4th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Confederate)


The 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Organized on April 28, 1862, the regiment was unengaged at the May 9 Battle of Farmington and the September 19 Battle of Iuka. As part of Brigadier General Martin E. Green's brigade, the regiment participated in three charges against exterior Union lines on October 3, 1862, during the Second Battle of Corinth. On October 4, the regiment joined Green's brigade in attacking the inner Union lines. Despite initial success, the attack was repulsed by a Union counterattack. On November 7, 1862, the regiment was combined with the 1st Missouri Infantry to form the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry, the 4th Missouri Infantry ceased to exist as a separate unit.

Organization

The regiment entered the Confederate Army on April 28, 1862, while the men of the regiment were in Memphis, Tennessee. To form the regiment, two battalions, commanded by Archibald A. MacFarlane and Waldo P. Johnson, were combined with a small element of the Missouri State Guard. A substantial number of the regiment's men had previously served in the Missouri State Guard. MacFarlane was appointed the regiment's first colonel, Johnson was the first lieutenant colonel, and Stephen W. Wood was the regiment's first major. The regiment's organization on April 28 was:

Early service

After formation, the regiment was transferred using local railroads to Corinth, Mississippi as part of the Army of the West. A muster performed on May 5 counted 547 men in the regiment. On May 9, the 4th Missouri was near the action at the Battle of Farmington, but did not see combat. After the Confederates evacuated Corinth due to pressure from the Union Army, the regiment trained in various locations in northern Mississippi. On September 19, the regiment, which was in the brigade of Brigadier General Martin E. Green, was held in reserve and did not participate in the Battle of Iuka.

Second Corinth

At the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4, 1862, the regiment was in Green's brigade of Brigadier General Louis Hébert's division of Major General Sterling Price's corps of Major General Earl Van Dorn's Army of West Tennessee. Green's brigade also contained the 7th Mississippi Battalion, 43rd Mississippi Infantry, 6th Missouri Infantry, 3rd Missouri Cavalry, Guibor's Battery, and Landis's Battery. On October 3, the 4th Missouri and the rest of Green's brigade attacked an outer Union position held by Brigadier General Thomas A. Davies' division. The initial attack was repulsed, but Green ordered a second charge. The second charge was again repulsed, this time by a Union counterattack led by the 2nd Iowa Infantry. Later in the afternoon, Green's brigade made another charge against Davies' line, although this attack was supported by elements of Colonel Elijah Gates' brigade and Brigadier General Charles W. Phifer's brigade. After heavy fighting, the Union line was broken. Despite a clear line of attack against the inner Union line being open, Price decided not to press the attack with the 30 remaining minutes of daylight and to wait for the morning of the 4th to resume the battle.
On October 4, Green was promoted to division command due to Hébert falling ill. Command of Green's brigade then fell to Colonel William H. Moore. Moore's brigade charged the inner Union line, with the objective of the attack being a fortification known as Battery Powell. The Union line was defended by men of Davies' division, who were quickly routed by the Confederate charge. After breaking through Davies' line, Moore's brigade aimed for the town of Corinth itself. Moore's brigade, along with elements of Phifer's brigade and the brigade of Brigadier General John C. Moore, entered Corinth, and penetrated as far as the Tishomingo Hotel. However, a Union counterattack drove the Confederates out of Corinth, ending the threat. At Second Corinth, the 4th Missouri lost 15 men killed, 87 wounded, and 27 missing, for a total of 129. Colonel MacFarlane had been severely wounded on the 3rd.

Legacy

On November 7, the regiment consolidated with the 1st Missouri Infantry, as a result of losses in both units. The consolidation of the two regiments formed the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry. Companies B, C, E, H, and I of the new regiment were composed of men from the 4th Missouri; Companies A, D, F, G, and K were composed of men from the 1st. In 1863, the new regiment fought at the Battle of Grand Gulf, Battle of Champion Hill, Battle of Big Black River Bridge, and the Siege of Vicksburg, where the regiment was captured during the Confederate surrender. The men of the regiment were then exchanged, and rejoined the Confederate army. In 1864, the regiment was engaged at the Battle of New Hope Church, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Siege of Atlanta, Battle of Allatoona, and the Battle of Franklin. On May 9, 1865, the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry surrendered at the Battle of Fort Blakely.
The flag of the 4th Missouri Infantry, a Van Dorn battle flag, is displayed at the Museum of the Confederacy.