Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry

Transcription

1 Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry

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3 Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry TERRY G. SCRIBER PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY GRETNA 2006

4 Copyright 2006 By Terry G. Scriber All rights reserved The word Pelican and the depiction of a pelican are trademarks of Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Scriber, Terry G. Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry / Terry G. Scriber. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Confederate States of America. Army. Louisiana Infantry Regiment, 27th. 2. Louisiana History Civil War, Regimental histories. 3. United States History Civil War, Regimental histories. 4. Louisiana History Civil War, Registers. 5. United States History Civil War, Registers. 6. Soldiers Louisiana Registers. 7. Soldiers Louisiana Biography. I. Title. E th.S '463 dc Printed in the United States of America Published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana 70053

5 To the memory of my great-great-grandfather Burlin Moore Scriber and my beloved grandparents Archie Douglas and Nomia M. Scriber.

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7 Contents Preface PART I A History CHAPTER ONE The Storm Approaches: Secession and Military Preparation of Louisiana CHAPTER TWO From Citizen to Soldier: Life and Experiences at Camp Moore CHAPTER THREE Standing Defiant: First at Vicksburg, CHAPTER FOUR Vicksburg Endures: The Fortress Stands Firm, CHAPTER FIVE The Gibraltar Crumbles: Vicksburg Surrenders, Afterword PART II Biographical Register: Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Guide to Using the Biographical Register

8 8 TWENTY-SEVENTH LOUISIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY Commanding Generals Field and Staff Sergeant Majors Color Guard/Bearers General Guides Musicians Company A: Skipwith Guards, East Feliciana Parish Company B: Bouef River Rebels, Franklin Parish Company C: Rapides Terribles, Rapides Parish Company D: Iberville Guards, Iberville Parish Company E: Sparta Guards, Bienville Parish Company F: Winn Rebels, Winn Parish Company G: Dixie Rebels, DeSoto Parish Company H: Spencer Guards, St. Helena Parish Company I: Caddo Confederates, Caddo Parish Company K: McLauren Invincibles, Natchitoches Parish Selected Bibliography Index

9 Preface Discovering that one has a Civil War veteran as an ancestor can be an exhilarating, if not life-changing, event. The desire to learn more about their experiences, views, and lives is a project that can sometimes be accomplished with relative ease or, as in my case, be ongoing and involve in-depth research. It seems that no matter how much one discovers, the desire to learn more becomes a burning passion that knows no bounds or limits. In your hands is the result of that passion for one Confederate descendant. The idea for a literary project regarding the Twenty-seventh Regiment Louisiana Volunteer Infantry came early in the research on my Confederate ancestor, Cpl. Burlin Moore Scriber of Company B, the Bouef River Rebels of Franklin Parish, Louisiana. I naively attempted to find a book or Web site that would answer all of my questions regarding the history of these men and this C.S.A. regiment. It was with great dismay I discovered that in the year 2003, 140 years after the surrender of Vicksburg, no such resource existed. Upon traveling to various museums, libraries, and archives that were believed to have complete unit information regarding Louisiana Confederate regiments, eagerly I would open a binder only to discover under the tab marked 27th La. Infantry an empty sheet. It was not that the information was not available in bits and pieces, it just had never been pulled together into one cohesive mass for literary consumption. Hopefully, this book, to some degree, will correct that injustice 9

10 10 TWENTY-SEVENTH LOUISIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY to this heroic body of men. The Twenty-seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry never appeared in the postwar books written by participants. Only after careful research was it ascertained that most of the officers of the Twenty-seventh Louisiana Infantry ranking above captain were either dead or incapacitated on the field at Vicksburg by the time of the July 1863 surrender. Most regimental memoirs were published by officers of the major or colonel rank. Therefore the deficiency. This project is divided into two sections. The first section is the actual story of the regiment, including the events in Louisiana that led to the formation of companies in various parishes and the experiences of the men as soldiers in the Confederate States Army defending the Gibraltar of the West. Their experiences during 1862 and 1863, the Union attempts to storm the citadel, the ensuing forty-seven-day siege, and the regiment s eventual status as prisoners of war are all covered in this section. Hopefully, the reader will have a much clearer perception of these brave men s hardships, heroism, experiences, and triumphs during this stormy period in our nation s history. The second section consists of a biographical register of these men, a combination military record, civilian history, and burial location register. This section is discussed in more detail in the chapter entitled Guide to Using the Biographical Register. It is hoped that this register will be a useful research and genealogical tool for current and future generations. My wife and I put many weeks and months into its compilation and verification. Though exhausting at times, each minute was enjoyed immensely. A project of this magnitude could not have been completed without the assistance of many people too numerous to mention. I would like to thank the staff of the Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans for allowing my wife and I to view the flag of the regiment and Richard Stafford, director of the Louisiana State Archives Research Library, for responding to our many requests. Others to be mentioned are Sherrie Pugh and Earl Santos of the Jackson Barracks Military Library in New Orleans and the staff of the Camp Moore Confederate Museum and

11 Preface 11 Cemetery. The contributors to the History-Sites.com Civil War message boards also provided a wealth of knowledge and assistance. Winn Parish, Louisiana, historian Greggory Davies also provided valuable assistance regarding Company F. Many thanks to Terry Winschel of the Vicksburg National Military Park for his assistance with the maps for this project. Confederate descendant and northeast Louisiana historian Robert Archibald of Archibald, Richland Parish, Louisiana, also provided invaluable information regarding the Twenty-seventh Louisiana Infantry. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Mr. Archibald for his efforts on our behalf. Most of all, I would like to thank my beloved mother, Helen M. Scriber, who even though fighting her own battle with breast cancer was always willing to help when needed; my father-in-law, Kenneth F. Arnold, Sr., for his encouragement and support; and my mother-in-law, Elaine T. Arnold, who departed this world before this project was completed. Also, my beautiful Yankee wife, Theresa Ann, without whom this project could never have been begun or completed. She contributed her time on behalf of the research needed for nearly one thousand soldiers of the Twenty-seventh Louisiana Infantry, not only to help expedite this project but to honor the memory of my great-great-grandfather Burlin. Her tireless devotion to seeing this project to fruition was amazing, and my love and devotion to her is always and everlasting. As a Louisianian married to a Rhode Islander, the War Between the States lives on in our home on many occasions. At times, with the North and South roles reversed, we have sat at our own Appomattox to finish this project. From the Confederacy and the Union, we sincerely hope that you find our efforts worthwhile.

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