The 21st Mississippi

Our History

May 1861, Georgia

Total mustered: 900-1000
Casualties: ~200–250, combat; ~100–150, disease

Command Surrendered: 4 officers and 44 men at Appomattox Court House under Lieutenant Colonel William H. Fitzgerald.​

Officers: Colonels William L. Brandon, Benjamin G. Humphreys, and Daniel N. Mood; Lieutenant Colonels William H. Fitzgerald and John Sims; Major John G. Taylor.

Major Engagements: 

First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) – July 1861
Battle of Seven Pines – May 1862
Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) – August 1862
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam) – September 1862
Battle of Fredericksburg – December 1862
Battle of Gettysburg – July 1863
Battle of Chickamauga – September 1863
Siege of Knoxville – November–December 1863
Battle of the Wilderness – May 1864
Appomattox Court House – April 1865

The 21st Mississippi Infantry Regiment was organized in the spring of 1861 and quickly joined Confederate forces assembling in Virginia. According to the National Park Service, the regiment first saw action at the Manassas during the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861. Throughout 1862 it fought with the Army of Northern Virginia in the Peninsula Campaign and at Seven Pines, followed by heavy engagement at Second Manassas and Sharpsburg. Regimental histories note that the 21st Mississippi earned a reputation for steadiness under fire, though its ranks were steadily reduced by combat losses and disease, as was common among Mississippi commands serving in Virginia.

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In 1863 the regiment endured some of its hardest service. At Gettysburg, the 21st Mississippi participated in the fierce fighting that marked the Army of Northern Virginia’s northernmost advance. Later that year, the regiment was detached with Longstreet’s Corps to the Western Theater, where it fought at Chickamauga and endured the difficult Knoxville Campaign. This transfer made the regiment part of the rare group of Confederate units that served extensively in both eastern and western operations, exposing the men to very different terrains, supply conditions, and operational styles.

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In 1864 the 21st Mississippi returned east and took part in the brutal Overland Campaign, including the Battle of the Wilderness and the long defense of Petersburg. By April 1865 only a small remnant remained. Official parole records show that just 4 officers and 44 men surrendered at Appomattox Court House. From its formation in 1861 to its final stacking of arms in 1865, the regiment reflected the broader story of Confederate service: early enthusiasm, hard campaigning across multiple theaters, heavy attrition, and a final surrender far from the numbers with which it began.

Reenacting the 21st Mississippi Co. H

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A Faithful Portrayal of the Soldiers & Families of Mississippi during the War Between the States

Captain Anthony Fuschillo and his wife, Libby, stand today as the last active original members of the 21st Mississippi. For decades, they have carried the name of Company H with quiet faithfulness and unwavering pride. Tony’s Mississippi voice still rings clear in camp each season, a living reminder of the men he first set out to portray. Through years of service in the Southern Legion and now the Liberty Greys, he has filled whatever role was needed, never seeking recognition, only continuity. Today, he serves as an ordnance sergeant under Cpt. Mike Flye for the 6th Regiment, still laboring for the good of the battalion.

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But Company H should not rest on the shoulders of two alone. The standard they preserved now calls for new hands to lift it. If the 21st Mississippi is to stand in the field again as a company in its own right, it will require men and families willing to step forward, learn the history, and take their place in the ranks. In honoring Tony and Libby, we do more than thank them; we answer the call to rebuild what they have faithfully kept alive.