Tag Archives: Jess N. McLean

Battles: Berryville

History has dismissed the Battle of Berryville, Sept 3-4, 1864, as a minor engagement. But it was major enough for the diminished 13th Regiment and the rest of the Mississippi Brigade. The federals under Gen. Phillip Sheridan were moving south … Continue reading

Posted in Battles: Berryville, Humpreys Mississippi Brigade, Jess N. McLean, Shenandoah Valley, The Pettus Guards | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

To shift for himself with one arm

Pettus Guards Private John McDonald wrote home on April 4, 1863, according to Jess N. McLean’s Official Records. “….well Susan, since I began this letter, one of our company has been discharged. David Malone is the man. “He lost his … Continue reading

Posted in Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade, Correspondence, Fredericksburg, Jess N. McLean, The Pettus Guards, The Spartan Band, William H. Hill Diary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cold

The skies were clear in Fredericksburg in the early days of 1863 and the temperature was dropping. The weather would prove variable, from a few mild days followed by others of intense cold. On January 4, Private Wilborn P. Smith … Continue reading

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Payday, drill and high prices

July 22, 1862. Quartermaster clerk William H. Hill recorded in his diary: “Tuesday. Clear and warm. I commenced making up the payrolls for May and June. The Brigade was reviewed and inspected by Gen. McLaws.” Hill finished paying the regiment … Continue reading

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Death by accident

The 13th Mississippi Regiment apparently suffered only three wounded in the Battle of Savage’s Station. But one of them, whose wounds would prove mortal, was purely by accident. It happened the night after the battle as the troops slept among … Continue reading

Posted in Battles: Savage Station, Battles: The Seven Days, Jess N. McLean, The Minute Men of Attala, The Pettus Guards, Thurman E. Hendricks Diary | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Dead from measles

Winston Guards Private William Henry Smyth, who wrote so poignantly on May 9 to his wife and two young children of the crowding and privations at Camp Winder hospital in Richmond, died there on Sunday night, June 15, 1862. “I … Continue reading

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Muster rolls

One of the best sources of muster rolls for each company of the 13th Mississippi Infantry Regiment is H. Grady Howell Jr.’s muster roll listing. Howell is generally regarded as the definitive source, though I know of at least one … Continue reading

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Jess McLean’s invaluable history

Undeniably the most complete work in print about the regiment is Jess N. McLean Sr.’s so-called “Official Records.” They’re official insofar as they are muster rolls and orders and after-action reports. The book also contains excerpts from private diaries and … Continue reading

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