History of the 6th

Before the War . . .

The 6th Mississippi had it origins as a militia unit which was formed in 1858 in the city of Brandon, Rankin County, Mississippi. The company was under the command of thirty-two year old Dr. John Jones Thornton, a prominent Brandon physician. The unit was made up with about sixty men. They wore the regular U.S. uniform and used muskets as arms. The title "Rankin Guards" was chosen for the name of the company and shortly there after became a legalized unit of the state militia.

The Rankin Guards was one many militia units being organized throughout the Southern states due to the tensions between northern states and southern states. With their uniforms, muskets and flags, the men of the Rankin Guards drilled regularly and became a well drilled, well organized militia unit.

Early War ...

In February of 1861, the Rankin Guards were reorganized by Dr. Thornton and renamed the "Rankin Greys". In May, 1861, the Rankin Greys were mustered into state service. In July, 1861, the Sixth was placed under the command of Brigadier General Absalom M. West and organized at Water Valley, Mississippi. The ten companies that made up the Sixth were:

Company A - Rankin Rough & Readies ( Rankin County), Captain Elijah J. Runnels
Company B - New Guards (Rankin County), Captain L. Alford
Company C - Quitman Southrons (Leake County), Captain William E. Hall
Company D - Lowry Rifles (Smith County), Captain William J. Finch
Company E - Lake Rebels (Scott County), Captain Toliver F. Lindsey
Company F - Crystal Springs Guards (Copiah County), Captain A. B. Lowe
Company G - Rockport Steel Blades (Copiah County), Captain Archibald Steel
Company H - Simpson Fencibles (Simpson County), Captain Enoch R. Bennett
Company I - Rankin Greys (Rankin Greys), Captain W. B. Shelby
Company K - East Mississippi Greys (Scott County), Captain A. Y. Harper

By the end of the summer, the ten companies traveled to Water Valley and became the 6th Mississippi Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Colonel J. J. Thornton from Brandon was the regimental commander, with Enoch R. Bennett, Lieutenant Colonel, and Robert Lowry, Major.In early September, the Sixth received orders to move to Trenton, Tennessee. From Trenton, they headed to Union City, TN. While at Union City, the regiment was assigned to General William Hardee's Division. The Sixth left Union City for Dover, Tennessee in October. From Dover, they went to Bowling Green, Kentucky. At Bowling Green, they were placed under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston. The regiment was assigned to Colonel Patrick Cleburne's Brigade. Colonel Cleburne immediately began drilling and training the green Mississippi soldiers. The brigade soon became one of the best drilled in the division. The Sixth settled in north of Bowling Green for the winter. The first winter in the Confederacy was not kind to the Sixth. Diseases such as typhoid fever and measles, combined with colds, pneumonia and such, took its toll on the army. May died or were weakened from these infirmities. But by January 1862, the worse was over and many of the sick were well enough to return to duty. Early 1862 was busy for the new Confederacy. The January battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky was a Union victory. The Confederate troops in that area withdrew from the Cumberland Gap, creating a hole in the Confederate lines. In February, General Ulysses S. (Hiram Simpson is his real name) Grant captured Fort Henry, then headed to Fort Donelson. The Confederates in and around Bowling Green withdrew because the defenses were inadequate. Cleburne's Brigade provided the rear guard for the withdrawal from Bowling Green. The weather proved to be the army's worst enemy. Rain turned to sleet, then snow. Roads became muddy and travel was very difficult. The miserable army reached Nashville, Tennessee on February 17 and left the next day from Murfreesboro. It took three days to get there and after staying only a week, the army went to Shelbyville. From there, they went to Fayetteville, then to Decatur, Alabama. Finally, at the end of March, the weary army arrived at Corinth, Mississippi and set up camp just south of the town. The Sixth was at about half strength upon arriving at Corinth. The Sixth was issued new clothes, musket and accoutrements and began drilling to become an efficient military unit

Shiloh . . .

