8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (aka the "American Zouaves") was an infantry
regiment
in the Union army
during the American Civil War
. Among its early leaders were Morgan Lewis Smith
and Giles Alexander Smith
, both of whom later became generals.
The 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (US) was formed in St. Louis, Missouri
, in the early summer of 1861. The regiment was a special project supported by General Nathaniel Lyon. Most of the volunteers in Missouri's early regiments were German immigrants, and Lyon supported the creation of a regiment of "native-born Americans" to demonstrate that the Union cause in Missouri had support beyond the German-American community. Ironically, the Eighth Missouri also ended up with a high percentage of immigrants. Many of its members were Irish American
s who had worked on the Mississippi River
docks prior to the war, giving the regiment a distinct Celtic personality (an ironic result considering Lyon's goal of an ethnically "American" regiment). In addition to its St Louis recruits, several companies were actually raised in Illinois
. The Illinois volunteers joined the Eighth Missouri because their home state's quota for enlistments was full. The Eighth Missouri wore a distinctive uniform pattered after those of the French-North African Zouave
units. While most of the Zouave uniform elements were abandoned as the war progressed, the 8th Missouri apparently continued to wear their short, brightly decorated Zouave jackets throughout the war.
The regiment's first commander was Col.
Morgan Lewis Smith, a New York
er who had moved west to Missouri
after serving as an enlisted man in the Regular Army
. Under his firm hand, the 8th Missouri would become one of the finest units to serve in the Army of the Tennessee
. M. L. Smith's brother, Giles Alexander Smith, also served in the regiment.
The 8th Missouri saw extensive service during the first three years of the war in the Trans-Mississippi Theater
and Western Theater
, and built for itself an enviable reputation on the battlefield. The regiment first fought in Missouri in the summer of 1861 against pro-Southern guerrillas who were attacking U.S. Army supply trains—for example, in Wentzville, Missouri
. That autumn, the 8th Missouri participated in the Federal occupation of Paducah, Kentucky
.
In February 1862, the regiment fought its first major battle, the Battle of Fort Donelson
, near Dover, Tennessee
. Later that spring, it was heavily engaged in the second day's fighting at the Battle of Shiloh
. After a two-month-long campaign, it was the first regiment to enter the strategic rail center of Corinth, Mississippi
, following the Confederate
evacuation in May 1862, and in late December, it took part in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
. In January 1863, it stormed the breastworks of Fort Hindman
to capture Arkansas Post
.
The 8th Missouri saw considerable service in the Battle of Vicksburg
, where eleven men of the regiment won the Medal of Honor
in one day during the May 22, 1863, assault on Stockade Redan. The regiment marched on to participate in the Battle of Jackson, the Battle of Chattanooga, and the opening phases of the Atlanta Campaign
.
On June 25, 1864, the three-year enlistments of most of the regiment's members expired and they returned to their homes. Those who remained on active duty were consolidated into a battalion of two companies, and as such participated in the rest of the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea
. In February 1865, the remaining veterans of the 8th Missouri were attached as an extra company to the 6th Missouri Infantry
. In this capacity, they took part in the Carolinas Campaign
and the Grand Review of the Armies
in Washington, D.C.
, before being mustered out of service in June 1865.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Among its early leaders were Morgan Lewis Smith
Morgan Lewis Smith
Morgan Lewis Smith was a Union general in the American Civil War.-Biography:Smith was born in Oswego County, New York. In 1843 he settled in Indiana, and later had some military experience in the United States Army. At the outbreak of the Civil War he raised the 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, of...
and Giles Alexander Smith
Giles Alexander Smith
Giles Alexander Smith , was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, both of whom later became generals.
The 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (US) was formed in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, in the early summer of 1861. The regiment was a special project supported by General Nathaniel Lyon. Most of the volunteers in Missouri's early regiments were German immigrants, and Lyon supported the creation of a regiment of "native-born Americans" to demonstrate that the Union cause in Missouri had support beyond the German-American community. Ironically, the Eighth Missouri also ended up with a high percentage of immigrants. Many of its members were Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
s who had worked on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
docks prior to the war, giving the regiment a distinct Celtic personality (an ironic result considering Lyon's goal of an ethnically "American" regiment). In addition to its St Louis recruits, several companies were actually raised in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The Illinois volunteers joined the Eighth Missouri because their home state's quota for enlistments was full. The Eighth Missouri wore a distinctive uniform pattered after those of the French-North African Zouave
Zouave
Zouave was the title given to certain light infantry regiments in the French Army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the American Civil War...
units. While most of the Zouave uniform elements were abandoned as the war progressed, the 8th Missouri apparently continued to wear their short, brightly decorated Zouave jackets throughout the war.
