The 21st Louisiana Infantry Regiment, also called the McCown Regiment, was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

that served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Six of its companies formed the 5th Louisiana Infantry Battalion organized in September 1861, which fought in the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S. president, ...

as cannoneers. The battalion was brought up to regimental strength, becoming the 21st Louisiana, by the addition of four companies in February 1862. After service at

Island Number Ten Island Number Ten was an island in the Mississippi River near Tiptonville, Tennessee and the site of a major eponymous battle in the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century the United States Government began to adopt a uniform numbering plan ...

, Fort Pillow, and the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth (also known as the first Battle of Corinth) was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry ...

, the regiment was disbanded due to its high desertion rate.

History

The companies that became part of the 5th Louisiana Infantry Battalion were originally part of the Jackson Regiment of the Louisiana

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, which was organized in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

from locals on 29 June 1861. Six companies from the Jackson Regiment were sent to

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi Ri ...

in August, where they were organized as the 5th Louisiana Infantry Battalion by an order of General

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Ch ...

on 20 September. John B. G. Kennedy was elected lieutenant colonel and John Newman major. The Bonford Guards became Company A, the Campbell Guards Company B, the Huckins Guard (also known as the Noel Rangers) Company C, Company A of the McClelland Guards Company D, the Kosicinski Guards (also known as the Whamm Rifle Guards) Company E, and the Askew Greys Company F. The men of the battalion served as cannonners for the heavy artillery batteries at Columbus during the

on 7 November. The battalion was expanded to the 21st Louisiana Infantry Regiment at Columbus on 9 February 1862 by the addition of four new companies, bringing it to 784 men. The four companies (G, H, I, and K) were also from New Orleans. Companies C and B of the McClelland Guards became Companies H and I of the regiment, respectively, while Company K may have been known as the Dugue Guards. Kennedy was elected

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, West Steever lieutenant colonel, and Newman continued as major. Elements of the regiment marched to

on 23 February to begin the construction of heavy artillery batteries, soon followed by the remainder of the regiment to complete the task. The regiment departed for Fort Pillow on 17 March, where it served with the garrison until the evacuation of the fort in May. The 21st Louisiana then went to

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. History Corinth was founded i ...

, fighting in a nearby skirmish on 28 May. After the evacuation of Corinth, the regiment and the

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the Mississippi River, not ...

retreated to

Tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

. It was ordered disbanded by army commander General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western ...

on 28 July due to disease and desertion and its men transferred to other Louisiana units of the army. Company C was transferred as a unit to become Company B of the 20th Louisiana Infantry on 23 July, as a replacement for the original Company B, which had been detached from the regiment and captured at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. The men of Company C were most of the roughly 64 to 73 men who went to the 20th Louisiana. The majority of the men of the regiment went to the

1st Louisiana Regulars The 1st Louisiana Regulars Infantry Regiment, often referred to as the 1st Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Regulars), was an infantry regiment from Louisiana that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Raised in early ...

, with 99 of these transfers documented in surviving records.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Louisiana Confederate units navbox Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Louisiana Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1862

History

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography