The 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of foot soldiers from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

that fought in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. The regiment distinguished itself at Wilson's Creek in 1861. The 3rd Louisiana fought at Pea Ridge, First Corinth, Iuka, and Second Corinth in 1862. The unit defended Vicksburg in 1863 where it was captured. At Vicksburg, the unit's fortification was twice blown up by powerful

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automatic ...

s. The surviving soldiers were paroled and exchanged, after which they performed guard duty for the rest of the war.

Formation

On 11 May 1861, the 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment organized at Camp Walker in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

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 rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Louis Hebert, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Hyams, and Major William F. Tunnard. On 20 May, the regiment started to travel to

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

Captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, company nicknames, and parishes where the men were recruited are listed below. * Key: k = killed, m = mortally wounded, p = promoted, r = resigned, t = transferred, x = dropped 8 May 1862.

History

1861

The 3rd Louisiana Infantry served in

Benjamin McCulloch Brigadier-General Benjamin McCulloch (November 11, 1811 – March 7, 1862) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a major-general in the Texas militia and thereafter a major in the United States Army (United States Volunteers) ...

's brigade from May–September 1861. When the indifferently-dressed pro-Southern Missourians first saw Hebert's regiment, they were impressed with its neat gray uniforms and the officers' gold braid. On 10 August 1861 in the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri. Missouri was offi ...

, 5,400 Union soldiers with 16 guns under

Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginning of the conflict, to forestall secret secessionist plans of th ...

attacked 10,175 Confederate troops with 15 guns led by

Sterling Price Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...

, Nicholas Bartlett Pearce, and McCulloch. Lyon's attack was a complete surprise. As his main column advanced from the north, Lyon sent 300 U.S. regular infantry under J. B. Plummer to protect his left flank. The 3rd Louisiana and the 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles met the regulars in a cornfield and defeated them after a fight lasting one hour. A second Union column led by

Franz Sigel Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German American military officer, revolutionary and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil ...

advanced from the south and enjoyed a brief success. After its successful cornfield fight, Hebert's Pelican Rifles moved to face the new threat. Sigel's men held their fire because the Louisianans looked like an Iowa regiment. Sigel's troops were routed after being blasted by a volley. Finally, the 3rd Louisiana joined the main battle against Lyon on Oak Hill, taking a position on the right flank next to the

3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment or South Kansas-Texas Mounted Volunteers was a unit of mounted volunteers that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Wilson's Creek and Chustenahlah in 1861, ...

. After repelling four Confederate attacks, Lyon was killed and the Federals retreated after suffering 1,317 casualties. Confederate losses numbered 1,230. The 3rd Louisiana lost 9 killed and 48 wounded at Wilson's Creek, including Captain Hinson (B Company) killed.

1862

In the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Federal f ...

on 7–8 March 1862, the 3rd Louisiana was commanded by Major Tunnard since Colonel Hebert was promoted to brigade commander. The regiment sustained casualties of 10 killed, 15 wounded, and 42 missing during the fighting. On 7 March, McCulloch was killed early in the fighting and the division's second-in-command James M. McIntosh was shot dead soon afterward. At about the same time, Hebert (who was third-in-command) led the 3rd Louisiana and the 4th, 14th, and 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiments into Morgan's Woods. When the staff officers of the fallen generals went looking for Hebert, he had disappeared into the woods, leaving McCulloch's division leaderless. After extremely confused fighting, Hebert's regiments were defeated and withdrew from the woods. Hebert and about 30 others became separated from his brigade and the group was later captured by Union cavalry. Tunnard, who had passed out from exhaustion, was also captured. McCulloch's division dispersed; about 1,200 soldiers left the battlefield, 2,000 went with

Albert Pike Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate general who served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in exile from 1864 to 1865. He had previously ser ...

to join

Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) started his military career as a United States Army officer but joined Confederate forces in 1861 after the Civil War broke out. He was a major general when he was killed in a private conflict. A g ...

