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29TH
MISSISSIPPI INFANTRY
REGIMENT
From "Military
History of Mississippi, 1803-1898", by Dunbar Rowland
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Unit Names Command & Organization
Officers
Companies
Unit History
Command Organization
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Officers
Partial Listing.
Aggregated original enrollment, 876 officers and
men.
Colonel - Edward C. Walthall, promoted as
Brigadier-General, December 13, 1862;
William
F. Brantley, promoted as Brigadier-General, July 26, 1864
Lieutenant-Colonels -
Majors-
Adjutant-
Surgeons- .
Chaplain-
Quartmaster-- .
Commissaries-- .
Sergeant-Major-- .
Color Bearers--
Company A, Lafayette Rebels of Oxford , Lafayette County .
Captains- Newton A. Isam.
Company B, Robson Rifles .
Captain- Robert Robson, died in service; H. J.. Harper, Killed at
Murfreesboro; J. Tipton Smith.
Company C, Panola Patriotrs, of Panola County.
Captains- T. F. Wilson, wounded at Murfreesboro, C. M. Pepper, died
1863, J. C. Harrison, Adjut-Gen Staff; John W. McCracken.
Company D, Fishing Creek
Avengers, of Yalobusha County.
Captain- S. B. Herron, resigned; George S. Caldwell, died at Lookout
Mountain; ____ Johnson.
Company E, Oakland
Rebels, of Yalobusha
County.
Captain- William B. Craig, resigned 1863; J. A. Rainwater.
Company F, Hampton Guards
Captain- J. M. Hampton, R.
W. Williamson, former Captain in 11th Regiment, promoted 1865, Colonel
24th Consolidated.
Company G, Walthall Rebels, organized at
Providence
Captain- Samuel Young.
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Company H, Gale Reserves, of Yazoo County.
Captains- Robert G. Johnson, to Nov 1863; Joseph R. Gale.
Company I, DeSoto Brothers, of
DeSoto County.
Captains- James B. Morgan,
elected Major; George W. Reynolds.
Company K, Dixie Rifles.
Captains- J. F.
Harrington, Eugene Cowan, killed near Corinth.
Brigade Sharpshooters
– At Dalton, GA,
in February, 1864, there was formed a battalion of
sharpshooters, 22 officers and 180 men, detailed from
the various
regiments of the brigade, under the command of Capt. J. W. Ward. Among the officers was Lieut. Washington P.
Williams, of Company A. This battalion
was engaged with Sherman’s sharpshooters and skirmishers almost every
day,
sometimes many times in one day, until disbanded at Atlanta, July 22, 1864, when there
remained
on duty the Major commanding, two Lieutenants and 19 privates.
Unit History
This regiment was organized at Grenada,
and field officers elected
Aril 11, 1862. Colonel Walthall had been
heretofore Lieutenant-Colonel, and Lieutenant-Colonel Brantley Major,
of the
Fifteenth, a twelve-month regiment. The
Twenty-ninth Regiment was attached to Chalmers’ Brigade of infantry,
then in
the fortified lines of Corinth,
which were beleaguered by Halleck’s army until General Beauregard
evacuated in
the latter part of May.
During the siege of Corinth a
detachment of this regiment and others of the brigade were on outpost
duty on
the Monterey
road, and were in action May 28-29, with a Federal force, which was
finally
repulsed with the aid of reinforcements under Col. Joseph Wheeler. The regiment had 2 killed and 1 wounded in
this engagement at the Russell House.
In the latter part of July, the
brigade was moved to Chattanooga, with
the Army of the Mississippi,
and thence they advanced into Kentucky
through Middle Tennessee. September 12,
Walthall with his regiment and Ketchum’s Battery was detached to sieze
the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad at Proctor’s Station, whence he
rejoined
the brigade at Cave
City, on the
same
road. Walthall had a part in Chalmers’
desperate assault upon the works at Munfordville, September 4, carrying
into
battle a total of 307 and losing 5 killed, 36 wounded.
