The 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of foot soldiers from
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 ...
. 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, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...
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 (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 ...
with 1,037 soldiers. The unit's original
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 Hébert
Louis Hébert (; c. 1575 – 25 January 1627) is widely considered the first European apothecary in the region that would later become Canada, as well as the first European to farm in said region. He was born around 1575 at 129 de la rue Sa ...
,
Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Hyams, 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 ...
William F. Tunnard. On 20 May, the regiment started to travel to
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...
.
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 ...
, 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.
In August, Confe ...
, 5,400 Union soldiers with 16 guns under
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was a United States Army officer who was the first Union Army, Union General officer, general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginn ...
attacked 10,175 Confederate troops with 15 guns led by
Sterling Price
Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
,
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
The 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. Raised in 1861, the regiment consisted of nine companies, which were drawn from various counties in Arkansas. Throug ...
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 during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...
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
James McQueen McIntosh (c. 1828 – March 7, 1862) was a career American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Noted as an aggressive and popular leader of cavalry, he was killed in action at ...
was shot dead soon afterward. At about the same time, Hebert (who was third-in-command) led the 3rd Louisiana and the
4th
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama
...
,
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 States Army general who served as an List of justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court, associate justice of the Arkansas Supr ...
to join
Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) was an American Major General who started his military career as a United States Army officer and became famous for successfully leading two defenses of a Native American settlement from the Comanch ...
, 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 main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. 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 Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. 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, Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,622 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee.
His ...
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 became colonel,
Jerome B. Gilmore became lieutenant colonel, and Samuel D. Russell became major.

On 18 September 1862, Armstrong's cavalry galloped into
Iuka, Mississippi
Iuka is a city in and the county seat of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States. Its population was 3,028 at the 2010 census. Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Mississippi, is located just south of Iuka.
History
Iuka is built o ...
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
The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans stopped the advance of the Confederate Army of ...
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 States Army, Confederate History of Confederate States Army Generals#Brigadier general, brigadier general during the American ...
'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
The 5th Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
History
The ten companies that formed the 5th Iowa were ordered into quarters by Governor of Iowa Samuel Kirkwood at different d ...
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 Dec ...
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 or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...
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, M ...
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 Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...
, 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
John Horace Forney (August 12, 1829 – September 13, 1902) was a farmer, civil engineer, and major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Being promoted to the rank of major general on October 27, 1862, Forney par ...
'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 a small 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 g ...
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 ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. 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 List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
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'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.
See also
*
List of Louisiana Confederate Civil War units
*
Louisiana in the Civil War
Notes
References
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Further reading
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{{Louisiana Confederate units navbox
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Louisiana
1861 establishments in Louisiana