STOCKDALE'S BATTALION

Also known as "Company B, 4th Mississippi Cavalry" and "Norman's Company of Partisan Rangers".

            HUGHES' BATTALION

       Colonel Henry Hughes, formerly of the Twelfth Mississippi Infantry, organized a partisan corps in the spring and summer of 1862, which included infantry and cavalry. That part which continued permanently in service was known as Hughes' Battalion of Cavalry, Lieut. Col. C. C. Wilbourne commanding. The official reports note the presence of the battalion at Port Hudson, [East Baton Rouge Parish], Louisiana on October 22, 1862; and in January, 1863 with Gantt's command on outpost duty toward Clinton, [East Feliciana Parish], Louisiana. It April, 1863 the unit saw action against Grierson's raid. Wilbourne reached Osyka [southern Pike County, Mississippi], when Grierson was at Hazelhurst [Copiah County, Mississippi], and he was instructed to cut off the approach to Grand Gulf [Claiborne County, Mississippi], cooperating with Wirt Adams. Because of this combined Confederate force Grierson could not join with Grant and was compelled to make a forced ride to Baton Rouge. Grierson crossed Williams' bridge over the Amite, near Port Hudson, at midnight between April 30 and May 1, and moved upon and surprised the camp of Hughes' Battalion at Sandy Creek, capturing a number of prisoners and destroying the camp, according to Grierson's report. During the siege of Port Hudson, Hughes' Battalion was with the command of Col. John L. Logan, headquartered at Clinton, Louisiana, operating in the Federal rear.

            McLAURIN'S BATTALION

Also known as the "Mississippi Scouts", of Rankin County.

       Capt. C. McLaurin's company of partisan rangers, is mentioned in official records as being at Port Hudson, Louisiana in August of 1862, with 67 men. It is mentioned again as being with Co. J.M. Simonton at Ponchatoula, Louisiana on April 30, 1863.

       The combined Hughes and Stockdale Battalions under the command of Col. John L. Logan, defeated on August 3, 1863, near Jackson, East Feliciana Parish, a detachment, mainly of the "Corps d'Afrique", under Lt. Hanham, who were out collecting Negro recruits. Union General Andrews, commanding at Port Hudson, reported a loss of 78 officers and men and the battery of two Parrot guns, with horses and caissons. Logan lost 12 killed and wounded. He asked General Hardee, then commanding in Mississippi, "What disposition shall I make of negroes captured in arms?" There is no record of Hardee's reply. General S.D. Lee was subsequently instructed to investigate the rumor that Hanham and 22 Negroes were killed. About this time the headquarters of Logan's command was changed to Crystal Springs in Copiah County, Mississippi.

       During the reconnaissance of McPherson's Federal command from Vicksburg to Canton [in Mississippi] in October, 1863, Stockdale's Battalion, with the Cavalry Brigade under Colonel Logan, skirmished at Bogue Chitto, near Brownsville [in Hinds County, northeast of Jackson] on October 16, with Stockdale in front on the skirmish line. They held the Federal cavalry in check and retired only when outflanked by Union infantry, according to McPherson's report. The following day, near Livingston, the Battalion was again in the front of a considerable engagement.

       These troops were under the command of CSA General Wirt Adams when he occupied Ellis Cliffs on December 6, 1863, and Stockdale's Battalion joined in the pursuit of the enemy to Natchez after the skirmish that followed.

       On January 19, 1864, the regiment was ordered to report to Gen. S. D. Lee at Jackson, who was preparing the meet the Sooy Smith raid from LaGrange, Tennessee. By early February the regiment had still not yet reported because they were at Brandon [Rankin County, Mississippi], scattered on conscript duty. They soon became involved in the series of unsuccessful actions to halt the much written about march of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman across the middle of the Confederacy.

       Stockdale's Battalion was with the Brigade [of Gen. Wirt Adams; in the division of Gen. W.H. Jackson; under Maj. Gen. S.D. Lee; under Lieut. Gen. Polk headquartered at Meridian, Mississippi] in the gallant stand made against McPherson's column of Sherman's army near Champion Hill [between Vicksburg and Jackson] on February 4, 1864, Sherman being on the march to Meridian. When Adams was compelled to fall back towards Baker's Creek, Stockdale made a brilliant charge upon the Federal flanking column that had forced this movement. Of Wood's Regiment and Stockdale's Battalion, in this action, Adams wrote that "nothing could surpass the unflinching steadiness and courage of these commands," which elicited the commendation of Major General S.D. Lee, who was with the Brigade.

      The stubborn fight on the morning of February 5th, at Baker's Creek bridge, was made by Griffith's Arkansas Regiment and Stockdale's Battalion and King's Battery, who engaged the whole Federal line, "offering the most determined resistance and maintaining their position until the last moment, Colonel Griffith and Major Stockdale, as usual, distinguishing themselves by their gallant and fearless bearing," wrote Adams in his official report of the action.