The regiment's first commander was Col.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Morgan Lewis Smith, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
er who had moved west to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
after serving as an enlisted man in the Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
. Under his firm hand, the 8th Missouri would become one of the finest units to serve in the Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
. M. L. Smith's brother, Giles Alexander Smith, also served in the regiment.
The 8th Missouri saw extensive service during the first three years of the war in the Trans-Mississippi Theater
Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
The Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War was the major military and naval operations west of the Mississippi River. The area excluded the states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean, which formed the Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War.The campaign classification...
and Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
, and built for itself an enviable reputation on the battlefield. The regiment first fought in Missouri in the summer of 1861 against pro-Southern guerrillas who were attacking U.S. Army supply trains—for example, in Wentzville, Missouri
Wentzville, Missouri
Wentzville is a city located in western St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 29,070. The city's major employer is General Motors which has a full size van assembly plant located there. As the site of the county fairgrounds,...
. That autumn, the 8th Missouri participated in the Federal occupation of Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
.
In February 1862, the regiment fought its first major battle, the Battle of Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
, near Dover, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Later that spring, it was heavily engaged in the second day's fighting at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. After a two-month-long campaign, it was the first regiment to enter the strategic rail center of Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...
, following the Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
evacuation in May 1862, and in late December, it took part in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called Walnut Hills, fought December 26–29, 1862, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton repulsed an advance by Union Maj. Gen. William T...
. In January 1863, it stormed the breastworks of Fort Hindman
Battle of Fort Hindman
The Battle of Fort Hindman, or the Battle of Arkansas Post, was fought January 9–11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:...
to capture Arkansas Post
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Arkansas Post National Memorial, located about 8 miles southeast of Gillett, Arkansas, commemorates key events related to European-American history that occurred on site and in the vicinity: the trading post was the first successful French settlement in the Lower Mississippi River Valley ; site...
.
The 8th Missouri saw considerable service in the Battle of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, where eleven men of the regiment won the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
in one day during the May 22, 1863, assault on Stockade Redan. The regiment marched on to participate in the Battle of Jackson, the Battle of Chattanooga, and the opening phases of the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
.
On June 25, 1864, the three-year enlistments of most of the regiment's members expired and they returned to their homes. Those who remained on active duty were consolidated into a battalion of two companies, and as such participated in the rest of the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
. In February 1865, the remaining veterans of the 8th Missouri were attached as an extra company to the 6th Missouri Infantry
6th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
The 6th Missouri Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th Missouri Infantry was organized at St. Louis, Missouri June 15 - July 9, 1861 and mustered in for three years service....
. In this capacity, they took part in the Carolinas Campaign
Carolinas Campaign
The Carolinas Campaign was the final campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In January 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced north from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas, with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The defeat of ...
and the Grand Review of the Armies
Grand Review of the Armies
The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 23 and May 24, 1865, following the close of the American Civil War...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, before being mustered out of service in June 1865.
Notable members
- John G. K. AyersJohn G. K. AyersJohn G. K. Ayers was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.-Union assault:...
- Matthew BickfordMatthew BickfordMatthew Bickford received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Biography:He was born in Peoria County, Illinois in 1839. He entered service at Trivolia, Peoria County, Illinois . He was a Corporal, in Company G, 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, Union Army...
- John O'DeaJohn O'DeaJohn O'Dea was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.-Union assault:...
- Ephraim ShayEphraim ShayEphraim Shay designed the first Shay locomotive and patented the type.He was born on July 17, 1839, in Sherman Township, Huron County, Ohio. His parents were James and Phoebe Shay....
- Giles Alexander SmithGiles Alexander SmithGiles Alexander Smith , was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
- Morgan Lewis SmithMorgan Lewis SmithMorgan Lewis Smith was a Union general in the American Civil War.-Biography:Smith was born in Oswego County, New York. In 1843 he settled in Indiana, and later had some military experience in the United States Army. At the outbreak of the Civil War he raised the 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, of...