The overall commander at Corinth was General Albert Sidney Johnston and the army was called the Army of the Mississippi. There were about 40,000 soldiers under Johnston's command in the Corinth area. The 6th remained with Cleburne and was placed in General William Hardee's corps. The other corps commanders were: Braxton Bragg, Leonidis Polk, and John C. Breckinridge. On April 3, the 6th received orders to prepare 5 days rations, carry 100 rounds of ammunition per man and be ready to march at any time. The 6th was soon on its way to Pittsburgh Landing in Tennessee. Information had been received that Grant had set up his headquarters there. The 6th's orders were to retrieve the wounded from the battlefield and assist the surgeons at the landing. The 25 mile march was along narrow, winding country roads not meant for efficient troop movement. To make matters worse, it began to rain the next day thus turning the dust to mud. This made progress slow and even to a complete stop as some of the roads became impassable. On April 5, most of Johnston's army was in position with Grant's army along the front. The 6th left the main road and stopped about 2 miles from the enemy camps. They were close enough that they could hear the voices of the Union soldiers. Cleburne's Brigade silently prepared for the inevitable battle. The men settled down for the night with orders to sleep on their arms. Sleep was difficult on the wet ground on that cool spring night added to the anticipation of what will inevitably happen tomorrow. The weary men were roused hours before sunrise and prepared for battle. Colonel Thornton read their orders:
"Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi: I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country. With the resolution and disciplined valor becoming men fighting, as you are, for all worth living or dying for, you can but march to a decisive victory over the agrarian mercenaries sent to despoil you of your liberties, property and honor. Remember the precious stake involved, remember the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters and your children on the result; remember the land;, broad and abounding and the happy homes and the eyes that would be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of eight millions of people rest upon you; you are expected to show yourselves worthy of your race and lineage --- worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion in this war has never been exceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deeds, and with the trust that God is with us, your general will lead you confidently to the combat --- assured of success."

