Company I, DeSoto Brothers, was raised in the Spring of 1862 primarily of men from the northern part of DeSoto County from around Hernando, Pleasant Hill, Olive Branch, etc., though some men from the southern part of the county also served in the company.

The 29^th Mississippi Infantry was organized at Grenada, and field offices were elected April 11, 1862. Colonel Walthall had been theretofore Lieutenant Colonel, and Lieutenant Colonel Brantley Major of the Fifteenth, a twelve-month regiment. The Twenty-ninth Regiment was attached to Chalmers' Brigade of infantry, then in the fortified lines of Corinth, which were beleaguered by Union General Halleck's army until General Beauregard evacuated the city in the latter part of May. During the siege of Corinth a detachment of this regiment and others of the brigade were on outpost duty on the Monterey road, and were in action May 28-29. The regiment had 2 killed and 1 wounded in this engagement at the Russell House. One of those killed on May 29^th was A. G. Arrington of the DeSoto Brothers.

In the latter part of July 1862 the brigade was moved to Chattanooga, with the Amy of the Mississippi, and thence they advanced into Kentucky through Middle Tennessee. Walthall had a part in Chalmers' desperate assault upon the works at Munfordville, Kentucky on September 14^th, carrying into the battle a total of 307 and losing 5 killed, 36 wounded. The army retreated from Kentucky in the latter part of October 1862 through Cumberland Gap, and moved to Chattanooga before advancing upon the Union army toward Nashville, in December.

During the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee the brigade to which the Twenty-ninth was assigned was commanded by Gen. Patton Anderson, formerly of DeSoto County. The Twenty-ninth was involved in battle on December 31, 1862 and January 2, 1863. The casualties of the Twenty-ninth during the attack on December 31^st were 34 killed and 202 wounded, of which 2 killed, 2 mortally wounded, and 21 wounded were from Co. I. The total killed and wounded in the Twenty-ninth was exceeded by only one other regiment in the army. On January 2, 1863 the brigade, which had taken the first position of Chalmer's Brigade, was sent across the river to support Breckenridge, and gained the credit of saving the artillery of that part of the army.

The Twenty-ninth took part in the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. On September 18^th the regiment had 56 killed and wounded. On the 19^th they were again in battle as part of Walthall's Brigade. Walthall caught King's Brigade of United States regulars changing front, ran over them and their battery, took 400 prisoners, but having killed all the horses could not bring off the guns before they were in turn driven back in confusion. In this engagement the Twenty-ninth suffered severely. On the 20^th they moved further to the north and pushed across the Chattanooga road that Thomas was making the famous fight to hold. Here they came under an artillery fire that could not be endured and fell back hurriedly, losing a few killed and 15 or 20 captured. The regiment carried 368 into the three-day battle and had 194 killed, wounded and missing. The DeSoto Brothers lost 1 mortally wounded, 4 wounded, and 2 captured.

The regiment took part in the battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, 1863, which was fought primarily by Walthall's Mississippi Brigade. Walthall's Brigade had a total effective of 1,489, and had 8 killed, 48 wounded and 845 captured. The casualties of the Twenty-ninth on the 24^th were 2 killed, 26 wounded, 155 missing; on the 25^th, 7 wounded.  The DeSoto Brothers lost 1 mortally wounded, 3 wounded, 1 wounded and captured, and 18 captured for a total of 24 men.

The Twenty-ninth, in Walthall's Brigade, Hindman's Division, Hood's Corps, was engaged in the Atlanta Campaign. They saw action at Resaca, Georgia May 14 - 15, 1864 where the casualties of the Twenty-ninth 5 were killed, 23 wounded. They were in line of battle at Cassville on May 19^th, and then involved in skirmishing during the operations of Kenesaw Mountain and New Hope Church.

On June 9^th they fought with Union cavalry at Big Shaunty. On July 28^th, on the Lickskillet Road near Atlanta, they were involved in a charge which temporarily drove in the Federal lines. The Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth, under command of Lieut.-Col. James M. Johnson, had 277 men on the field, of which 5 were killed and 24 wounded. They captured about 20 prisoners. Their final battle of the campaign was at Jonesboro, August 31, 1864 when the brigade suffered heavy loss in a front attack upon the Federal line strongly posted. The Twenty-ninth had 55 killed and wounded. During the entire Atlanta Campaign the Compiled Service Records show that Co. I lost 4 wounded and 1 captured (John B. Wooten, who was reported killed but took the Oath of Allegiance in Chattanooga on May 19^th).

The Twenty-ninth, as part of Brantly's Brigade, moved with Hood's army into Tennessee in November and December 1864, seeing combat at Franklin (November 30^th) and Nashville (December 15^th & 16^th). The losses of Brantley's brigade at Franklin were the greatest in Johnson's Division -- 76 killed, 140 wounded, 21 missing. Among Company I’s casualties was her captain, George W. Reynolds, who was killed in the attack.

After Nashville the army was again retreated. The brigade was furloughed until February 12, 1865. On April 9, 1865 Brantley's Brigade, the Twenty-fourth, Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth and Thirty-fourth Mississippi Regiments consolidated into the Twenty-fourth Regiment, Col. R. W. Williamson commanding. The army was surrendered April 26, and paroled at Greensboro, N. C., soon afterward.

Below is a roster of men who served in Company I extracted from the Compiled Service Records.  Unfortunately, the records of the 29^th Mississippi are incomplete, and are practically non-existent after February 1864, so there are only glimpses of what occurred after that date.