The Morehouse Stars were recruited in Morehouse Parish as a state militia company during the winter months of early 1862 and formerly transferred into Confederate service on March 17, 1862 at Memphis, Tennessee. They were promptly transferred up river to Fort Pillow, Tennessee where they joined the 12th Louisiana Infantry regiment. The 12th Louisiana was withdrawn from Columbus, Kentucky at the end of February, spent a couple of weeks at Island No. 10, and was then sent to support the Fort Pillow garrison blocking the Mississippi River above Memphis. They arrived at Fort Pillow on March 18th and remained near here until June 2nd. The regiment was re-organized on May 10th to serve "for three years or the duration of the war" under terms of the newly passed Confederate Conscription Act of 1862 while at Fort Pillow. The Morehouse Stars were designated as Company F in this new organization.

James H. Stevens was Captain, Christopher C. Davenport was 1st Lieutenant, David Bussey, Jr. and Alexander K. Watt were the 2nd Lieutenants, and Eugene L. Polk was elected 1st Sergeant in place of J. D. Duckworth. Stevens commanded the company until he accidentally shot himself in the foot on the retreat from Corinth, Mississippi in October 1862. Unable to recover and return to active duty, he resigned as Captain in April 1863. Christopher C. Davenport was appointed Captain of the company on July 19, 1863 even though he had been absent from the company since December 1862 attending a sitting of the Louisiana Legislature of which he was a member. Davenport joined the 2nd Battalion of Louisiana Heavy Artillery in Louisiana in October 1863 as a company commander and never rejoined the 12th Louisiana regiment after leaving for the Legislature. His election to Captain of Company F unfortunately blocked the formal promotion of any of the remaining officers of the company for the balance of the war. Davenport did not officially resign until January 24, 1865!

2nd Lieutenant Eugene Polk led the company through the Battle of Champion Hill and the siege of Jackson in 1863. During the retreat from Jackson on July 17th, a disgruntled Lieutenant Polk deserted and took a number of the men from the company with him. The election of the absent Davenport to Captain took place two days later. William N. Renwick was promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant and shared command of the company during the remainder of the war with 2nd Lieutenant William N. Potts. Renwick was absent sick after Kennesaw Mountain, and Potts commanded the company until he was wounded at Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864. Renwick rejoined the regiment at Tupelo in January 1865 and surrendered the company at Greensboro, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.

Private Leonidas N. Polk was detailed to the Regimental Adjutant's office in October 1863 and was wounded in action on May 13, 1864 at Resaca, Georgia. It is not clear from the records whether he returned to the regiment in time for the Tennessee Campaign in late 1864, but he was present at the final surrender as the Regimental Adjutant holding the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Lieutenant Polk wrapped the Regimental Colors around his waist under his uniform and stood silently at attention during the formal surrender formation while Lieutenant Colonel Graham demanded to know who had stolen them!  Surrender formalities required the stacking of arms and equipment including the regimental colors. Polk brought the flag home to Bastrop, Louisiana and presented it to the Benevolent Association of the Army of Tennessee in New Orleans in 1881. Click on the Flag Page icon above to read further about this flag.

COMPANY F ROSTER

The Compiled Military Service Records are organized alphabetically by regiment. 

This company roster was derived from the author's 12th Louisiana database

and is not available as such from the National Archives.

Copyright registered with the Library of Congress.

Data presented below shows (1) name as it appears in the Compiled Military Service Records with spelling variations (2) rank/positions held within the company, and (3) initial enrollment data. Camp Moore volunteers are designated by the letters CM. Volunteers who joined after the regiment left Camp Moore are designated by the year of their enrollment. Asterisks indicate men who served as headquarters staff.

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LSU Class of 1965. Geaux Tigers!!