A. S. Johnston
The Battle Begins . . .

"Four hundred twenty-five of Mississippi's finest men and boys listened to Johnston's speech. This was their first battle, the first time they will see the elephant and receive their baptism of fire. They were ready. Cleburne's Brigade was on the left flank of Hardee's Corps Cleburne's 15th Arkansas was out front as skirmishers. The other regiments were as follows: Skirmish Line 15th Arkansas, 24th Tennessee, 5th Tennessee, 6th Mississippi 23rd Tennessee Including Cleburne's Brigade, the front line was three miles in length and consisted of Woods, Hindman's Brigades and Gladden's from Bragg's Corps. Behind Hardee, was Polk's Corps with Breckinridge in reserves. At daylight, the front line advanced toward the enemy. They started slow at first, but before lone, the pace quickened almost to a run. It was noted that Cleburne's Brigade "moved in beautiful order and with loud and inspiring cheers" as it advanced toward the enemy. The 6th gained momentum in open ground and was in good formation. Upon entering the woods, they began to lose order. Many men fell behind. To add to the growing confusion, the Union pickets began firing at them. Finally, the 6th came upon Union encampments upon the hill in front of them. The camps belonged to the 53rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry who was under the command of General William Tecumpseh Sherman. The 53rd had formed a line of battle behind their camps and was supported by artillery. Not only was the enemy at the top of a hill shooting down at the Confederates, there was also a swamp in the middle of the Confederate line. This obstruction caused the troops to split as they moved forward. Once around the swamp and back in loose formation, the 6th closed in on the camps. Confederate artillery (Twiggs) was behind the infantry and began firing. The woods were too thick to see where to fire most effectively. The Confederate guns were answered by Union artillery, forcing Twiggs to reloate. Once Twiggs moved, Cleburne had no artillery support. Colonel Thornton halted his men and redressed the lines. By now, they are receiving heavy fire from the enemy skirmishers and line. This did not discourage Colonel Thornton. The order to charge was given at about 7:45 a.m. As the Confederate line moved forward, the Union pickets quickly retreated to the safety of the main line. Despite the tough travel through the thick under brush and incoming enemy fire, the 6th was the first to reach the edge of the camps, followed closely by the 23rd Tennessee. As the 6th broke into the clearing, they gave a hearty Rebel yell. Moments later, the 53rd, accompanied by Waterhouse's artillery, opened fire on the oncoming Rebels. The results were devastating as men fell leaving gaps in the Confederate line. The Confederates pulled back to the woods to regroup. They attacked again and were repulsed. Those who were able, charged once again and were once again by the 53rd. The time now is about 8:00 a.m. When a color bearer fell, Colonel Thornton picked up the colors of the 6th and carried them forward when he was severely wounded. In all, seven color bearers were shot down. Of the 6th's gallant effort, Colonel Cleburne wrote, "Again and again the Sixth Mississippi, unaided, charged the enemy's line, and it was only when the regiment had lost 300 officers and men killed and wounded, out of an aggregate of 425, that it yielded and retreated in disorder over its own dead and dying. Colonel Thornton and Major Lowry, the field officers, were both wounded. It would be useless to enlarge on the courage and devotion of the Sixth Mississippi. The facts recorded speak louder than any words of mine." The men of the 6th and those of the 23rd Tennessee, who fared little better than the 6th against the 53rd, held the line at the edge of the woods. By then two of Bragg's Brigades had made their way up. The men of the 6th and 23rd reluctantly joined them along with the 5th Tennessee and 15th Arkansas and successfully routed the stubborn, hard fighting 53rd Ohio. To sweeten the victory, two guns were captured. The battle moved away from the hard fought hill, leaving the dead and dying behind. It said that the blood of the 6th Mississippi ran down the hill in the aftermath. Colonel William Preston Johnston wrote of the scene, "The impetuous courage and tenacity of this magnificent regiment deserved a better fate." The sixty able bodied men of the 6th and those of the 23rd Tennessee who went with Bragg's Brigades, fought with the 8th Arkansas for a few more hours. When ordered to the rear, they had just assisted in successfully turning Union General Prentiss' right flank at the Hornet's Nest. The rear that the weary soldiers returned to was the abandoned enemy camps they had hastily passed through early that morning. The wounded were taken to makeshift field hospitals. The sight was gruesome as described by Lieutenant Thompson, "The heart-rendering scene at the hospital is one that I would like to forget. Piles of dead soldiers were all around, and lying in rows were others who were dying. Doctors and their assistants were moving among the wounded, examining and aiding those who were not beyond help. The screams from the operating table resounding through the woods, for the surgeons were taking off arms and legs of a succession of men carried to them. Teams drawing ambulances were being urged to hasten, hauling the wounded from the field and back to a safer place. Other wagons were collecting and bringing in more wounded. They were being unloaded like so many butchered hogs, and the wagon beds were streaming blood. Once unloaded, the wagons were off to the front again, to collect more unfortunates. Many were deal when unloaded, other died soon afterwards. Poor Gus Roland, of Westville, breathed his last right next to me. Oh, how sad I was at the sight of the 6th Regiment after this battle. I knew what happened to those who were no longer with it. I was cared for at our company baggage wagon, which was there near the hospital. The pain was severe while I was being treated, but I was thankful to still be alive." Thus ended the 6th's fighting at Shiloh. The 6th received their baptism of fire on a hill trying advance into galling fire from the 53rd Ohio. Because of the resulting blood letting, the regiment became known as "The Bloody Sixth." The battle was over on the afternoon of the next day. General Johnston was dead and replaced by P. G. T. Beauregard. Grant had received reinforcements during the night and was able to push the Confederates back to where they began. By 4 o'clock, the last of the Confederate army was in full retreat to Corinth. Once again, the weather proved to be their worst enemy as a cold hard rain began to fall on the 8 mile retreating column.