6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union)

Brief History
This regiment (also called 6th Regiment, Volunteer Missouri Infantry) was organized at St. Louis, Mo., June 15-July 9, 1861. It was attached to Pilot Knob, Mo., to September, 1861. Fremont's Army of the West to January, 1862. Dept. of Missouri to April, 1862. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Tennessee, to July, 1862. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, Right Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Right Wing 13th Army Corps, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 15th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to July, 1865. Mustered out August 17, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 6th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 25 July 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties 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. Men from Chase County, Kansas enlisted in this regiment.

Company A - Captain Frederick A. Bragg, Captain W.C. Gant, Captain G. J. Goodwin, Captain John M. McElhaney, Captain George A. Schaefer - enrolled in Pilot Knob, Iron County, Missouri

Company B - Captain Charles C. Fletcher, Captain T. C. Harrington, Captain Wesley Starkey - enrolled in Desoto, Jefferson County, Missouri

Company C - Captain James B. Adams, Captain James S. Temple - enrolled in Arcadia, Iron County, Missouri

Company D - Captain William Farris, Captain Joseph S. Gage, Captain Julius Pitzean - enrolled in Bonnots Mill, Osage County, Missouri

Company E - Captain Solomon Males, Captain Francis Rush - enrolled in Callahan County, Missouri (there is no Callahan County in Missouri, there is one in Texas)

Company F - Captain Ira Boutell, Captain Edwin R. Messenger, Captain James S. Needham - enrolled in Pilot Knob, Iron County, Missouri

Company G - Captain Simon S. Baker, Captain George W. Bywater, Captain William J. Holister, Captain Lawrence W. Williams - enrolled in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri

Company H - Captain Patrick G. Galvin, Captain Robert W. Short, Captain Delos Van Deusen - enrolled in Litchfield, Montgomery County, Missouri

Company I - Captain Daniel O. Ketcherson, Captain James C. McGinnis, Captain Harmon D. Stevens, Captain Robert L. Vance - enrolled in Chicago, Cook County, Missouri (No Cook County in Missouri. There is a Cook County, Illinois and Cook County, Iowa)

Company K - Captain Robert H. Buck, Captain Charles O. Patier, Captain Jacob Lyman Perley - enrolled in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri

The information about the companies and counties is from Kenneth E. Weant's book, Civil War Records, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, Volume 2, Three Year Volunteer Regiments 4-10, (Arlington, Texas: K.E. Weant, c2011), pages 43-59. .

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Missouri 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.


 * Missouri in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Missouri, 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.


 * Bailey, George W. A private chapter of the war, 1861-5. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),