett was the son of Pryor Bennett and Nancy Evans and the husband of Mary Jane Mitchell, a daughter of Lavina West and John M. Mitchell Jr. After her death he second married Rachel Alice Mayfield. His grave is in Cedar Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Nicholson. (Photo courtesy of Mark Clinton Davis)

1862 Train Wreck

   On February 27, 1862 a southbound lumber train collided with a northbound troop train carrying men of Col. Edmond J. Goode’s 7^th Mississippi Infantry on their way to Jackson, Tennessee to join Braxton Bragg and the Confederate Army in Tennessee.  The 7^th Mississippi had been serving with the 3^rd Mississippi* in the defense of the coast at Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian before being sent north. The lumber train was to move onto a siding as the northbound troop train approached. However, in the early morning fog, while most of the men were sleeping the wreck occurred. The first two wooden passenger cars were completely torn apart with the wooden splinters causing death to 22 members of the 7^th and wounding many others.  Another 6 men were mortally wounded and died in the hospitals where they were treated. Ten others were seriously wounded.

   Most of the dead and many of the wounded were members of the Dahlgren Rifles of Pike Co. and the Quitman Rifles of Franklin and Amite counties. A medical team from New Orleans along with volunteers from nearby Ponchatoula

provided assistance to the injured.
   After the tracks were cleared, the 7^th continued on to Tennessee where they were engaged at Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga, and other battles of the Civil War as part of the Army of Tennessee.
  
   Sgt. John L. Beavers of Company I was also injured in the wreck.  Sgt. Beavers suffered a compound fracture of the right leg and was transferred to a hospital in New Orleans.  Showing his commitment to the Confederacy, Sgt. Beavers rejoined his unit in January 1863.  The Seventh Mississippi was then a part of the Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg.
   However, Sgt. John L. Beavers was judged to be unable to serve in any capacity in the army and was discharged “by command of Genl. Bragg” in March 1863 as shown on the certificate of discharge.

   The fine print (actually the surgeon’s report) states that Sgt. Beavers was unable to stand for any length of time and it would be impossible for him to keep up with his infantry unit on a march.  Following his discharge, Sgt. Beavers returned to south Mississippi where he studied medicine and became a practicing physician in Wesson, Copiah County, Mississippi.  Dr. John L. Beavers died in 1916 and is buried in Wesson Cemetery, Copiah County, Mississippi.

Sources:
1.  Ponchatoula Newspaper reprint
2. Compiled Civil War Records
3. Mississippi Census and Burial records

Thomas Jackson Mitchell

Thomas Jackson "Dead Horse" Mitchell (19 Jul 1836-29 Nov 1917) was the son of Peter Mitchell and Ellen Kilmurry and the husband of Victoria Louraney Henley. He served in Company G of the 3rd Regiment of Mississippi Infantry. His notorious nickname derived from having hidden inside his dead horse when he was trapped on the field of battle as Union troops collected the wounded to be sent to prison camps. He is buried in Mitchell Cemetery, a private family cemetery on part of his original land grant in the Sones Chapel Community. (Photo courtesy Mark Clinton Davis)



Dead Horse

Fact or Fiction

   There are many strange and unusual stories from the Civil War, but one of the strangest to me is the battlefield story of the infantry private we’ll call T. J. This private was a foot soldier in Company G of the 3^rd Regiment Mississippi Infantry.  He saw conflict in the war from Snyder’s Mill near Vicksburg to Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.  Since there is no record of his surrender in Vicksburg, it is assumed that he was not one of the 72 3^rd Regiment members trapped in Vicksburg during the siege.

   The story goes that T. J. was riding a horse into combat and the horse was shot from under him.  When the horse fell, T. J. injured his foot and was trapped on the battlefield.  As the battle raged throughout the day, T. J. took what cover he could find.  As the day was drawing to a close it became evident that the Rebels were losing the field and began to retreat.

   As the Union soldiers moved across the field, doing whatever it is that victors do, T. J. sought a place to hide.  He cut the dead horse open and crawled inside.  When he emerged the next day from his bloody hiding place and made it back to his regiment, the first question asked had to have been, “How did you survive?”  The answer to that question gave T. J. a new name – “Dead Horse.”

   According to the muster rolls for Feb. through Aug., 1864, Dead Horse was absent on order from the regiment surgeon.  Since the August 1864 muster roll is the last one available, Dead Horse may or may not have returned to active duty.  The question arises as to the truth of the story.  Dead Horse was a foot soldier so why would he be riding a horse into combat?  But if he was, where did he get the horse?  Was the original owner shot out of the saddle?  If so, did Dead Horse just take advantage of the moment and grab the rider less horse?  Finally, could it be that Dead Horse was on extra duty with the cavalry?

   Whatever the truth of the situation, T. J. returned to south Mississippi following the war and lived to the ripe old age of 81 passing away on 29 November 1917.

Source: Davis, Mark C. “Dead Horse” Pearl River County Historical Reporter, Vol. 1, No. 5 (July 2008).

Covington Rangers

Covington Rangers

   Company I, “Covington Rangers,” 7^th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry were mustered into State service 11 August 1861 at Bay St. Louis, MS (Shieldsboro).  Along with 3^rd Regiment Mississippi Infantry, they were mustered into Confederate service on October 5, 1861 in Shieldsboro. Most of the members of this company enlisted at Mt. Carmel in Covington County, MS in April 1861.  They have also been known as “Covington Rifles” or Captain John T. Fairley’s Company.  Because of the large number of enlistees of Scottish descent in the company, it was sometimes called the “Scotch Company.”

   The 7^th Regiment and Company I was one of the most actively engaged units in the Western Theater of the Civil War.  They were with Bragg at Shiloh and Corinth, then became part of Bragg’s Army of Tennessee and fought in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, before finally surrendering in North Carolina in 1865.

   This company had a good record.  An analysis of some of the companies of the Seventh Mississippi in The Journal of Mississippi History concluded that the regiment was one of the best in the Confederate Army. There were a few loose cannons and deserters, but very few.

Hancock Rebels

Hancock Rebels

   As General A. S. Johnston and General P. G. T. Beauregard were preparing the troops in what Beauregard had named “The Army of The Mississippi” in Corinth, Mississippi for an assault on U. S. Grant’s position at Shiloh, Tennessee a group of south Mississippi farmers and family men were answering the call to arms.  Organized at old Hobolochitto a company of some 100 plus men were organized into what became known as the “Hancock Rebels.”  Sent to Grenada for training and then to Jackson, they were mustered into the Confederate Army as Company C, 38^th Mississippi Infantry.

   The Hancock Rebels were engaged in several battles and conflicts across the state.  Their first taste of battle was at Corinth just before Beauregard pulled his famous night retreat from Corinth.  The only fight the “Rebels” were in outside the state of Mississippi was the battle of Sipsey’s Bridge, Alabama.

   In early 1864, the 38^th Regiment were given horses (the may have been mules) and had the honor of serving under General Nathan Bedford Forrest at the Battle of Harrisburg.

   The 38^th Mississippi Infantry (Mounted) was surrendered on May 14, 1865 at Brewersville, Alabama.  Twenty one of the 100 plus men who enlisted in the Hancock Rebels gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the Confederacy.

Historical Marker located at the Mississippi Welcome Center on Interstate 59 north, just south of Picayune, Mississippi.

Correction

The wrong photo was included with the Gainesville Volunteers post.  I have included the correct photo in this post.

Gainesville Volunteers

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard gave the order to open fire on Fort Sumter.  Thus began the war that pitted American against American and brought destruction to many of the southern states.

   In anticipation of this event, several southern states had begun to organize local militias for the defense of their region. In southern Mississippi two such groups were organized in the coastal region.  The “Biloxi Rifle Guard” was organized in Harrison County and the “Gainesville Volunteers” in Hancock County.  The “Gainesville Volunteers” were organized and commanded by Mexican War veteran, John B. Deason, a lawyer and general collecting agent.
   These two groups along with several others were mustered into Confederate service in October, 1861 as the 3^rd Regiment Mississippi Infantry.  They were giving the charge of coastal defense and set about learning to be soldiers. 
   Following the defeat in the battle (?) of Pass Christian the Third was transferred to Camp Moore in Louisiana and then to Jackson, Mississippi and on to the defense of Vicksburg.  They almost participated in several battles in an around Vicksburg.  It seems that if fighting broke out on the left of the line, the Third was on the far right or on the left when the fighting was on the right. During the battle of Champion Hill, the 3^rd never fired a shot.  Seventy-two members of the 3^rd were trapped in Vicksburg and were surrendered with the fall of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.  The remaining members of the 3^rd marched to Crystal Springs and then to Jackson and became attached to Joseph Johnston’s forces.
   Those from Vicksburg were paroled to camp at Enterprise and exchanged in December.    Some of the soldiers began the long walk from Enterprise to Gainesville never to return to the war.  There they hid from the Federals and at least one was arrested and imprisoned on Ship Island for aiding and abetting the Confederates.
   The remaining members of the Third were reorganized and joined in the battle for Atlanta.      

The Third was now a part of the Army of Tennessee under the command of General Hood. The Third took part in the battles of Franklin and Nashville before being sent to the Carolinas to reinforce Joe Johnston’s meager forces as the Confederacy came crashing down.

Historical marker located at the Mississippi Welcome Center on Interstate 10 east, near where the group was organized in 1860.

Introductory Comments

   The particular units of interest are Company G, “Gainesville Volunteers” of 3^rd Regiment, Mississippi Infantry; Company C, “Hancock Rebels” of the 38^th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry (mounted); and Company I, “Covington Rifles” 7^th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry.

   From time to time other units will be mentioned and written about.  For example, my wife’s great-grandfather served with Company I until his capture at the Battle of Franklin, however, his three brothers also served in the Civil War, but in different units.

   The 3^rd Regiment fought in and around Vicksburg and was surrendered on July 4, 1863.  They later reorganized and were involved in battles in northern Alabama, Georgia and Hood’s Tennessee campaign.

   The 38^th Regiment was involved in battles at Corinth (twice), Iuka, and were surrendered at the fall of Vicksburg.  In early 1864 the 38^th was reorganized and mounted serving in various locations in Mississippi until the end of the war.

   The 7^th Regiment gained more battle experience than they wanted at Shiloh and the siege of Corinth.  They were assigned to Bragg’s army and fought in Kentucky, across Tennessee, into northern Alabama and Georgia, back in Tennessee and finally surrendering in North Carolina in 1865.

   The 3^rd and 7^th Regiments were sworn into Confederate service together in Shieldsboro, Mississippi in October 1861.  The remnants’ of the two regiments were together again at the end of the conflict in 1865.