, and another 3,500, including the survivors of the 3rd Louisiana, went with Elkanah Greer to join Van Dorn. On 15 March, Hebert and Tunnard were released from captivity in exchange for two captured Federal officers, Francis J. Herron and William P. Chandler. After Pea Ridge, the Confederate soldiers endured a terrible retreat in cold weather. Because Van Dorn's logistics broke down, they were forced to steal food from the local people. William Watson of the 3rd Louisiana called it a "miniature Moscow retreat". Two weeks after the battle, Tunnard reported that there were only 270 demoralized men in the regiment and that their uniforms were in tatters. Many more drifted in afterward. Van Dorn soon received an order to move his army to the east side of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

. Accordingly, the Confederates marched from Van Buren to

Des Arc, Arkansas Des Arc is a city on the White River in the Arkansas Delta, United States. It is the largest city in Prairie County, Arkansas, and the county seat for the county's northern district. Incorporated in 1854, Des Arc's position on the river has ...

where the troops boarded vessels that took them to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The soldiers in Hebert's brigade did not arrive in Des Arc until 15 April 1862 and did not board the transports until 24–25 April.

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. History Corinth was founded i ...

proved to be an unhealthy camp. Of the 80,000 Confederate troops concentrated there, 18,000 were ill. On 29 May, the Confederate army abandoned Corinth. On 8 May 1862, Hebert, Hyams, Tunnard, and 6 captains were dropped and new officers were elected.

Frank Crawford Armstrong Francis "Frank" Crawford Armstrong (November 22, 1835 – September 8, 1909) was a United States Army cavalry officer and later a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He is also known for being the only ...

became colonel, Jerome B. Gilmore became lieutenant colonel, and Samuel D. Russell became major. Lewis Henry Little

On 18 September 1862, Armstrong's cavalry galloped into Iuka, Mississippi followed immediately by the 3rd Louisiana Infantry. The town had been hastily abandoned by its Federal garrison and many supplies left behind. The Louisiana soldiers quickly broke into the sutler stores and helped themselves to a variety of food, which was much better than their usual diet of beef and hoecake. In the

Battle of Iuka A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

on 19 September, the 3rd Louisiana fought in Hebert's brigade,

Lewis Henry Little Lewis Henry Little (March 19, 1817 – September 19, 1862) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War. He served mainly in the Western Theater and was killed in action during ...

's division, Price's corps. Hebert arranged his 1,774-man brigade with the 3rd Texas Cavalry (dismounted) deployed in front as skirmishers, the 1st Texas Legion (dismounted) on the right, the combined 14th- 17th Arkansas Infantry Regiments in the center, the 3rd Louisiana Infantry on the left, and the 40th Mississippi Infantry in reserve. They were supported by Faris's and Dawson's Missouri batteries. The 3rd Louisiana sent Company F forward as skirmishers and they killed 4 or 5 Union soldiers. At 5:15 pm, Hebert ordered his brigade to attack the Union troops in front. The Louisianans found themselves fighting the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment at a range of . Sergeant Willie Tunnard remarked that most of the 3rd Louisiana dropped to one knee to fire and avoided injury because the Federals fired too high. After trading volleys for 15 minutes, the Union troops advanced with bayonets and the 3rd Louisiana fell back. Soon the Louisiana soldiers pushed forward again to be pressed back by a second bayonet charge. As darkness fell and smoke obscured the field, the situation became confused. One Louisianan tried to seize the flag of the 5th Iowa, yelling, "Don't fire at us; we are your friends." The Iowans shot him down. Finally, the 5th Iowa started taking fire from the 1st Texas Legion and its three left flank companies were mauled. Four companies from the

26th Missouri Volunteer Infantry The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was organized from recruits across the state of Missouri, September through ...

