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Dated:  Oct 13, 2008


29TH MISSISSIPPI INFANTRY REGIMENT

  From "Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898", by Dunbar Rowland

  Menu:
      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. .

Company H, Gale Reserves, of Yazoo County.
Captains- Robert G. Johnson, to Nov 1863; Joseph R. Gale.


Company IDeSoto 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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