Colonel Walthall reported that after several
changes of position under fire, they received orders for a bayonet
charge. “I gave the command and the charge
was
attempted, but without success, the earthworks being about ten feet
high and
surrounded by a deep ditch about eight feet wide.”
After ten or fifteen minutes in this position
Colonel Walthall withdrew his regiment to shelter.
On the 17th, Wilder surrendered to
Bragg’s army, and the brigade was ordered to occupy the works, as a
recognition
of bravery.
The army retreated from Kentucky
in the later part of October through Cumberland Gap, and moved to Chattanooga, thence advancing upon Rosecrans’
army toward Nashville,
in December.
November 17,
1862, Colonel Walthall was ordered to report to Lieutenant-General
Hardee for assignment to the command of a brigade. Anderson's Division
was broken up and the Twenty-fourth, Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth Regiments transferred to
Polk's Corps. Walthall's brigade at first was composed of the
Twenty-seventh, Thirtieth, Thirty-fourth (called then Thirty-seventh)
and Forty-first Mississippi.
Colonel Walthall announced as his staff, December 4, 1862, the
following,
Capt.
E. T. Sykes, Tenth Regiment, Adjutant-General,
Capt. R. W. Williamson,
Thirtieth, Volunteer Aide-de-camp,
Capt. Addision Craft,
Twenty-seventh Regiment, Quartermaster,
Dr. K. Divine, Twenty-seventh
Regiment, Surgeon.
Dec. 9, Capt. J. Hooper,
Brigade Commissary
Dec 27, by Colonel Jones,
Lieut. M. Currie, Twenty-fourth Regiment, Acting Ordnance Officer,
Lieut. J. H. Wood,
Twenty-seventh Regiment, Acting Ordnance Officer.
January 20, 1863, Lieut.
George M. Govan, Ninth Regiment, Inspector-General, promoted to Captain
and retained, temporarily succeeded by Lieut. H. C. Tupper;
Lieut. B. A. Walthall,
Aide-de-camp.
Changes
were made in the brigade, after its first organization, so that it
included the Twenty-fourth, Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth,
Thirty-fourth Mississippi and Forty-fifth Alabama, at the battle of
Murfreesboro. While absent on sick leave Colonel Walthall was promoted
to Brigadier-General, and he assumed command in that rank near
Shelbyville, January 18, 1863. At first during his absence the brigade
was commanded by Colonels Neill and Jones.
During the
battle of Murfreesboro{"Stones River"}, the brigade was commanded by
Gen. Patton Anderson. The brigade was posted in line of battle December
28, 1862, on the left of Chalmer's Brigade, the main part of
the line extended into a dense and stony cedar forest, where the men
threw up a line of stone breastworks. There was skirmishing for two
days, and the attack was made Wednesday morning, December 31. But the
battle had already been going on some hours, before they were ordered
against the Federal line in their front, which was Negley's Division of
Thomas' Corps, posted in the edge of a dense cedar brake. General Polk
wrote of what followed: "The fire of the enemy of both artillery and
infantry was terrific, and Anderson's left for a moment wavered. Such
evidences of destructive firing as were left on the forest, from which
this brigade emerged, have rarely, if ever, been seen. The timber was
torn and crushed. Nothing but a charge could meet the demands of the
occasion. Orders were given to take the batteries at all hazards, and
it was done. The number of field guns taken in this movement was eight.
This was one of the points at which we encountered the most determined
opposition, but the onward movement of the Mississippians and
Alabamians was irresistible." General Negley, whose division was
composed of two brigades, upon whom fell at least part of this attack,
reported that "Houghtaling's, Schultz's, Marshall's, Bush's, and Nell's
Batteries were all ordered into action i my front, pouring destructive
volleys of grape and shell into the advancing columns of the enemy,
mowing him down like swaths of grain. For four hours the Eighth
Division, with a portion of Sheridan's and Palmer's Divisions,
maintainted their position. * * The enemy, maddened to desperation by
the determined resistance, still pressed forward fresh troops,
concentrating and forming them in a concentric line on either flank."