tried to fill the gap but were driven back by the 3rd Louisiana. When Hebert sent the 40th Mississippi to attack the Federal right flank, the 5th Iowa retreated, having suffered 217 casualties in 75 minutes of battle. The four companies of the 26th Missouri sustained 97 casualties. Later, when a Federal attack threatened to overrun the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Gilmore led a charge that drove them back. Earlier, Gilmore had taken five flesh wounds, but he finally took a bullet in the shoulder. Meanwhile, Major Russell rode to the rear to stop

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while e ...

from hitting the Louisianans in the back. Out of 264 men taken into battle, the 3rd Louisiana lost about 40% casualties. At the

Second Battle of Corinth The second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, ...

on 3–4 October 1862, the 3rd Louisiana Infantry was in W. Bruce Colbert's brigade, Hebert's division, Price's corps. The brigade had the same units as at Iuka. On 3 October, Colbert's brigade started the day in reserve behind Hebert's three frontline brigades and apparently ended the day in reserve. On 4 October, Van Dorn ordered Hebert's division to attack at dawn. At 7:00 am, Hebert reported himself ill at headquarters and was replaced by Martin E. Green who was not briefed beforehand. In the muddle, Green's troops finally attacked at 10:00 am. Green's two right-hand brigades smashed through the Union defenses and took Battery Powell, but suffered heavy losses. The two left-hand brigades, including Colbert's, ran into tougher opposition. The 3rd Louisiana fought against the same Federal unit that it fought at Iuka (5th Iowa). After 45 minutes of fighting, Colbert's soldiers were repulsed with severe losses. The 3rd Louisiana suffered 32 casualties, or about one-third of the soldiers who went into battle. Armstrong was tapped to command a new cavalry brigade and resigned on 5 November 1862. On that date, Gilmore became colonel, Russell moved up to lieutenant colonel, and David Pierson became major.

1863–1865

In the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mi ...

, 18 May – 4 July 1863, the 3rd Louisiana Infantry commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Russell and seconded by Major Pierson was in Hebert's brigade of John Horace Forney's division. During the siege, the brigade suffered losses of 219 killed, 455 wounded, and 21 missing. The 3rd Louisiana lost 45 killed and 126 wounded, the heaviest casualties of any unit in the brigade. On 25 June, the Union forces exploded a mine under the 3rd Louisiana Redan and killed six men and wounded 21 more. The Federals occupied the crater left by the explosion, but the Confederates were able to throw

grenades A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...

into the seized position, inflicting about 30 casualties. On 1 July, a second mine was detonated under the 3rd Louisiana's defenses, killing one and wounding 21. The second mine mortally wounded both Captain Kinney (Company A) and Captain Johnson (Company I). This time Union troops made no attempt to occupy the position. The Confederates surrendered at Vicksburg and the soldiers were paroled until they could be exchanged. Gilmore resigned on 20 August 1863. Two days later, Russell was appointed colonel, Pierson became lieutenant colonel, and John S. Richards was promoted major. The 3rd Louisiana Infantry's soldiers were officially exchanged on 12 September 1863 and ordered to report to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

. However, very few of the men showed up. By December 1863, there were only 38 fit men in camp. A few men from the regiment were absorbed into the 22nd Louisiana Consolidated Regiment as Company H at Enterprise, Mississippi in January 1864. The regiment was not mustered until July 1864 at Pineville. The unit marched to Camp Boggs in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

in August 1864 and mounted guard duty there for the remainder of the war. During this period, the 3rd Louisiana was assigned to

Allen Thomas Allen Thomas (December 14, 1830 – December 3, 1907) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War (Civil War). He was born in Howard County, Maryland, and became a lawyer but he moved to Louisiana in the late ...

's brigade in Camille de Polignac's division. The regiment disbanded on 19–20 May 1865. Out of 1,136 men enrolled into the 3rd Louisiana Infantry, 123 were killed in action, 74 died of disease, 3 died in accidents, 2 were murdered, and 1 drowned.

Notes

References

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