12th Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry

Brief History
12th Cavalry Regiment [also called 16th Confederate Cavalry] was organized during the summer of 1863. Many of the officers and men were members of the Mississippi state forces and some were from Louisiana. The unit was assigned to Richardson's, Ferguson's, and C.G. Armistead's Brigade, and fought in various conflicts in Mississippi and Alabama. Many were captured at Selma, but the unit was included in the surrender of the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. The field officers were Colonel C.G. Armistead, Lieutenant Colonel Philip B. Spence, and Major William Yerger, Jr.


 * The 12th Mississippi Cavalry (aka 16th Confederate Cavalry) Internet site has a longer history taken from Dunbar Rowland's Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898.

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.

Company A - (Williams’ Company Independent Cavalry) - raised in Alabama

Company B - (Ryan’s Company) - raised in Lowndes County

Company C - (Morgan’s Company) - raised in Monroe County

Company D - (Deupree’s Company) - raised in Alabama

Company E - (Red’s Company) - raised in Holmes County

Company F - (Moore’s Company) - raised in Chickasaw County, Itawamba County, Lowndes County,Monroe County, Pontotoc County and Tishomingo County

Company G - (Nabor’s Company) - raised in Lowndes County and Monroe County, "and other places"

Company H - (Isbell’s Company) - raised in Jasper County

Company I - (Lynch’s Company) - raised in Chickasaw County and Lowndes County

Company K-- (Lowry’s Company) - raised in Noxubee County

Company L - (Maxey’s Company) - raised in Rankin County

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.


 * Howell, H. Grady. For Dixie Land, I’ll Take My Stand!: A Muster Listing of All Known Mississippi Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines. (Chickasaw Bayou Press, 1998),


 * Rowland, Dunbar. Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898: taken from the Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, 1908. (Spartanburg, South Carolina: Reprint Company),