The guns captured by Walthall's Brigade, supported by A. P. Stewart's
Brigade, were six of Houghtaling's Battery C, First Illinois, and two
of Bush's Fourth Indiana Battery. The other batteries mentioned by
Negley lost six guns.
In the charge
of the Twenty-ninth, Colonel
Brantley and his adjutant, Lieut. John W. Campbell, were knocked down
by
concussion produced by the explosion of a shell very near them, but the
regiment was soon afterward carried forward by Lieut.-Col. J. B. Morgan
in
gallant style, capturing the battery in their front, and driving the
enemy into
and through the dense cedar brake immediately beyond. (Anderson) It appears
from Anderson's report that the Twenty-ninth captured a small iron
rifled piece, which lay in its front, and participated with the
Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth in the capture of the remainder of the
battery of four to six guns. Gen. A. P. Stewart, who supported
Anderson, in his report says that the Twenty-night and Thirtieth
Mississippi, after the first repulse, "fell back in disorder" upon his
line, "leaving a large number of dead and wounded in the open ground
beyond the Wilkinson Pike, over which they had charged. The
Twenty-ninth ultimately formed on my left, where it remained until the
close of the battle, when it moved away to join its brigade." The
casualties of the Twenty-ninth were 34 killed, including Capt. H. J.
Harper and Lieuts. W. G. Barksdale, W. A. McDaniel and R. S. Spencer,
and 202 wounded. The
total
killed and wounded was exceeded by only one regiment in the army, the
Eighth Tennessee, which fought in the same part of the field and had
306 killed and wounded.
January 2, 1863,
the brigade{Walthall's}, which had taken the first position of
Chalmer's Brigade, was sent across the river{Stone's} to support
Breckenridge, and gained the credit, awarded by General Bragg, of
saving the artillery of that part of the army.
January 22, on
the Shelbyville line, the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-ninth Regiments were
temporarily consolidated under the command of Colonel Brantley. Early
in July the army fell back to Chattanooga, and in the latter part of
July Walthall's Brigade was at Camp Cobb, near Atlanta, moving thence
to the reserve camp near Chickamauga in August and retreating to
Lafayette in September.
In the
Chickamauga campaign, Walthall's Brigade and Govan's Arkansas Brigade
constituted Liddell's Division of W. H. T. Walker's Corps. Walthall on
September 18 advanced to Chickamauga Creek at Alexander's bridge, and a
fight ensued, the brunt of which fell upon the Twenty-ninth Regiment,
under Colonel Brantley. It was a fierce engagement, while it lasted,
and the regiment had 56 killed and wounded. The enemy was driven back,
but not until the bridge was destroyed, and the brigade moved down to
Byram's ford and crossed. On the morning of the 19th they were in
battle in that confused area, to the northward of the battle line,
where brigades of both armies were charging in different directions in
the woods, flanking each other in turn, and friend often firing on
friend. Walthall caught King's Brigade of United States regulars
changing front, ran over them and their battery, took 400 prisoners,
but having killed all the horses could not bring off the guns before
they were in turn driven back in confusion. In the engagement the
Twenty-ninth suffered severely. Next day they moved further to the
north and pushed across the Chattanooga road that Thomas was making the
famous fight to hold. Here they came under an artillery fire that could
not be endured and fell back hurriedly, losing a few killed and 15 or
20 captured. The regiment carried 368 into the three-day battle and had
194 killed, wounded and missing. According to General Thomas, the
Confederates on the State road yielded to the "splendid advance" of
Turchin's Brigade, which covered the retreat of Thomas's command.
The regiment
was encamped with the brigade in General Bragg's line before
Chattanooga, after September 22, and on November 20 was marched up upon
the northern and western slopes of Lookout Mountain on account of the
increased activity of the forces that had been collected at Chattanooga
by General Grant. Early in the morning of November 24 the attack was
made from the west by Hooker's Corps from the Virginia army. The
morning was excessively foggy, the air being filled with a fine mist of
rain, and on account of the low-lying fog, the event became known as
"the battle above the clouds."
