According to the NA film there were 1,141 soldiers that were mustered in the regiment, most of them married. Some of these soldiers probably did not belong with this regiment. In some cases a particular soldier's name appeared on some obscure record that also indicated that he belonged to the regiment. Therefore, there is scant information available and these "unknown" soldiers can not be properly classified. There were also some soldiers that simply did not have enough information to determine what happened to them. Therefore of the total 1,141 soldiers the author was only able to classify 1,070. They were classified by both the time and what happened dimensions.

The time dimensions are as follows:

April 21, 1862 - June 13, 1863 (Early)

    During this time, the various companies of the regiment were formed, mustered in, trained, and transported to Virginia (Camp Lee). They guarded Richmond and environs (including guarding prisoners) were transported to North Carolina to drive away some Union troops, then transported to Suffolk, VA to participate in Longstreets siege on that city. A few companies assisted in guarding Fredericksburg prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg. Despite all of this, the regiment did not see any real action. After this period the regiment was assigned to AP Hill's III Corps/Heth's Division with Joseph R Davis commanding.

June 14, 1863 - July 25, 1863 (Gettysburg)

    During this period of time the regiment moved with A.P. Hill's Corps from approximately Fredericksburg to Gettysburg. The regiment participated in action on July 1st and 3rd at Gettysburg and on July 14th at Falling Waters as they retreated back to Virginia. They arrived at Culpepper C.H. VA on July 25, 1863, which closed this period of time.

    The early period ended with the regiment being assimilated into Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Prior to this the regiment had been attached to several commanders and was simply helping keep smaller Union troops out of southern Virginia and North Carolina. The Gettysburg campaign for the regiment really started when they left Fredericksburg and ended when they returned to Culpepper C. H., Virginia.

    What happened to the soldiers of the regiment? During the early period it was disease, discharge, and desertion. Disease came in all kinds of flavors including small pox, typhoid fever, and general camp sickness. These various diseases took a substantial toll on the regiment. Approximately 94 soldiers met their death with many of them dying during the first 30 days after muster. Some of them never made it out of Mississippi.

    The discharge of soldiers was also very prevalent and was usually associated with some form of disability. These disabilities were usually determined right after the muster in process as the doctors checked out the soldiers. The regiment lost 64 of its expected fighting force due to physical disabilities.

    Finally, desertion was at its highest in the early period. Desertion was probably related to a number of factors including lack of loyalty to the cause, many men were the family's only provider, and some simply wanted to go elsewhere to fight. The regiment lost 98 soldiers due to desertion. Most of the desertion occurred in Mississippi before the regiment left for Richmond but also happened around the Blackwater area of Virginia in early 1863.

    The regiment started the Gettysburg campaign 23% smaller than when it was mustered which meant that it had an effective force of approximately 800 men.

    In the next phase of the war (Gettysburg) the regiment faced the horrors of battle. Since their first battle was Gettysburg, the regiment was in for a rude awakening. The regiment was part of the first day battle and performed well in driving the Union soldiers from their positions. However, they were trapped in a railroad cut and many were taken prisoner. On the third day the regiment participated in Pickett's charge in which more casualties resulted, as did additional prisoners. After Lee began his retreat the regiment was part of the rear guard action. On July 14, 1863 at Falling Waters the regiment was attacked by the Union cavalry, which resulted in a few casualties but substantial numbers of prisoners.

    Thus the regiment was pretty well devastated by Gettysburg. It lost its Colonel (Hugh R. Miller) and many other officers. It also lost a substantial number of men due to a variety of reasons. Many soldiers were captured. Of those that were captured some were not released until the end of the war, others were pardoned, others died in prison, while some were exchanged but never returned to the regiment. Most were confined at Fort Delaware prison while many of those captured at Falling Waters were detained at Fort McHenry prison.

    The regiment also lost heavily in terms of battle action. Many died in battle or shortly thereafter. Those that had suffered severe or mortal wounds were left behind and usually died within a couple of weeks. Many others suffered less fatal wounds and were sent home for rehabilitation (furloughs) never to return. Amputation was common place with many convalescing in various hospitals and some were so disabled that they were released from service.

    In short, the battle of Gettysburg destroyed the regiment. Of the 803 active members at the time of battle only 420 remained after the return to Virginia. The regiment really suffered in its first action but must have been brave considering the large number of casualties and prisoners. Poor leadership by Joseph R. Davis on the first day resulted in the fiasco in the railroad cut and Heth botched the situation at Falling Waters, which further resulted in casualties/prisoners.

    A summary of Gettysburg shows that 77 men became absent without leave (AWOL) usually due to wounds received in battle.     They went home on furlough and never came back. Additionally, 171 soldiers were captured of which 57 died in prisons due to illness. The remaining prisoners were pardoned at the end of the war. Another 107 died in battle or of battle wounds received. Thus the Gettysburg campaign resulted in an additional 34% loss to the regiment.

    The battle record of the 42nd Mississippi Regiment is therefore about as complete as possible. The National Archive records are fairly complete considering the time period in which they were kept. The final totals show some amazing statistics. The regiment lost 12% of its force to AWOL, 29% to capture of which 5% died in prison, 14% died in battle, 13% deserted, 8% were discharged, 10% died of sickness, 4% were furloughed, 1% transferred to other regiments, and 9% were either "other" or "unknown."

    The impact of capture at Gettysburg probably was the most devastating. Between the railroad cut on the first day and Pickett's charge on the 3rd day the regiment lost a substantial number of men. The regiment lost almost twice as many men captured as those that died in battle. The numbers also show that war is about many things other than battle. The early losses due to sickness, desertion, and discharge also had a major impact but were probably representative of the time. In fact all of the losses seem accurate given the nature of war and the specific battle action that the regiment participated in.

    Finally, Gettysburg was the battle of all battles in the Civil War and the regiment suffered mightily during this period of time. I can't think of any other regiment that had a greater participation in the opening aspects of the battle, the most famous battle (Pickett's charge). Certainly the regiment could have fared better if it had received the right leadership. Davis, Heth and Lee were "uneven" and left the regiment exposed, but of course that is the nature of war.

( Less than ten soldiers made it all the way to Appomatox)
 

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