The Jeff. Davis Legion (also known as the Jeff Davis Legion, Mississippi Cavalry) was a cavalry

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 ...

of 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 ...

. Made up of companies from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

; it fought primarily in the Eastern Theater of 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 ...

. In 1865, it was reassigned to the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

, surrendering at Greensboro, N.C.

Formation

The Jeff. Davis Legion was organized as the 2d Battalion, Mississippi Cavalry, consisting of five companies on October 24, 1861, at Camp Cooper,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Company A, from Mississippi, was mustered for the war. Companies B and C, from Mississippi, were mustered for 12 months. Company D, from Alabama, was mustered for 12 months and Company E, from Alabama, mustered for the war. In December 1861, Company F, from Georgia, was attached to the battalion by order of the

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

, when Major William T. Martin was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. A portion of the battalion (the 12 month companies) were reorganized under Act of Congress on May 23, 1862. The war companies retained their existing organization. The election was held for

field officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

s in accordance with instructions from the Secretary resulting in the election of the existing field officers. The unit retained this organization until July 11, 1864, when three companies of Love's Battalion, Alabama Cavalry, and one company of the 20th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry, were attached to the unit increasing it to a regiment with one

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 ...

and two majors.

History

Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Martin, the Jeff. Davis Legion joined what would eventually become the Cavalry Corps of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. It fought in the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pi ...

on May 5, 1862; doing surveillance of Union movements and gaining knowledge of their dispositions. Reporting to Brigadier-General

Jeb Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials o ...

, the report led to a flank maneuver around Major-General

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

's army, in which two squadrons of the Legion participated. Later, Stuart wrote that the unit had performed extremely well and helped him greatly. During the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, comman ...

the Legion was ordered to across the Chickahominy. They took control of the South Anna, screening the crossing of Thomas J. Jackson and his troops. After Jackson crossed, it went north and fought against the 42nd New York Infantry. It dislodged the Union from the position and took 3 prisoners. On September 5, during the Maryland campaign,

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People * Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman *Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 * ...

's brigade crossed the Potomac in order to retake a battery captured by the Union. The Legion operated as rear guard and covered the mountain gap while the rest of the brigade followed Robert E. Lee's army to Middleton; and at daylight of September 13 the Legion was attacked by the pursuing Union forces. It held off the Union troops until it had to give way, buying the Confederates valuable time. "Martin and his men fought with their accustomed gallantry," was Hampton's report. When Martin was promoted and transferred in 1863, command of the Legion developed on Lieutenant-Colonel J. Fred. Waring. The composition of the unit changed several times during the war and in March 1864 it was augmented into a full regiment of 10 companies. When Hampton went to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, the Legion, its brigade now led by Pierce M.B. Young, accompanied him. Serving as part of the Army of Tennessee it fought in the Carolinas and surrendered with the rest of General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

's forces in April 1865.

Regimental order of battle

Units of the Jeff. Davis Legion included: * Company A (Natchez Cavalry), Adams County, Mississippi * Company B (Chickasaw Rangers),

Chickasaw County, Mississippi Chickasaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,392. Its county seats are Houston and Okolona. The county is named for the Chickasaw people, who lived in this area for hundred ...

* Company C (Southern Guards),

Kemper County, Mississippi Kemper County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper. The county is pa ...

* Company D (Sumter Mounted Guards),

* Company E (Canebrake Legion), Marengo County, Alabama * Company F (Georgia Hussars or Dixie Cavaliers), Chatham County, Georgia * Company G (Liberty Mounted Rangers),

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville. Liberty County is part of the Hinesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...

* Company H (Morehead Rangers), Alabama * Company I, Alabama * Company K, Alabama

Notes

References

External links

Confederate Battle Flag from Jeff Davis Legion
at the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

Georgia Hussar Flag from Jeff Davis Legion
at the

1861 establishments in Virginia 1865 disestablishments in North Carolina Cavalry regiments Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Mississippi {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub