Hi Bruce:

Colonel Jesse M. Williams, 2nd Louisiana Infantry was placed in temporary command of the 2nd Louisiana Brigade when Brigadier General Francis T. Nicholls was badly wounded at Chancellorsville in May 1863. He was still only in temporary command when they fought at Culp's Hill on July 2nd. General Nicholls was still the official brigade commander. I suppose the naming nomenclature for map makers could be justified in picking either name for the brigade.

In October 1863, Colonel Leroy A. Stafford of the 9th Louisiana in General Harry Hay's 1st Louisiana Brigade was promoted to Brigadier General and brought over to command the 2nd Louisiana Brigade. Colonel Williams returned to the command of his 2nd Louisiana regiment. I don't know why Colonel Williams was not promoted to Brigadier General and given permanent command of the brigade.

General Stafford was severely wounded when Grant's 1864 campaign began and died on May 8th, 1864 in a Richmond hospital. Colonel Jesse Williams again stepped up to command the brigade and was killed at Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, 1864. We had a recent discussion on this board under Colonel Williams' name about his place of burial which is in Stonewall Cemetery, aka the Confederate Section, