Many boys of the 14th MS viewed this flag as they went to their deaths at Franklin

“Big Andy” was my gg grandad.

The Civil War Gazette (est. 1995)

The 14th MS fought with Adams’s Brigade, Loring’s Division. The 14th faced heavy casualties near the Cotton Gin. As the 14th MS assaulted the Union line at the Gin, the colors displayed a picture of Lady Liberty holding a picture of Jefferson Davis.

The 14th also fought with: 6th, 15th, 20th, 23dand 43d Mississippi regiments. Many boys from the 14th MS are buried at McGavock. One wonder show many young men and boys saw this flag emblem in the final moments of their lives as the died on the Franklin battlefield.

There are at least ten young men from the 14th MS buried at McGavock Cemetery.

There’s a fascinating story behind this particular emblem/patch see below. Color Bearer Andrew S. Payne of the 14th Mississippi cut this emblem away from the rest of the flag when the 14th surrendered at Ft. Donelson and sewed the patch into the interior lining…

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Gallant Sons of Mississippi: The 21st Mississippi Infantry at the Battle of Savage Station, Virginia

Mississippians in the Confederate Army

As the sun dipped low in the Virginia sky and the shadows lengthened over the Savage Station battlefield, the 21^st Mississippi Infantry quickened their pace and raced the dying light, desperate to make contact with their enemies in blue before darkness ended the killing that day.

The Mississippians were spoiling for a fight – the regiment had been organized in the summer of 1861, and during their year of service the men had yet to be engaged in combat against the Union army.[1]

Any thoughts the men might have had that darkness was about to rob them of another chance to see the elephant abruptly ended as a regiment of blue-clad soldiers emerged from a pine thicket and “formed a line as accurately as though done with a tape line.”[2]

Although lacking combat experience, the 21^st was well trained, and an expertly directed volley…

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29th Letter: “Human Slaughter Pens” (October 18, 1862)

…for I am heartily tired of those human slaughter pens called battles

Source: 29th Letter: “Human Slaughter Pens” (October 18, 1862)

Lamar Fontaine, Chief of Scouts under Stonewall Jackson, writes of a successful escape from Union soldiers

Barksdale Remembered: A Georgia “High Private” Reflects on Gettysburg

The Blog of Gettysburg National Military Park

From primary sources such as letters, diaries, and memoirs, to a volume of secondary studies on almost every aspect of the field, Gettysburg is possibly the most widely documented battle in the Civil War.  Barring a miracle, our understanding of the “big picture” is not going to change.  This leaves to Gettysburg buffs those small kernels of new information that do not change our knowledge of the battle, but simply adds more color to what we already know -such is the case with William Barksdale and his Mississippi brigade.

William Barksdale, a politician turned soldier, led a brigade of 1,600 Mississippians against the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg, July 2nd, 1863.

Hailing from Tennessee, William Barksdale attended the University of Nashville, later becoming a lawyer in Columbus, Mississippi.  He branched off into journalism and became the editor of the Columbus Democrat.  In 1852, Barksdale gained election to the United States…

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28th Letter: Fathers Visit Wounded Sons (October 8, 1862)

Camp near Winchester Va, Oct 8th- 62 Dear Sister- Again I will avail myself of the present opportunity to send you a few lines- I am enjoying good health and hope this may find you all likewise- I …

Source: 28th Letter: Fathers Visit Wounded Sons (October 8, 1862)

We Have a Winner!

Mississippians in the Confederate Army

I had a number of entries in the contest to choose the subject of my next blog

Private Silas A. Shirley, Company H, 16th Mississippi Infantry (Library of Congress)

article, and I am happy to say we have a winner! I put all of the entries in my old reenacting hat, and my daughter Sarah picked the winning entry. Without further ado, the subject of my next blog post will be the 16th Mississippi Infantry! I had multiple entries for this regiment, so I know there will be a number of people happy tonight. The 16th Mississippi Infantry compiled a notable war record with the Army of Northern Virginia, and was, in fact, the only Mississippi unit to serve under General Stonewall Jackson. I am looking forward to writing about the 16th Mississippi, and I plan to have the article finished before the end of the month.

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Mississippians in the Army of Northern Virginia

Mississippians in the Confederate Army

Without a doubt, the most famous Confederate army was the Army of Northern Virginia, the principal eastern army of the Confederacy. The reason for this fame is simple: under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee, this army won numerous victories over its larger and better equipped opponent, the Army of the Potomac.

Although the Army of Northern Virginia wasn’t officially organized until 1862, it had its origins in the armies created around Richmond, Virginia, in 1861 for the defense of the Confederate capitol. Among the troops that flocked to Richmond at this time were a number of Mississippi infantry regiments. These units were the first from the state to see combat against the Yankees.

The Mississippians first “Saw the Elephant” during the battle of First Manassas, July 21, 1861. In the fight Confederate forces under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard combined with those of Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston to…

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The “Saving Mississippi’s Battleflags” Exhibit in Jackson

Mississippians in the Confederate Army

There is a new exhibit in Jackson, Mississippi, called “Saving Mississippi’s Battleflags,” and it has on display a number of Mississippi Confederate flags that have been beautifully restored at great expense thanks to the generosity of the Mississippi Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. The exhibit is in the lobby of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson, and will be up until November 2012.

Shown below are the pictures that I took of the individual flags in the exhibit, along with a little history about the units that carried them. I had to deal with a wicked glare, but I did the best I could given the lighting conditions and my limited photographic skills.

Brigadier General Winfield Scott Featherston’s Brigade Headquarters Flag – Photo by Author

Text panel explaining the history of Featherston’s headquarters flag and the conservation work that was done to it – Photo by Author

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Our Glorious War Cry: A Mississippian Gives the Rebel Yell

Mississippians in the Confederate Army

This week I was looking on the internet to see if I could find some film footage of the 193o National United Confederate Veterans reunion, which was held in Biloxi. I was able to confirm that the film still exists, but I could not find it posted online. I did, however, find another film that really excited me, as it shows a Confederate veteran from Mississippi giving the “Rebel Yell.”

The video is in the collections of the Library of Congress, and was posted on the internet in 2011 by the Smithsonian. While looking for my Biloxi footage, I found this four-minute film on Youtube, and as recordings of Confederate veterans giving the Rebel Yell are very rare, I decided to invest four minutes and watch it, and boy am I ever glad I did. The film was not identified as to where or when it was taken, other than…

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