7th Mississippi Volunteer Infantry Regiment

7th Mississippi Infantry

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Location
Southwest Mississippi
If I’m going to use these guys as a screen name, it’s only appropriate that I contribute a brief history of their regiment.

This will be a work in progress.

The 7th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was one of the very first Magnolia State regiments formed following Mississippi’s secession from the United States on January 9, 1861.

A detailed history of the 7th can be found in the excellent two volume work:

Lest We Forget
The Immortal Seventh Mississippi

Edited by Mr. Ron Skellie.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CI95VS2/?tag=civilwartalkc-20
 
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The men that would form the heart of the 7th Mississippi Regiment were from the Southwestern part of the State.
Amite, Pike, Franklin, Marion, Lawrence and Covington counties.

Most of these guys were the sons of fathers that had fought in the War of 1812.
Either at the Battle of New Orleans or against the Upper Creek 'Indian' Confederacy during that phase of the 1812 War.

A few of their Grandfathers were also veterans of the American Revolution.

With that said, these boys had a great sense of patriotism.

And when the call for troops was issued by the Mississippi
Governor during that January of 1861, there was no shortage of eager young men that volunteered.
 
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As I said, this thread will be a brief history of the regiment . . . a snapshot so to speak.
Be careful...I originally intended to publish a brief history of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry back about 1998...it tends to take on a life of its own! :wink:

Really, it's almost like you have the ghosts of all those long-dead soldiers incessantly whispering in your ear to tell their stories, tell the story of their company, tell the story of their regiment. It's very hard to find the spot where you can stop and tell yourself there's not yet more to tell.
 
Also looking forward to hearing more about Company H, the Dahlgren Rifles.
Co. H - mustered into State service on August 22, 1861 in Topinsaw, Mississippi.

The Dahlgren Rifles were organized on Topinsaw by Capt. Parham B. Williams and mustered in by him August 22, 1861 as part of the 7th Mississippi Volunteers. The Company was later designated as Co. H 7th Regiment Mississippi Infantry and was under General Chalmers-Cheatham's Division.

The following is an excerpt from The History of Pike County:

" This company met with a very serious accident during the war at Ponchatoula, La., by the collision of the train they were being transported on with another, which resulted in the death of Captain Williams and several of his men and wounding many others. It was charged that this was prearranged by persons controlling the trains for the purpose of killing the men, being northern men and in sympathy with the Union army. The engineer and others made their escape and kept out of the way until after the close of the war, else they might have paid the penalty of their crime." (For more information on this wreck, see the section Immortal Seventh.)

<br>

More at:

http://ranger95.com/civil_war/mississippi/infantry/26inf_rgt/26th_miss_inf_csa_roster_h.html
 
Really, it's almost like you have the ghosts of all those long-dead soldiers incessantly whispering in your ear to tell their stories, tell the story of their company, tell the story of their regiment. It's very hard to find the spot where you can stop and tell yourself there's not yet more to tell.
Absolutely! Couldn't agree more. "I see dead people" .....and they talk to me. :unsure:
Tell about what happened to us at Cramptons Gap....and Fort Sanders..... Tell the story about Wofford at the Wilderness. Tell about Cold Harbor - we didn't run. Honest. Tell the story about Cedar Creek - nobody knows that one.....
<Please don't tell anyone they talk to me, because folks would think I'm crazy.:D>
Indeed.....there'll always be more to tell! :bounce: Think I'll start a new thread to discuss this phenomenon.
 
Co. H - mustered into State service on August 22, 1861 in Topinsaw, Mississippi.

The Dahlgren Rifles were organized on Topinsaw by Capt. Parham B. Williams and mustered in by him August 22, 1861 as part of the 7th Mississippi Volunteers. The Company was later designated as Co. H 7th Regiment Mississippi Infantry and was under General Chalmers-Cheatham's Division.

The following is an excerpt from The History of Pike County:

" This company met with a very serious accident during the war at Ponchatoula, La., by the collision of the train they were being transported on with another, which resulted in the death of Captain Williams and several of his men and wounding many others. It was charged that this was prearranged by persons controlling the trains for the purpose of killing the men, being northern men and in sympathy with the Union army. The engineer and others made their escape and kept out of the way until after the close of the war, else they might have paid the penalty of their crime." (For more information on this wreck, see the section Immortal Seventh.)

<br>

More at:

http://ranger95.com/civil_war/mississippi/infantry/26inf_rgt/26th_miss_inf_csa_roster_h.html
Thanks so much for following up on my request :smile:

I see there were 4 officers and 9 privates killed in the RR incident. 13 men all up, but 4 officers must have been a big loss to them at the time.

