2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated) | |
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Active | October 6, 1863 to April 9, 1865 |
Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
Branch | Confederate States Army |
Type | Infantry |
Size | 560 (May 1864) |
Engagements | American Civil War |
The 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated) was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on October 6, 1863, when the 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment and the 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment were consolidated. The regiment first saw major action in the 1864 Atlanta campaign, fighting in the battles of Kennesaw Mountain and Peachtree Creek, the Siege of Atlanta, and several smaller actions. After the Confederates retreated from Atlanta, the regiment was part of a force that made an unsuccessful attack against a Union garrison during the Battle of Allatoona on October 5. The regiment then followed General John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee into Tennessee, where it charged the Union works at the Battle of Franklin on November 30. At Franklin, the regiment suffered over 60 percent casualties, including the loss of many company commanders. After Franklin, the regiment was detached from the rest of the army to build fortifications, missing the Battle of Nashville. In March 1865, the regiment was transferred to Mobile, Alabama. On April 9, 1865, the regiment was captured at the Battle of Fort Blakeley; the survivors of the regiment were paroled at Jackson, Mississippi in May after the Army of Tennessee surrendered.
The 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment and 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment had suffered heavy losses in the early stages of the American Civil War. The two regiments had been captured when the Confederate States Army surrendered Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863. After the men of the two regiments were paroled and officially exchanged, the units were consolidated on October 6, 1863, forming a new regiment known as the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated). Colonel Peter C. Flournoy, formerly of the 2nd Missouri Infantry, commanded the new regiment. Thomas M. Carter was the consolidated unit's first lieutenant colonel, and William F. Carter was the first major. [1] As of the consolidation date, the regiment contained ten companies. Companies A, E–G, and I contained men from the 2nd Missouri Infantry and Companies B–D, H, and K contained men from the 6th Missouri Infantry. [2]
After the consolidation, the regiment was stationed at Demopolis, Alabama, where it was issued new uniforms and weapons. The 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry, along with the rest of the First Missouri Brigade, transferred to Meridian, Mississippi on October 19, 1863. In January 1864, the brigade returned to Alabama, but was sent back to Meridian on February 5 due to the threat posed by the Union forces of Major General William T. Sherman. Later, the unit was sent back to Alabama, where it remained until the start of the Atlanta campaign in May. At the beginning of the Atlanta campaign, the regiment mustered 560 men, making it the largest unit in its brigade. [3]
On June 18, the First Missouri Brigade was engaged in a small action in the vicinity of the Lattimer House. After this action, the brigade then fell back to Kennesaw Mountain. [4] On June 27, the First Missouri Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Francis M. Cockrell, defended a portion of the Confederate line at a point known as Pigeon Hill. [5] Union skirmishers hit the Confederate line at around 8:00 a.m., followed by more Union troops. The Confederate skirmish line held for some point, but Union pressure drove in the left flank of the line. The right flank of the skirmish line was later ordered to fall back, suffering heavy losses in the retreat. Union troops then charged Cockrell's main line, but were replused. [6] Flournoy is reported to have fought with the Confederate skirmish line. [7] Despite having won the battle, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston ordered a retreat from Kennesaw Mountain. [3] On July 3 and 4, the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry saw light action near Smyrna, Georgia; several men of the regiment were killed in the actions. [8] The First Missouri Brigade was present at the Battle of Peachtree Creek on July 20. While Major General Samuel Gibbs French, commanding the division the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry was in, reported that only skirmishers of his division were engaged, a lieutenant in the 3rd and 5th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated) wrote that the First Missouri Brigade was subject to "hot and heavy" fire for five hours during the battle. [9]
After Peachtree Creek, the regiment fell back to Atlanta, Georgia. [3] The 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry was left to defend the Atlanta fortifications during the July 28 Battle of Ezra Church, and missed a bloody Confederate defeat. [10] During the Siege of Atlanta, the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry and the rest of the First Missouri Brigade defended a portion of the northwestern edge of the city. [11] The regiment saw action throughout the siege, until the Confederates abandoned the city. [a] At that point, the regiment transferred to Lovejoy's Station, Georgia. [13] The Confederate positions at Lovejoy's Station were rather weak and were subjected to enfilade fire from Union artillery. While stationed at Lovejoy's Station, some of the men of the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry were engaged in a small action on September 6. [14] Over the course of the entire Atlanta campaign, the regiment reported 196 casualties. [15]
