Adams' Company, Mississippi (Holmes County Independent)

Brief History
Wirt Adams' Cavalry Regiment [also called 1st Mississippi Cavalry] was organized during the summer of 1861 and mustered into Confederate service at Jackson, Mississippi. Its members were recruited in the counties of Claiborne, Lowndes, Tallahatchie, Warren, and Yazoo. The unit served under Chalmers, F.C. Armstrong, W.H. Jackson, W. C. Wood, and W.Adams. It confronted the Federals in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, but for the most part it fought in Mississippi. In December, 1861, it contained 29 officers and 400 men, and in January, 1863 there were 35 officers and 539 men present for duty. Few surrendered in May, 1865. The field officers were Colonels Wirt Adams and Robert C. Wood, Jr.; Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lewers; and Majors Stephen B. Cleveland, James Hagan, and Isaac F. Harrison.

Regiment Companies with the County of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Mississippi in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Mississippi in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Mississippi, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.