About June 2, Herbert's brigade of Mississippians were shifted and positioned in the rifle-pits to the left and right of the Great Redoubt.
Re the mining of the 3rd Louisiana Redan June 25, "General Hebert . . . sensed that something momentous was about to happen, and he had the 3rd Louisiana soldiers evacuate the redan and take refuge behind the traverse that had been thrown up across its gorge. The only people remaining in the work were six brave men from the 43rd Mississippi, striving valiantly to strike one of the galleries with a countermine." An additional 5 men of the regiment were wounded.
Footnote: "A number of years after the war, farmers plowing the area turned up several skeletons which might have been the remains of the six Mississippians working in the countermine at the time of the explosion." [Unvexed to the Sea, The Campaign for Vicksburg, Vol. III, Edwin Cole Bearss, Morningside, 1986, p. 918]
Record of Events - Company A
Company A (Frank Rodgers' Rifles)
Stationed at Aberdeen, Mississippi, May 17, 1862.
Stationed at Saltillo, Mississippi, March 28-August 31, 1862.
March 11.— This company was organized for the war in Monroe
County, Mississippi.
May 15.— Forty-third Mississippi Infantry was organized.
May 25-July 7.— Marched twenty-one miles from Aberdeen,
Mississippi to Okolona, Mississippi. The company was mustered
for bounty on June 14. [Remained] stationed at Okolona until
July 7.
July 8.— Reached Gainesville, Alabama.
August 16.— Reached Saltillo.
August 17.— This company, with and as a part of the Forty-third
Mississippi Regiment Infantry, was assigned to the Third Brigade,
First Division, Army of the West, commanded by General
[Martin Edwin] Green, General Price's Corps. Discipline is
good. Health is worse now than at any time since organization.
Only two deaths since organization.
August 31.— Under orders, marched from Saltillo to Guntown.
Distance, six miles.
Stationed at Camp Rogers, September-October 1862.
September 11.— Under orders marched from Guntown towards
Iuka.
September 14.— Reached Iuka. Distance, fifty-two miles.
September 20.— Left Iuka under orders. Retreated to Baldwyn.
Distance, sixty miles.
September 22.— Reached Baldwyn.
September 25.— Left Baldwyn under orders.
September 28.— Reached Ripley.
September 29.— United with the command of Major-General
[Earl] Van Dorn.
September 31.— Marched from Ripley to Corinth. Distance,
forty-nine miles.
October 3.— Reached Corinth. Engaged the enemy on Friday.
Charged the enemy's battery. Retreated from Corinth by way of
Ripley to camps, six miles from Holly Springs. Distance, ninety-
miles.
October 9.— Reached camps.
H. G. PERRY,
Lieutenant,
Commanding Company A, Forty-third Mississippi.
Stationed at Chickasaw Bayou, near Vicksburg, Mississippi,
November-December 1862.
December 28.— By order of General Pemberton, left Grenada on
railroad train.
December 29.— Reached Vicksburg and marched the same day to
the fortifications on the Yazoo River.
Stationed at Snyder's Bluff, January-February 1863.
January 4.— Remained in quarters since we arrived at Snyder's
Bluff on January 4 from Chickasaw Bayou, six miles below.
Discipline is good. Efficiency of the company would be
greater if all the men were armed. Twelve guns are wanting to
arm every man. Frequent application has been made to procure
the requisite member, but without success.
Stationed at Vicksburg, Mississippi, May-June 1863.
April 29.— Bombardment commenced at Snyder's Bluff on April
29 and continued for two days.
May 2.— Ordered to Chickasaw Bayou on May 2. Remained
there on duty for fourteen days. Ordered to Vicksburg.
May 17.— Arrived at the trenches.
May 18.— Skirmishing commenced and continued all night.
May 19.— The first assault was on Tuesday, which was gallantly
repulsed.
May 22.— The second assault was on Friday. All around the
entrenchments also repelled gallantly.
June 3.— The siege continued on to June 3, the date of muster.
July 4.— The siege of Vicksburg commenced on May 17 and
continued [until] July 4, when the entire Army under the immedi-
ate control of Lieutenant-General J. C. Pemberton surrendered to
U. S. Grant, commanding the United States forces.
July 12.— Paroled and took up the line of march for Brandon.
Distance, sixty-four miles.
July 16.— A portion of the company arrived at Brandon. Were
ordered to Enterprise, distant eighty-four miles.
July 20.— Reached Enterprise.
July 28.— Furloughed for thirty days by general order of Lieu-
tenant-General Pemberton.
August 23.— The company was ordered into parole camp at
Columbus, Mississippi.
Stationed at Columbus, Mississippi, November-December 1863.
The company remains at parole camp at Columbus, Missis-
sippi until the present muster.
Stationed at Montevallo, [January 11-April 30, 1864.
April 11.— Marched by steamer from Columbus, Mississippi,
where last mustered to Demopolis, Alabama.
April 12.— Arrived at Demopolis. Distance, 200 miles. Thence
[traveled] by railroad to Selma, Alabama, arriving the same day.
Distance, fifty miles.
April 13.— Thence [traveled] by railroad to Montevallo,
Alabama, arriving the same day. Distance, fifty-five miles.
Remained in camp near this place until the date of muster.
Reference to muster roll shows a very considerable number
of the company unexchanged. Many of these reside adjacent to a
country infested with Tory bands. The influence of leading citi-
zens in the locality is opposed to their returning until exchanged,
the disloyalty of which does not admit of argument. Yet, daily
contact with such citizens has a demoralizing effect on a soldier
living in a country destitute of mail facilities and absent without
leave from their command. It is probable that many of the men
will be returned to their command in a short time, encouraged by
the amnesty proclamation of Lieutenant-General Polk, in addition
to the effort of an efficient cavalry detachment said to be now
operating in that district under his orders.
Stationed at Atlanta, Georgia, July-August 1864.
July 3.— The company left Kenesaw and fell back two miles
from Marietta.
July 4.— Skirmished all the next day with the enemy.
July 5.— Fell back near the Chattahoochee River and entrenched.
July 7.— Evacuated. Crossed the Chattahoochee River. Picketed
on the south bank for a few days.
July 19.— Entrenched on Peach Tree Creek.
July 22.— Left [Peach Tree Creek]. The same day, [served] as a
reserve to Featherston and [Thomas Moore] Scott's Brigades.
July 23.— Fell back.
July 24.— Skirmished all day with the enemy.
Frequent picket fighting during the month of August in the
line of entrenchments near Atlanta up to the date of muster. The
company is small in numbers and not increasing since the last
exchange, though twenty-three men absentees belonging to the
company are included in the recent exchange.