In October, General John Bell Hood, commander of the Army of Tennessee, sent French's division against a Union outpost at Allatoona, Georgia. [15] At the Battle of Allatoona on October 5, the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry was aligned on the left of the First Missouri Brigade. [16] The Confederate charge hit the Union line hard, but the main Union position was not taken. [17] . The First Missouri Brigade charged the Union works at least four times. Eventually, Union reinforcements threatened to cut French's line of retreat, and the Confederates fell back from the field. [18] The 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry lost 91 men at Allatoona. [15]
After Allatoona, the regiment moved into Tennessee along with Hood's army. The regiment then fought at the Battle of Franklin on November 30. [15] The 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry was on the left of the brigade's line during the charge. [19] Once the charge hit the Union line, a portion of the brigade was crowded behind Major General John C. Brown's division as the Confederate attacked a farm owned by the Carter family. [20] Some of the Union troops had been placed forward of the main Union line, and these troops were driven back. However, once the Confederates got close to the main Union line, heavy fire met the attackers. Company G of the regiment saw 21 of its 30 members killed or wounded. The regiment's flag was captured during the fight. [21] Cockrell was taken out of the fight with multiple wounds. [22] Franklin cost the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry 164 men, which was over 60 percent of the unit's strength. [15] Eight company commanders were among the Franklin casualties. [2]
After Franklin, the regiment advanced to the Nashville, Tennessee area on December 2. On December 10, the regiment was detached to the Duck River to build fortifications. [23] The regiment did not rejoin the rest of the Army of Tennessee until January 1865, missing the Battle of Nashville. After spending the winter in Mississippi, the regiment was transferred to Mobile, Alabama in late March, where the regiment was part of the garrison of Fort Blakely. [24] At the Battle of Fort Blakeley on April 9, the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry was holding a position known as Redoubt Four. Despite a spirited defense by the Confederates, the position was quickly overrun. Cockrell and 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry surrendered in the works. [25] The survivors of the regiment were sent to Ship Island, Mississippi for some time before being transferred to Jackson, Mississippi, where the men were paroled in May. [24] The rest of the Army of Tennessee had surrendered on April 26. [26]
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The most significant frontal assault launched by Union Major General William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Joseph E. Johnston, it produced a tactical defeat for the Union forces but failed to deliver the result that the Confederacy desperately needed: a halt to Sherman's advance on Atlanta, Georgia.
The Battle of Allatoona, also known as the Battle of Allatoona Pass, was fought October 5, 1864, in Bartow County, Georgia, and was the first major engagement of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. A Confederate division under Maj. Gen. Samuel G. French attacked a Union garrison under Brig. Gen. John M. Corse, but was unable to dislodge it from its fortified position protecting the railroad through Allatoona Pass.
The 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry (1861−1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Organized mainly from companies, including several prewar volunteer militia companies, raised in northeastern Arkansas, the regiment was among the first transferred to Confederate service, and spent virtually the entire war serving east of the Mississippi River. After the unit sustained heavy casualties in the Battle of Shiloh and the Kentucky Campaign, the unit spent most of the rest of the war field consolidated with the 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment to form the 6th/7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.
The 1st Missouri Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally commanded by Colonel John S. Bowen, the regiment fought at the Battle of Shiloh, where it was engaged near the Peach Orchard on April 6, 1862. On April 7, during the Union counterattacks at Shiloh, the regiment was instrumental in preventing the Washington Artillery from being captured. The regiment was next engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth, where it outflanked several Union positions. On the second day at Corinth, the regiment was only minimally engaged. On November 7, the 1st Missouri Infantry was combined with the 4th Missouri Infantry to form the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated), as a result of heavy battle losses in both regiments.
The 7th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of Confederate States Army infantry volunteers organized in 1861 that fought mostly in the Army of Tennessee during the American Civil War. The regiment was captured at Fort Donelson in 1862 and sent to Northern prison camps. After the survivors were exchanged and new recruits added, the regiment was reconstituted and fought at Raymond, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold Gap in 1863. The unit served in the Atlanta Campaign and at Franklin, Nashville, Averasborough, and Bentonville in 1864–1865. The regiment's 65 survivors surrendered to William Tecumseh Sherman's Federal forces on 26 April 1865.
The 10th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of Confederate States Army infantry volunteers organized in October 1861 that fought during the American Civil War. The regiment was captured in its first major action at Arkansas Post in January 1863. After being exchanged three months later, the 10th Texas was consolidated with two other regiments and assigned to Patrick Cleburne's division. Subsequently, the consolidated regiment fought at Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold Gap in 1863. After becoming an independent regiment again, the 10th Texas fought in the Atlanta Campaign, and at Franklin and Nashville in 1864. After a second consolidation the troops fought at Averasborough and Bentonville in 1865. The regiment's soldiers surrendered to Federal forces on 26 April 1865.