       At the next position, beyond Clinton, when Adams was outflanked, "the enemy poured a severe volley into Major Stockdale's Battalion [which was] acting as rear guard." Then the brigade moved northeast toward Canton, being outflanked from Jackson, and from Canton they moved, General Lee with them, eastwards towards Meridian, but without opportunity for action, then north to Starkville, then southwest to the vicinity of Sherman's army, now at Canton. From February 29 to March 2, they did what damage they could along the flank of Sherman's army and returning to the Big Black River. "In these affairs," Adams wrote, "Major Stockdale, Captain Muldrow and Captain Yerger were the most conspicuous and gallant participants. I have to lament the loss of Captain Magruder, of the Fourth Mississippi, who fell seriously, if not mortally, wounded, while leading a charge near Canton."

       In May of 1864, the regiment, brigaded under Colonel Mabry, was engaged in the campaign against McArthur's expedition from Vicksburg, which moved in two columns toward Mechanicsburg. On May 5th, the Arkansas Regiments met the Union forces at Mechanicsburg and engaged them in a sharp skirmish which lasted into the night. The next morning, the 6th, the enemy advanced on three roads and a detachment of Ellet's Marine Brigade landed at Liverpool. Mabry fell back to Benton, in Yazoo County, and gave battle two miles beyond there on May 7th, repulsing several cavalry charges, until the whole Federal force came up and he was compelled to retreat, the Fourth Cavalry covering the right flank. All progress of the enemy's cavalry was blocked the next day. On the 9th of May, Gen. Wirt Adams arrived with Wood's Regiment.

       They continued to hold the enemy together near Benton, through the following days, with continual skirmishing on the various roads. An attempt to destroy the railroad bridge over the Big Black River was defeated on the 14th by two companies of Mabry's Brigade, and two of Wood's Regiment. The Union force began to retreat on the 15th and the Fourth Cavalry was sent to strike their flank, but did not arrive in time. On the 18th there was a severe skirmish at Mechanicsburg. The depredations on private property, General Mabry reported, were intensely wanton, but he had been able to prevent widespread destruction.

       Mabry's Brigade, comprised of the Sixth, Thirty-eighth, and Fourth Mississippi, and the Fourteenth Confederate Cavalries, 1,000 strong, was temporarily assigned to Buford's Division in the Tupelo campaign, in the northeast quadrant of the state, during mid-July of 1864. The Brigade moved to Saltillo where it joined Buford, who had Lyon's Kentucky Brigade with him at Ellistown. On July 13th, General Forrest, with Mabry's Brigade, followed closely the Union Column as it moved from Pontotoc toward Tupelo.

       When the Union forces took position at Harrisburg, a short distance west of Tupelo, Mabry's Brigade was formed on the left of the road. In the assault on July 14th, Gen. Buford's official report states, "Mabry's and Bell's Brigades advanced to within close musket range and engaged the enemy. Approaching gradually they poured a very destructive fire upon [the Union] line. Arriving at the open space and having to cross a cornfield, they slowly advanced, but so deadly was the concentrated fire that, after penetrating some fifty steps, they retired to the cover of the timber, where they kept up a heavy and continual fire upon the enemy for three hours."

       Lieutenant Colonel Stockdale, commanding the regiment, was wounded. He was among those commended for gallantry. Captains William M. Martin and John B. McEwen were killed. The total casualties of the regiment were 13 killed, and 39 wounded.

       One member of the Brigade wrote afterwards, "About daylight we were dismounted and formed the front line of battle about one mile from the enemy. About one hour by sun we were ordered to advance, which was done in gallant style, driving in a heavy line of skirmishers under a galling fire of artillery and musketry. Furiously we dashed on to the slaughter. Owing to the extreme heat and our rapid movement many men and officers fell exhausted. Our line looked like a line of skirmishers, but on it went. When in about sixty yards of the enemy's line of fortifications we were ordered to halt, when we lay down and loaded and fired for more than an hour in an open field and remained there until a second line was brought up within 100 yards of us and had fallen back. We were then ordered back and moved off in good order."

       The Brigade went into the battle with about 600 men and had 273 killed, wounded, or reported missing.

       General S.D. Lee, writing of the conflicting orders that had delayed the reinforcements under Chalmers said, "Mabry and Bell were still holding their positions and fighting desperately." But, Chalmers arrived "too late to do much good, as the ammunition of Mabry and Bell was about exhausted and they had met with severe losses. If any troops could have carried the lines in front of them, these brave men would have done it."

       The Brigade, now under the command of Colonel Griffith, of one of the Arkansas regiments, was in the field during Colonel Osband's raid from Vicksburg to destroy the railroad bridge near Canton, and participated in the fight at Concord Church near Yazoo City, on December 1, 1864. A detachment of the Fourth, under Colonel Wilbourn, was held in reserve to pursue the enemy.

       Although the Fourth Mississippi Cavalry ended its career officially attached to Forrest's Cavalry Corps, no records have been found to show that it took part in the final operations of Forrest's command against Wilson's raid into central Alabama. It is probable that the regiment was ordered to remain in Mississippi, watching for Federal raids into that state. A detachment of the Fourth Mississippi under the command of Col. Wilbourn did reach Selma, Alabama during the battle there on April 2, 1865, but arrived too late to take part in it. They joined the retreat of Confederate forces under General Forrest to Livingston, Alabama, eventually surrendering at Gainesville on May 1, 1865.

       The regiment was included among the Confederate troops of the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4, 1865. Records indicate that the regiment's members were paroled at Columbus, Mississippi in mid-May, 1865.