The 6th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, sometimes 6th Regiment, European Brigade, originally the Italian Guards Battalion, and commonly referred to as the Garibaldi Legion in honor of the
Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
(who vocally supported the Union), was a
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 ...
that fought for the
Confederate 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 ...
in
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 ...
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 th ...
. They were well known for showing their ethnic pride by wearing cocked hats with plumes in the Italian national colors as well as adopting the
red uniform worn by Garibaldi's soldiers.
Service
Asides from miscellaneous skirmishes, the 6th Regiment was primarily tasked with protecting the city of
from a Union invasion or civil unrest in the city. Because most regular units were sent out to the frontlines, the state became defenseless. To solve this issue, Governor
Thomas Overton Moore
Thomas Overton Moore (April 10, 1804 – June 25, 1876) was an attorney and politician who was the 16th Governor of Louisiana from 1860 until 1864 during the American Civil War. Anticipating that Louisiana's Ordinance of Secession would be pas ...
issued a call to arms for the regiment to deploy throughout the state. The regiment acted as the
home guard
Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense.
The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...
in the city and Louisiana in general for the duration the regiment was deployed. The regiment was disbanded on May 2, 1862, one day after the city fell to Union forces.
Total strength
During peak membership, the 6th Regiment, European Brigade numbered around 500 soldiers with the vast majority of them being first or second generation immigrants from Europe.
Commanders
* Lt. Col. Joseph G. Della Valle
Italians in the Confederate Army
/ref>
* Captain Marzoni Gaudenzio
* Captain Giuseppe Santini
* First Lieutenant Ulysses Marinoni
* Second Lieutenant Ernesto Baselli
See also
*List of Louisiana Confederate Civil War units
This is a list of Louisiana Confederate Civil War units. The list of Louisiana Union Civil War units is shown separately.
Confederate Army
Infantry
The following list includes infantry regiments and battalions.
* 1st Infantry – served wit ...
*Italian Americans in the Civil War Italian Americans in the Civil War are the Italian people and people of Italian descent, living in the United States, who served and fought in the American Civil War, mostly on the side of the Union. A contingent of soldiers from the former Kingdom ...
References
{{Louisiana Confederate units navbox
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Louisiana
Military units and formations established in 1861
Military units and formations disestablished in 1862