"History of Confederate Soldiers from Amite County 1861-1865"
by  George A. McGehee.
 

Compiled by Lt. Col.  Powell A. Casey, Miss Frances Powell Otken and Dr. Albert S. Casey.
As published in pages 242-260 in Vol III of Casey's History of Amite County Mississippi.
 

CONFEDERATE RECORDS FROM COURTHOUSE, LIBERTY, MISSISSIPPI

The Liberty Guards and Amite Rifles offered their services to the State of Mississippi in April, 1861, but as no call had been made for any companies and the battle of Bull Run had been fought and won, many of the boys thought the war would soon be over and the Amite County,  troops would not have any part in it.  In April, 1861 Capt.  Nix called a meeting of his company and reorganized a company  for three years, or the war, on July 25, 1861.  This company left Liberty and was carried in buggies, wagons and carriages to Magnolia from whence the company was carried by railroad to Iuka, Mississippi where the Company went into camp about one mile west of Iuka on July 27, 1861.  The company consisted of  88 men and officers at that time.

On August 13, 1861 Col.  Posey mustered in the company with the Black Hawk Rifles into the Confederate Amy for three years or for the war.  The company was drilled and performed all the duties of soldiers until September 15, 1861, when Capt.  Nix of the Liberty Guards and  Capt.  T. B. Reid of the Black Hawk Rifles were ordered to Memphis where they  joined Col.  Bonhams Regiment, known as the 22nd Regiment of Mississippi Volunteers, the 3rd Confederate Regiment enlisting for the war.  The 22nd Miss.  Regiment consisted of ten companies, the Liberty Guards being numbered as Company E and the Black Hawk Rifles as Company G.

After a short while, spent in camp on the Race Track at Memphis, Col.  Bonhom was ordered to Columbus, Ky. where the regiment had not unloaded from the cars when ordered to FuLt.n Station, Ky. where the regiment was drilled and cleared land.  Sometime after.October 1861, the Long Roll was beaten and the regiment fell into line and was rushed by railroad to Maysville, Ky. to stop a raid on Paducah,  but as Col.  Bonham had no orders, the regiment returned to Camp Beauregard six miles north of Fulton where Gen.  Bowen assumed command and we went into winter quarters with the building of log huts.  On Christmas Day, Dec. 25 1861, the command  was   ordered to State Line Station, Gen. Bowens command going by rail to Bowling Green.  On February 6, 1862 the camp moved south to Nashville because Fort Henry and Ft.  Donaldson had fallen.  At Shiloh, Co. B was halted in the road and fired upon by Prentices Yankees and suffered terrible losses.  Went into battle with 88 men and had 33 killed and wounded in this, their first baptism of fire.   H. B. Mackie and John Tebaw were killed on April 7, 1862.


The Amite County Rifles was organized in April, 1861 and on April 29, 1861 went into camp at Camp Brown about a half mile north of Liberty on the west side of Speculation Creek.
[Roster of Amite County Rifles]

Company K, the Amite County Rangers,  was organized in the last days of Oct. 1861 and rendezvoused at Minors Quarters near Natchez 11-14-1861. Left there 1.1.1862 going to Memphis on the Mary E, Keene boat where the company remained two weeks; from thence went to Columbus, Ky. on the John Simonds Steamboat where Company joined Blythes Batallion as Company K afterwards known as the 44th Regiment of Mississippi Volunteers.
[Roster of Amite County Rangers]

The  Liberty Guards was organized April 1861, and on April 29, 1861 the company rendezvoused at Camp Davis, seven and one.half miles from Liberty on the flat on south side of Liberty and Summit road, about a half mile west of the Chandler bridge across the East prong of the Amite  River. The Liberty Guards left Liberty on July 25, 1861, as  an independent volunteer Company for the war, proceeding to Iuka,.  Mississippi; mustered into Confederate service August 13, 1861, and attached to 22nd Mississippi Regiment and given place of Company E in said regiment.
[Roster of Liberty Guards]

 Number enrolled  130
 Killed and wounded  27
 Died of disease  16
 Missing in action  1
 Died since the war  20
 Living in Amite County in  1893  32
 Living out Amite County  29
 Unknown .whereabouts  7

Battles in which the Liberty Guards were engaged:

April 6.7, 1861 Shiloh 11 killed and died from wounds, 23 wounded and one missing in action out of 68
July 1862 Vicksburg, Mississippi
August 5, 1862 Baton Rouge., La.  Isaac T. Causey & J. P. Brown killed

October 3, 1862 Corinth, Miss.  Cicero Whittington & Tim Rogers killed, two wounded

March 13, 1863 Deer Creek campaign
May 16. 1863 Bakers Creek & Lovings Retreat to Jackson

July 3.4. 1863 Big,Black River Rear of Grants Army

July 3, 1863 Grants siege of Jackson

May 14, 1864 Joined Johnstons Army at Resaca, Ga. 5.15.64 one shell killed T. T. McElwee and wounded G. W. Causey and R. W. Anders

May 31, 1864          Detail from company and regiment engaged in skirmish at New Hope  Church.  Continually in the ditches until June 4. 1864.  Henry Smallwood killed 5.29.64 and Alex Dunn 6.4.1864 by sharpshooters.

July 20, 1864 Peach Tree Creek 4 killed and 7 wounded

July 28, 1864 Battles around Atlanta, Ga.  October 30, 1864 Franklin, Tennessee 4 killed

December 1864 Nashville, Tennessee 1 killed

March 19 1865 Bentonville, N.C.
 
 

Area Military:
            7th Mississippi Regiment, Company B: Amite County Rifles.  Roster.
            7th Mississippi Regiment, Company K  Roster.
            22nd Mississippi Regiment, Company E:  Liberty Guards.  Roster
            33rd Mississippi Regiment, Company B: Amite County Guards.  Roster.
            33rd Mississippi Regiment, Company K:  Amite County Defenders.  Roster.
            44th Mississippi Regiment, Company K:  Amite County Rangers. Roster.
            4th Mississippi Cavalry, Company I: Stockdale's Battalion.  Roster.
 
 


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Jennifer Payne
Last Revised May 7, 1998 
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