Preface and Poem - History of the 19th Mississippi
The Furr family has a long history of service to its country. From Fighting Henry Furr
in the Revolutionary War to Sergeant William Frazier Furr,
killed in World War II, the Furrs have responded to the call to arms to defend their
country. This history of the 19th Mississippi Regiment is dedicated to my
greatgrandfather, William Meek Furr, who together with many of his kinfolk
from both Mississippi and North Carolina volunteered to serve in the military forces
of the Confederate States of America. While their reasons for serving varied
widely, each endured the horrors of war and in some cases made the ultimate
sacrifice. I have been able to document 47 direct descendants of Heinrich Furrer
who served in the Civil War and seven who lost their lives. There were probably
more.
Like many Mississippi Civil War regiments, the 19th Mississippi does not have a
published history. In fact, it is not even mentioned in some histories of Mississippi
regiments such as John C. Rietti's Military Annals of Mississippi. I have
been able to find very few primary source documents related to the 19th
Mississippi. In preparing this manuscript, I relied heavily on The War of the
Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies, known as the O.R., which includes many original reports by
the brigade and regimental commanders of the 19th Mississippi. I also relied on
Confederate unit and soldier service records compiled and maintained by the
National Archives. While these records include specific records for the 19th
Mississippi and for Private William Meek Furr, the information available is
unfortunately very limited. My best primary source was the diary of Private James
J. Kirkpatrick. Although not a member of the 19th Mississippi (he was a member of
the 16th Mississippi), Private Kirkpatrick's observations and insights are particularly
relevant. For most of the war, the 16th and 19th Mississippi belonged to the same
brigade and, therefore, shared similar experiences.
I hope the readers of this manuscript find its contents entertaining and informative. I
will continue my search for information about the 19th Mississippi Regiment,
particularly diaries, letters, or other original source documents. I would appreciate
any help in this endeavor.
William Frazier Furr
75 Oldfield Circle
Montgomery, AL 36117
[email protected]
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FLAG OF THE SOUTH
In Memory of the Men Who Wore the Grey
Flag of the sunny Southland,
Within your bonny folds
Are all the love, the hope, the dreams
That the human heart e'er holds.
The love of sweetheart, wife, and home,
Of honor, truth, and right;
Love of our sovereign right to live
As God gave us the might.
Hope of the finest bravest men
That e'er unsheathed a sword;
Knightly, true as steel were they -
Men who sacred kept their word.
Dreams of our homeland unfulfilled,
Bathed in the tears we shed -
Flag of sacrifice - symbol and shield
Of our immortal dead.
Anabel F. Thomason*
[*Crute, Joseph H. Jr., Emblems of Southern Valor: The Battle
Flags of the Confederacy. Louisville, KY: Harmony House, 1990, p. 1. The
flags were adapted from a lithograph entitled, The Five Banners of the
Confederacy, by Sam McCausland.]
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