The 15th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of cavalry volunteers mustered into the Confederate States Army in March 1862 and fought during the American Civil War. In July 1862 the unit was dismounted and served the remainder of the war as infantry. The regiment was captured at Arkansas Post in January 1863. After being exchanged three months later, the much-reduced 15th Texas was consolidated with two other regiments and assigned to Patrick Cleburne's division in the Army of Tennessee. The consolidated regiment fought at Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold Gap in 1863. After a re-consolidation, the regiment fought in the Atlanta Campaign, and at Franklin and Nashville in 1864. After a final consolidation the troops fought at Averasborough and Bentonville in 1865. The regiment's 43 surviving soldiers surrendered to Federal forces on 26 April 1865.
Landis's Missouri Battery, also known as Landis's Company, Missouri Light Artillery, was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the early stages of the American Civil War. The battery was formed when Captain John C. Landis recruited men from the Missouri State Guard in late 1861 and early 1862. The battery fielded two 12-pounder Napoleon field guns and two 24-pounder howitzers for much of its existence, and had a highest reported numerical strength of 62 men. After initially serving in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, where it may have fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge, the unit was transferred east of the Mississippi River. The battery saw limited action in 1862 at the Battle of Iuka and at the Second Battle of Corinth.
The 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated) was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on November 7, 1862, when the 1st Missouri Infantry and the 4th Missouri Infantry were consolidated as a result of heavy battle losses in both units. The regiment served in several battles in the 1863 Vicksburg campaign, including a charge that almost broke the Union line at the Battle of Champion Hill. When the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Confederate surrender, the regiment was captured and later exchanged. In 1864, the regiment fought in the Atlanta campaign, and suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Franklin. On April 9, 1865, the regiment surrendered at the Battle of Fort Blakeley, and was paroled in May when the war ended for all effective purposes.
The 6th Missouri Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on August 26, 1862, when two existing units were combined. Later that year, the regiment was then lightly engaged at the Battle of Iuka and saw heavy action at the Second Battle of Corinth. In 1863, the regiment was engaged at the Battle of Port Gibson, and was part of a major charge at the Battle of Champion Hill. After a defeat at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, the regiment took part in the siege of Vicksburg, where it saw heavy fighting. The siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4 with a Confederate surrender; after being exchanged, the regiment combined with the 2nd Missouri Infantry to form the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated). The 6th Missouri Infantry ceased to exist as a separate unit.
The 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment was formed on April 28, 1862, and served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The infantry regiment did not see action at the Battle of Farmington on May 9, and the Battle of Iuka on September 19 despite being part of the Confederate force present at those battles. As part of Brigadier General Martin E. Green's brigade, the regiment participated in three charges against Union lines on October 3, 1862, during the Second Battle of Corinth. The following day, the regiment, along with the rest of Green's brigade, attacked the new Union lines. Despite initial success, the attack was repulsed by a Union counterattack. The regiment ceased to exist as a separate unit when it was combined with the 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment on November 7, 1862, to form the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated).
The 3rd Missouri Light Battery was an artillery battery of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery originated as a Missouri State Guard unit active in late 1861, and was officially transferred to the Confederate States Army on January 28, 1862. The battery provided artillery support at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, and was lightly engaged at the Battle of Iuka in September. In October 1862, the battery was lightly engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth and saw action at the Battle of Davis Bridge, where it lost at least one cannon. The 3rd Light Battery saw action at the Battle of Champion Hill on May 16, 1863, and had its cannons captured at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge the next day. After participating in the Siege of Vicksburg, the battery was captured on July 4, 1863 and was paroled and exchanged. The battery was then consolidated with the Jackson Missouri Battery; the 3rd Light Battery designation was continued. In early 1864, the battery received replacement cannons and was assigned to the defense of Mobile Bay. The 3rd Light Battery saw action at the Battle of Spanish Fort in March and April 1865. When the Confederate Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana surrendered on May 4, 1865, the battery was again captured; the men of the battery were paroled on May 10, ending their military service.
The 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Organized on January 16, 1862, the regiment first saw major action at the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8, 1862. After Pea Ridge, the regiment was transferred across the Mississippi River, fighting in the Battle of Farmington, Mississippi on May 9. The unit missed the Battle of Iuka in September, but was heavily engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4. The regiment helped drive in a Union position on October 3. On October 4, the 2nd Missouri Infantry, along with the rest of Colonel Elijah Gates' brigade, captured a fortification known as Battery Powell, but were forced to retreat by Union reinforcements.
