Brief History of the 6th Missouri Infantry CSA

The 6th MO Infantry began organization in the summer of 1862 and was completed at
Guntown, Mississippi during the first week of September . It was made up of the former
Missouri State Guard battalions of Captains J.W. Hedgpeth and Eugene Erwin. Erwin, a
27 year old Lafayette County merchant and grandson of politician Henry Clay, was
elected Colonel. Hedgpeth was made Lieutenant Colonel, and Joseph Baughn was
named Major. The regiment's companies were made up of men primarily from Western
and Southeastern Missouri, but also contained more men from Arkansas than any other
unit in the Missouri brigade. Many of these former state guardsmen had fought with
Sterling Price at Oak Hills (Wilson Creek), Lexington, and Elkhorn
Tavern (Pea Ridge) before crossing east of the Mississippi River, where
the remainder of their fighting would be done. "The 6th Missouri, wrote
one rebel, consisted principally of young men of the best families of Missouri
and were surpassed by none in either gallant or gentlemanly bearing."
Beginning in mid-September 1862, the 6th fought with the Missouri Confederate
Brigade at the battles of Iuka, Corinth, Grand Gulf. and Port Gibson. At Port Gibson,
the regiment distinguished itself by advancing beyond the main Confederate battle line
without orders, and recaptured two artillery pieces in the face of the enemy. The
6th Missouri was also the last Confederate unit to leave the field. At Corinth, the
6th Missouri suffered the third highest casualties of any Confederate unit
with 214 killed wounded or missing.

On June 25, 1863 Colonel Erwin was killed during the siege at Vicksburg,
while leading his men in a fierce attack against the 45th Illinois
infantry. His last words were "Come on my brave boys, don't let the Third
regiment (3rd Louisiana) get ahead of you!" By the time the Confederates surrendered
Vicksburg on July 4th, the 6th Missouri had suffered more causalities than any other Confederate unit
during the campaign.

In September of 1863, the 6th Missouri infantry was consolidated with
the 2nd Missouri due to the losses from the Vicksburg
Campaign. By this time the 6th had gained the well-earned nickname,
"The Bloody Sixth." The new 2nd and 6th infantry elected Peter Blarney
as Colonel, Thomas Carter and "One-Armed" Stephen Cooper as Lt. Colonel's, as well
as W.F. Carter and Jeptha Duncan as Majors. This consolidated regiment would make a
name for itself at the at the Battles of New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Franklin,
Allatoona, and Fort Blakely. At his last battle, the 6th Missouri put up the most fierce
resistance and were among the last Confederates to surrender or be captured. Although
the men of the 6th Missouri fought far from their homes, they were recognized for being
some of the best disciplined and hardest fighters in the Southern Confederacy.