The 2nd Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

that fought in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Formed in May 1861, the regiment was sent to fight in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Its first action took place during the

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

. The regiment suffered very heavy losses at Malvern Hill. After joining an all-Louisiana brigade, it fought at Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run,

Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgin ...

, and Fredericksburg in 1862, at Chancellorsville, Second Winchester, Gettysburg, and Mine Run in 1863, and at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania,

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Army, Union Lieuten ...

, Monocacy, Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and Petersburg in 1864, and at Appomattox in 1865. The regiment lost over 100 men at both Second Bull Run and Chancellorsville. A company-sized remnant surrendered at Appomattox.

Formation

The 2nd Louisiana Infantry Regiment organized on 11 May 1861 at Camp Walker in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. There were 1,013 men enrolled in 10 companies named A–K, excluding J. The

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 were

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

Louis Gustave De Russy Louis Gustave De Russy (1795 – December 17, 1864) was an engineer and career United States Army officer who served as Major-General in the Louisiana Militia during the American Civil War. He was the oldest West Point graduate to serve in the ...

, Lieutenant Colonel John Young, and

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Isiah T. Norwood. De Russy resigned on 19 July 1861 and was replaced as colonel by William M. Levy. On 30 April 1862, the regiment elected new officers. Levy was dropped and Norwood was promoted colonel on 1 May 1862. Young was dropped and Jesse M. Williams was promoted lieutenant colonel. Richard W. Ashton became major. Norwood was mortally wounded on 1 July 1863 and replaced as colonel by Williams; Ross E. Burke was promoted lieutenant colonel and Michael A. Grogan was promoted major. Grogan replaced Ashton who was also killed on 1 July 1863. Williams was killed 12 May 1864 and replaced as colonel by Burke; Grogan was promoted lieutenant colonel and Martin C. Redwine was promoted major. Redwine was killed 17 September 1864. The company

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, nicknames, and recruitment parishes are listed in the table. * Key: d = died, k = killed, p = promoted, r = resigned, u = dropped 18 April 1864, x = dropped 30 April 1862.

Service

1861–1862

The 2nd Louisiana Infantry traveled from New Orleans to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. The soldiers helped build defensive earthworks near Yorktown and

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

and spent the winter of 1861–1862 near Yorktown. On 16 April 1862, the regiment took part in the Action at Dam No. 1. After an artillery barrage, four companies of the 3rd Vermont Infantry waded across a pond and captured a line of Confederate rifle pits. After 40 minutes, they were counterattacked by a brigade of Georgians and Louisianians and driven off with 83 casualties out of the 192 Vermonters who carried out the probe. A later Federal attack was repulsed, bring total Union casualties to 165. At this time, the 2nd Louisiana Infantry was part of Brigadier General

Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 1849 to ...

's brigade and Brigadier General

Lafayette McLaws Lafayette McLaws ( ; January 15, 1821 – July 24, 1897) was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served at Antietam and Fredericksburg, where Robert E. Lee praised his defense of Marye's Heights ...

' division. At the

Battle of Malvern Hill The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. ...

on 1 July 1862, the troops led by Major General John B. Magruder carried out uncoordinated attacks instead of one concentrated assault. In Cobb's brigade, the 2nd Louisiana Infantry suffered 182 killed, wounded, and missing, the second highest losses of any Confederate regiment. Colonel Norwood and Major Ashton were both killed, along with three color bearers. On 26 July 1862, the 2nd Louisiana Infantry was reassigned to a brigade including the 1st Louisiana Zouave Battalion, and the 1st Louisiana, 9th Louisiana, 10th Louisiana, and 15th Louisiana Infantry Regiments. The regiment was lightly engaged at the

Battle of Cedar Mountain The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union Army, Union forces under Major gener ...

on 9 August. In the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

on 28–30 August 1862, the brigade was led by Brigadier General William E. Starke and was part of a division commanded by Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro. However, Taliaferro was wounded on 28 August, so Starke took command of the division. Colonel

Leroy Augustus Stafford Leroy Augustus Stafford Sr. (April 13, 1822 – May 8, 1864) was a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general in the Confederate States of America, Confederate Confederate States Army, Army during the American Civil War. Early life ...

of the 9th Louisiana assumed command of the brigade, which suffered losses of 110 killed, 269 wounded, and 6 missing during the battle. Nearly 130 men from the 2nd Louisiana Infantry became casualties during the fighting. At the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

on 17 September 1862, Starke's brigade counted about 650 men and sustained losses of 70 killed and 204 wounded. The 2nd Louisiana Infantry lost 10 killed and 49 wounded. Around 7 am, Starke's and another brigade were ordered to charge toward Miller's corn field. Starke was killed after being struck by four bullets. The charge was brought to a halt by intense Union rifle and artillery fire. In the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

on 13 December 1862, the regiment engaged in minor skirmishing. After Fredericksburg, the 1st Zouave Battalion was detached from the brigade and never rejoined.