Two men were also killed in the battle of Harrisburg (Mike Reddy and Asa Dunaway), and I'm wondering whose command they were under there? This is a battle I have been studying, as you know, and I'm curious to know if they were part of Forrest's troops. Of course, all troops were under the main command of General Lee, but as cavalry maybe they came under Forrest's direction?

Some unusual names form part of this roster, but as you also know Zebulon (Williams) is one of my favourites!

Then we have Craft (Coon), Pleasant (Day), Pleasant (Leonard), Pleasant (Pollard) and finally Pearl (Dunaway).

I find CW names fascinating at times.

Thanks again for the link :smile:

Oh, btw, how did they come to be knows as the Dahlgren Rifles?
 
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Thanks so much for following up on my request :smile:

I see there were 4 officers and 9 privates killed in the RR incident. 13 men all up, but 4 officers must have been a big loss to them at the time.

Two men were also killed in the battle of Harrisburg (Mike Reddy and Asa Dunaway), and I'm wondering whose command they were under there? This is a battle I have been studying, as you know, and I'm curious to know if they were part of Forrest's troops. Of course, all troops were under the main command of General Lee, but as cavalry maybe they came under Forrest's direction?

Some unusual names also form part of this roster, but as you also know Zebulon (Williams) is one of my favourites!

Then we have Craft (Coon), Pleasant (Day), Pleasant (Leonard), Pleasant (Pollard) and finally Pearl (Dunaway).

I find CW names fascinating at times.

Thanks again for the link :smile:

Oh, btw, how did they come to be knows as the Dahlgren Rifles?
Enjoying the thread. I see that you have two Dunaways mentioned and that the 7th was recruited partly from Marion County. They surely have to be from Jim Dunaway’s (former all American football player at Ole Miss) family tree, who is from Columbia.
 
Two men were also killed in the battle of Harrisburg (Mike Reddy and Asa Dunaway), and I'm wondering whose command they were under there?
I'm not sure.
Perhaps there was different Asa Dunaway ?

The 7th Mississippi Regiment did not participate in the Battle of Harrisburg/Tupelo.

Actually his records reflect that he was killed during the Atlanta campaign,
Here are Asa Dunaway's service records from the 7th Miss Inf :
 

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Enjoying the thread.
Thanks !

They surely have to be from Jim Dunaway’s (former all American football player at Ole Miss) family tree, who is from Columbia.

That would not surprise me at all.

Actually there are many 7th Regiment men named Day from Marion County.

My first thought was that these guys had to be ancestors of the great Ole Miss & NFL player Eagle Day.
 
I'm not sure.
Perhaps there was different Asa Dunaway ?

The 7th Mississippi Regiment did not participate in the Battle of Harrisburg/Tupelo.

Actually his records reflect that he was killed during the Atlanta campaign,
Here are Asa Dunaway's service records from the 7th Miss Inf :
Thanks so much for the records relating to Asa Dunaway. I always find it so hard to read in black and white about someone's death.

I took my clue about his being at Harrisburg from the link you provided

'Dunaway, Asa Killed in Battle at Harrisburg, MS. (May have been in a cavalry unit, several men from the 7th joined cavalry units and were involved in a battle at Harrisburg near Tupelo, MS.)'

I wonder if it's possible he was there, but survived (i.e. his death perhaps recorded wrongly here) and moved onto Atlanta with Lee? His records seem to indicate at one point he was with Chalmer's brigade which could definitely put him at the battle of Harrisburg.

Having said that, more than likely there was more than one Asa Dunaway, and if that's the case, it wouldn't be hard to confuse the records.

And Mike Reddy's.

(Not much on Reddy . . only the cover file on the fold3 site)

Once again from the link

Reddy, Mike Killed at Harrisburg, MS (May have been in a cavalry unit-several men from the 7th joined cavalry units and were involved in a battle at Harrisburg near Tupelo, MS.)

Not sure how they come up with that information with so little information available in terms of his records :confused:

Thanks again for going to the trouble of looking into it further for me :smile:

As always, it's a process of discovery.
 
Oh, btw, how did they come to be knows as the Dahlgren Rifles?

In honor of Confederate General Charles G. Dahlgren.

Dahlgren_CharlesG_1870ph_medium.jpg


Brother of the famous US Admiral John A. Dahlgren.


DownloadedFile-7.jpeg



Ever heard of a Naval Dahlgren gun ?
Brother John invented it.

However, brother Charles cast his lot with the Confederacy.

Talk about brother against brother at the highest level of society !

The brothers also had unique relationships with their respective Presidents. The Admiral was very close to Lincoln which annoyed some Union Naval Brass. On the other hand, the General and Davis did not get along at all, resulting in the loss of his command.

http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/the-officers/john-dahlgren/
 
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