The Mississippi 16th Infantry Regiment was formed on June 17th, 1861. The companies were in camp three months at Corinth as State troops, before being called into the Confederate States service. Captain Carnot Posey, formerly a Lieutenant in Col. Jefferson Davis' regiment, Mexican war, was elected Colonel. In Northeastern Virginia the regiment was assigned to a brigade commanded by Gen. George B. Crittenden. They fought throughout the war in Virginia, surrendering at Appomattox only 68 men of the more than 900 who joined in 1861. Companies Of The Mississippi 16th Infantry Regiment Company A -- Summit Rifles (raised in Pike County, MS) Company B -- Westville Guards (raised in Simpson County, MS) Company C -- Crystal Springs Southern Rights (raised in Copiah County, MS) Company D -- Adams Light Guard No. 2 (raised in Adams County, MS) Company E -- Quitman Guards (raised in Pike County, MS) Company F -- Jasper Greys (raised in Jasper County, MS) Company G -- Fairview Rifles, aka Claiborne Rangers (raised in Claiborne County, MS) Company H -- Defenders (raised in Smith County, MS) Company I -- Adams Light Guard No. 1 (raised in Adams County, MS) Company K -- Wilkinson Rifles (raised in Wilkinson County, MS)

The 29th Mississippi Infantry Regiment 29th Infantry Regiment was organized at Corinth, Mississippi, in April, 1862 with men from Grenada, Lafayette, Panola, Yalobusha, Washington, and De Soto counties. The unit served in Mississippi, then moved to Kentucky where it saw action in Munfordville. Later it joined the Army of Tennessee and was placed in General Walthall's and Brantly's Brigade where it participated in many battles from Murfreesboro to Bentonville. The 29th lost 5 killed and 36 wounded at Munfordville, had 34 killed and 202 wounded at Murfreesboro, and suffered fifty-three percent disabled of the 364 engaged at Chickamauga. It reported 191 casualties at Chattanooga and in December, 1863 was consolidated with the 30th and 34th Regiment and totalled 554 men and 339 arms. This unit reported 5 killed and 22 wounded at Resaca, and in the fight at Ezra Church the 29th/30th lost 8 killed and 20 wounded. Very few surrendered in North Carolina in April, 1865.

The Mississippi 39th Infantry Regiment was organized at Jackson, Mississippi, during the late spring of 1862. About twenty-five percent of this unit was sick in June, and there were 29 officers and 541 men present for duty in July. Company I took part in the fight at Baton Rouge, then, assigned to General Beall's command, the regiment was captured at Port Hudson in July, 1863. After the exchange in December it totalled 220 effectives. Attached to Ross' and Sears' Brigade it was involved in the Atlanta Campaign, Hood's Tennessee operations, and the defense of Mobile. The regiment reported 7 casualties at New Hope Church, 30 at Kennesaw Mountain, 5 at the Chattahoochee River, and 48 in the Battle of Atlanta. Few surrendered with the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana.

They fought in the Shenandoah campaign that blazed Stonewall Jackson's reputation. They fought in the Seven Days' Battles and at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, in the Wilderness campaign, and at Spotsylvania. At the surrender they were beside General Robert E. Lee in Appomattox. From the beginning of the war to its very end the men of the Sixteenth Mississippi endured. In this collection of their letters and their memories, both historians and Civil War buffs will find the fascinating words of these common soldiers in one of the most notable units in the Army of Northern Virginia. Gathered and available here for the first time, the writings in this anthology include diary entries, letters, and reminiscences from average Mississippi men who fought in the war's most extraordinary battles. Chronologically arranged, the documents depict the pace and progress of the war. Emerging from their words are flesh-and-blood soldiers who share their courage and spirit, their love of home and family, and their loneliness, fears, and campaign trials. From the same camp come letters that say, Our troops are crazy to meet the enemy and, It is not much fun hearing the balls and shells a-coming. Soldiers write endearingly to wives, earnestly to fathers, longingly to mothers, and wistfully to loved ones. With wit and dispatch they report on crops and land, Virginia hospitality, camp rumors and chicanery, and encounters, both humorous and hostile, with the Yankee enemy. Many letters convey a yearning for home and loved ones, closing with such phrases as Write just as soon as you get this. Though the trials of war seemed beyond the limits of human endurance, letter writing created a lifeline to home and helped men persevere. So eager was Jesse Ruebel Kirkland to keep in touch with his beloved Lucinda that he penned, I am on my horse writing on the top of my hat just having met the mail carrier. Robert G. Evans is a judge of the Thirteenth Circuit Court of the State of Mississippi. He lives in Raleigh, Miss.

The Mississippi 4th Infantry Regiment was organized at Grenada as the Fourth Regiment, Second Brigade, Army of Mississippi, and enlisted for twelve months. The Fourth was among the troops posted at Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, under General Lloyd Tilghman. The troops were transferred to Fort Donelson and there captured. Following exchange they were then surrendered at Vicksburg and continued throughout the remainder of the war in the Atlanta Campaign, Franklin, and Nashville, ending the war in the defense of Mobile.

The 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (also known as the Greenville Regiment and the Greenville Boys) recruited its men in Greenville County. It was organized and mustered into Confederate service in December, 1861. The regiment moved to Charleston and for a time was stationed at Adams Run under General Hagood. During December, 1862, the unit was ordered to Wilmington, North Carolina and in May, 1863, to Jackson, Mississippi where it was assigned to General Gist's Brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Later the 16th Regiment joined the Army of Tennessee. On April 9, 1865 the 16th consolidated with the 24th Infantry regiment to form the Consolidated 16th and 24th Infantry Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers. This consolidated unit surrendered on April 26, 1865 with the Army of Tennessee.

The Mississippi 11th Infantry Regiment was organized at Corinth, Mississippi, in May, 1861, and mustered into Confederate service at Lynchburg, Virginia. Its companies were recruited into Confederate service at Lynchburg, Virginia. Its companies were recruited in the counties of Neshoba, Yazoo, Monroe, Coahome, Noxubee, Chickasaw, Lowndes, Lamar, Carroll, and Lafayette. The 11th fought at First Manassas under General B.E. Bee, then was assigned to General Whiting's, Law's, and J.R. Davis' Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. The 11th served with the army from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor except when it was with Longstreet at Suffolk. Later it was involved in the Petersburg siege south of the James River in the Appomattox Campaign. This regiment lost 7 killed and 21 wounded at First Manassas and totalled 504 effectives in April, 1862. It had 18 killed, 142 wounded, and 3 missing at Gaines' Mill, 4 killed and 55 wounded at Second Manassas, and 8 killed and 96 wounded in the Maryland Campaign. Of the 592 engaged at Gettysburg, thirty-four percent were disabled, and there were 9 casualties en route from Pennsylvania. It surrendered 3 officers and 15 men.