The 3rd Missouri Infantry Regiment served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The infantry regiment was officially mustered into service on January 17, 1862. It fought at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas in March before being transferred across the Mississippi River. While stationed at Corinth, Mississippi, the regiment played a minor role in the Battle of Farmington before the evacuation of the town. In September, the unit saw light action at the Battle of Iuka before being heavily engaged during the Second Battle of Corinth as the Confederates attempted to retake the town in October. In early 1863, the regiment was transferred to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, in order to strengthen the defenses of the Mississippi River at that point. At the Battle of Grand Gulf on April 29, the unit helped repulse a Union Navy attack against the Confederate defensive works. After elements of the Union Army of the Tennessee landed below Grand Gulf, the regiment fought in a delaying action at the Battle of Port Gibson on May 1.
The 12th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After mustering into Confederate service on October 22, 1862, as White's Missouri Infantry, the regiment, as Ponder's Missouri Infantry, fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, where it charged the Union lines several times. On May 3, 1863, the regiment was named the 9th Missouri Infantry Regiment, and fought under that name until December 15, 1863, when it was renamed the 12th Missouri Infantry Regiment. On July 4, 1863, the regiment, as part of Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons' brigade, broke through the Union lines at the Battle of Helena. However, Parsons' flanks were exposed, and the Confederates were driven from the field, suffering heavy losses. After Helena, only 168 men remained in the regiment. On November 22, 1863, the survivors of the regiment were combined into two companies, which were then attached to the 10th Missouri Infantry Regiment, although the 12th Missouri Infantry was still treated as a separate unit for reporting purposes. In April 1864, the 12th Missouri Infantry fought at the battles of Pleasant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry. On September 29, 1864, the survivors of the 12th Missouri Infantry were officially merged into the 10th Missouri Infantry, ending the 12th's separate service career.
The 5th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment entered into service on September 1, 1862, when the elements of two preceding battalions were combined. Many of the men entering the regiment had seen service with the secessionist Missouri State Guard. James McCown was the regiment's first colonel. After playing a minor role at the Battle of Iuka on September 19, the regiment then fought in the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4th. After being only lightly engaged on the 3rd, the regiment charged the Union lines on the 4th, capturing a fortification known as Battery Powell. However, Union reinforcements counterattacked and drove the regiment from the field. In early 1863, the regiment was transferred to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, where it built fortifications. The unit spent part of April operating in Louisiana, before again crossing the Mississippi River to return to Grand Gulf.
Hiram Bledsoe's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Missouri State Guard and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was formed when the Missouri State Guard was formed as a pro-secession state militia unit in response to the Camp Jackson affair. As part of the Missouri State Guard, the unit was engaged in the Engagement near Carthage and the Battle of Wilson's Creek during mid-1861, before fighting at the Battle of Dry Wood Creek and the Siege of Lexington later that year when Major General Sterling Price led the Guard northwards towards the Missouri River. After the Missouri State Guard retreated into Arkansas in early 1862, Bledsoe's Battery served during the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March. The battery, as part of the Army of the West, transferred across the Mississippi River into Tennessee in April, where it left the Guard to enter Confederate service on April 21.
The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. From May 1861, the war began affecting events in the state of Missouri. In 1862, Confederate recruiting activities took place in Missouri, and a cavalry regiment was formed in Oregon County, the nucleus being former members of the Missouri State Guard. On September 2, the unit entered Confederate service, but it was reclassified as infantry ten days later. After many of the men transferred to other units, the regiment was reclassified as a battalion on October 19 and named the 7th Missouri Infantry Battalion, also known as Mitchell's Missouri Infantry. It participated in a Confederate offensive at the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7. During the battle, the unit made several charges against the Union lines but was repeatedly repulsed by artillery fire. The regiment spent most of early 1863 encamped near Little Rock and Pine Bluff in Arkansas.
Barrett's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After entering Confederate service on April 1, 1862, the unit was armed with two 6-pounder smoothbore cannons and two 12-pounder howitzers and was commanded by Captain Overton W. Barrett. It was present during the Siege of Corinth, but saw no action. During the Battle of Perryville in October 1862, Barrett's battery provided artillery support for a Confederate brigade. After spending the next several months moving around Tennessee, the battery supported a Confederate attack during the Battle of Stones River in December. The 1863 Chickamauga campaign brought light action for the unit, which also fought in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. When the Confederates retreated after the Missionary Ridge fighting, Barrett's battery was part of the Confederate rear guard at the Battle of Ringgold Gap, earning the praise of Patrick R. Cleburne. Rearmed with four 12-pounder howitzers, the unit was action in the 1864 Atlanta campaign as part of the Confederate reserve artillery, although two of the cannons were lost to attrition. On April 16, 1865, the battery ceased to exist when its flag, cannons, and most of its members were captured during the Battle of Columbus, Georgia. As of January 2021, its battle flag is part of the collection of the Missouri State Museum.