Mr. John Haynes, of Tyler, Texas send material obtained at the celebration of the 11th Ms. Infantry, held at Gettysburg, Pa., and we can thank him for "providing" most of the names mentioned here.
| University Greys | ||
| Coahoma Invincibles | ||
| Prairie Rifles | ||
| Neshoba Rifles | ||
| Prairie Guards | ||
| Noxubee Rifles | ||
| Lamar Rifles | ||
| Chickasaw Guards | ||
| Van Dorn Reserves | ||
| Carroll County Rifles |
May of 1862 found the 11th Mississippi marching half of it's one thousand men into battle at Seven Pines, near Richmond, Virginia. It is stated that twenty-four percent of the soldiers were lost in this engagement. General Joseph E. Johnston, who had led this attack against General George McClellan's Federal army was wounded, and Robert E. Lee was named as successor.
Under Lee's leadership, a victory was won at Gaines' Mill. However, of the 11th, eighteen were killed, with 142 wounded, and three missing.
Then, the second battle of Manassas was fought, with the 11th in the middle of it all.
September of 1862 found Lee taking his "Army of Northern Virginia" into Maryland near Sharpsburg, where the 11th, under John Bell Hood, met the Federal Joseph Hooker's First Corps in the cornfield of David Miller. At this place, the Regiment had 117 casualties.
November brought about a reconstruction. The 2nd, 11th, and 42nd Mississippi regiments, along with the 55th North Carolina formed a new brigade led by Joseph Robert Davis, nephew of the the Confederate President. This new brigade was assigned again to the Army of Northen Virginia.
While three of the regiments advanced towards Gettysburg, Pa., in July of 1863, the 11th was guarding Henry Heth's division's wagon trains at Cashtown. The 11th joined the rest of the force the next day at Gettysburg.
This was to be the worst loss of the 11th, as on July 3, 1863, Robert E. Lee made the decision to attack the Federal center deployed along Cemetery ridge. It didn't take long. When the charge was made, the 11th Mississippi incurred 340 casualties. They started with 389, which meant a loss of eighty-seven percent of the men of the 11th.
Taking some time to rest, the winter of 1863-1864 found Orange Court House as the campground for Lee's army.
Wilderness, Talle's Mill, Spotsylvania Court House, and Bethesda Church became battlegrounds between the Federal forces and the Rebels. The 11th Mississippi Infantry on April 2, 1865, after holding and defending the area around the city of Peterburg, was finally captured by General U.S. Grant's forces. Approximately ten percent of the members of the 11th avoided capture. Then, on the 9th of April, General Robert E. Lee rode into Appomattox, Virginia, and surrendered the remnants of his Army of Northern Virginia.
April 12, 1865 the men of the 11th Mississippi were paroled. Only twenty-one members of the Regiment were present.