The battle of Lookout Mountain, November 24,
1863, was fought by Walthall's Mississippi Brigade, supported in the
latter part of the fight by parts of Moore's and Pettus' Alabama
Brigades. Gen. John K. Jackson was ranking Brigadier. Other troops were
on the top of the mountain, and the entire force was commanded by
Major-General Stevenson. Walthall's Brigade had a total effective of
1,489, and had 8 killed, 48 wounded and 845 captured. Walthall occupied
the advanced position, on the western slopes of the mountain, with his
pickets along Lookout Creek at the base, and being warned by the
movements of General Geary's Federal Division presaging attack, he
posted his men in the rude breastworks of logs and stones that had been
built by the troops previously in that position, except the
Thirty-fourth regiment, which was sent to support the picket line. Here
he was soon under fire of three batteries, one of which was in rear of
part of his line.
The question
as to whether Walthall was "surprised" was raised in 1882 by Col. D. R.
Hundley, of Pettus' Brigade, and after a long correspondence between
him and General Walthall, the matter was submitted to Gen. E. W.
Pettus, who wrote: "It is clear to my mind that Walthall's Brigade did
expect the attack which was made on it, and had prepared to repel it,
so far as could be done by so small a force, in its isolated and
exposed position." Colonel Hundley contended that there was a surprise
in the fact that an attack was made with such overwhelming force. But
Walthall was under orders to meet whatever force approached, hold it in
check as long as possible and fall back to the position at
Craven's{house}, where he
would be reinforced.
Colonel
Brantley reported that the Twenty-ninth was put in line facing west
until it appeared that the enemy were approaching from the southwest,
when Brantley formed a line across the mountain facing south, but the
distance to cover and absence of many of his men on the brigade picket
line compelled him to deploy his line as skirmishers. They were
speedily overrun and many captured. With the remnant Brantley fell back
on the line of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-seventh and all were driven
back beyond the Craven house, on the plateau below the cliff, where the
brigade reformed and succeeded in holding the enemy in check until
Pettus' Brigade arrived. Then, by order of General Walthall, Colonel
Brantley took command of the remnants of the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth
and went into the fight with Pettus, holding the line until relieved by
Clayton's Brigade at 8:20 that night. General Walthall said in his
report: "I directed Colonel Brantley to advance his left as far as it
could be done without leaving an interval between his line and the
cliff, so as to get the benefit of an oblique fire upon the line that
was pressing upon us. This order was executed with that officer's
characteristic promptness." General Walthall also gave special mention
to the "skill, activity, zeal and courage" of Colonel Brantley. General
Stevenson said in his report that the advance of Hooker's Corps on the
flank and front, the front was gallantly contested by the Mississippi
brigade, and General Bragg wrote that the assault was "met by one
brigade only -Walthall's- which made a desperate resistance, but
finally compelled to yield ground." On the night of the 24th the
brigade was moved to McFarland's Spring, and on the morning of the
25th, with the whole of Cheatham's Division they were put in line on
Missionary Ridge to the right of Patton Anderson's Division. They were
not assailed in front, but about 4 o'clock in the evening, after the
Confederate line was broken on the south of them, Brantley faced to the
left with his command, and withstood the flank attack, which was not
pushed, until after dark, when they were withdrawn to Chickamauga
Station. The casualties of the regiment on the 24th were 2 killed,
including Lieut. D. S. Latham, 26 wounded, 155 missing; on the 25th, 7
wounded, including Adjt. J. W. Campbell, who had served with credit
from the organization of the regiment, and died at Atlanta soon after
the battle.
{Atlanta-July 28,
1863} The Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth, under command of Lieut.-Col.
James M. Johnson, (Thirtieth) had 277 men on the field; 5 killed, 24
wounded. They captured about 20 prisoners.
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Sources:
Dunbar Rowland,
Military
History of Mississippi, 1803-1898, taken from the Official and
Statistical
Register of the State of Mississippi,
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