1863–1865

At the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

on 1–3 May 1863, Brigadier General Francis T. Nicholls commanded the brigade, which was part of Brigadier General Raleigh Colston's division. The brigade lost 46 killed, 268 wounded, and 130 missing during the struggle. The 2nd Louisiana Infantry suffered losses of 15 killed, 90 wounded, and 21 missing. The regiment took part in

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Thomas J. Jackson's flank attack on 2 May and in the bitter fighting on 3 May. Nicholls, who was already missing his left arm, lost his left foot to an artillery projectile on 2 May. He was replaced in command of the brigade by Colonel Williams of the 2nd Louisiana Infantry.

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

William Clegg wrote that the regiment took about 175 men into battle and lost 126 in the fighting. On 15 June at the Second Battle of Winchester, the 2nd and 10th Louisiana Infantry captured approximately 1,000 Union soldiers. The fighting claimed the lives of three captains: Griffin (C Company), Crump (D Company), and Picou (H Company). At the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, the 2nd Louisiana Infantry attacked Culp's Hill on 2–3 July 1863. The regiment went into action with 236 men and sustained 62 casualties. Burke led the regiment and was wounded. The regiment was in a brigade commanded by Williams, in a division led by Major General Edward Johnson, and in the Second Corps under Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell. At the

Battle of Mine Run The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

(Payne's Farm) on 27 November 1863, casualties in the regiment were light. The 2nd Louisiana Infantry fought at the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

on 5 May 1864. The brigade was led by Brigadier General Stafford and was part of Johnson's division and Ewell's Second Corps. By 1864, Stafford's Louisiana brigade had won a reputation for drinking, pillaging, and hard fighting according to historian Gordon C. Rhea. From 1 to 3 pm on 5 May, Stafford's brigade helped repulse Union V Corps attacks at Saunders' Field. Later at 3:30 pm, the brigade found itself fighting in dense woods. As Stafford ordered his men to attack, the

Stonewall Brigade The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Ins ...

on his right was driven back by Union VI Corps troops who then pushed into the space between the two brigades. Stafford's soldiers were compelled to withdraw in confusion and Stafford was mortally wounded by a bullet through his spine. The other Louisiana brigade under Brigadier General

Harry T. Hays Harry Thompson Hays (April 14, 1820 – August 21, 1876) was an American military officer serving in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War and a general who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Known as the "Lou ...

' rushed from the reserve to fill the gap, but lost one-third of its numbers in the fighting. The Louisiana brigade fought in the

Battle of Spotsylvania The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 18 ...

on 7–20 May 1864. An assault at first light on 12 May by the Union II Corps overran Johnson's division at the Bloody Angle, capturing 2,800 men and 20 artillery pieces. Johnson himself was captured and his division was nearly wiped out. The initial Union success was followed by brutal fighting that lasted all day, with neither side winning any advantage. Colonel Williams was killed and the 2nd Louisiana Infantry lost its flag. On 4 June, Captain McCullough (K Company) was killed at

. On 13 June, because Union soldiers were threatening Lynchburg, the Second Corps under Major General

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his ...

began moving to the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

. The regiment fought in the Valley campaigns of 1864 in the summer and fall, serving at the battles of Monocacy, Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. At Monocacy, the two Louisiana brigades were grouped under the command of Brigadier General Zebulon York in Major General John B. Gordon's division. At Cedar Creek, the 1st Louisiana was consolidated with the 14th Louisiana and the 10th and 15th Louisiana were consolidated. However, the 2nd Louisiana Infantry remained unconsolidated. By this time, the 9th Louisiana was assigned to Hays' Louisiana brigade. In December 1864, the brigade returned from the Shenandoah Valley to serve in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. On 9 April General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

surrendered after the Battle of Appomattox. At the formal surrender, 3 officers and 41 enlisted men from the 2nd Louisiana Infantry signed their paroles. During the war, the regiment sustained losses of 218 men killed in action, 181 died of disease, and 4 died by accident. Another 88 men deserted. Altogether, 1,297 men enrolled in the regiment during the war.

Notes

References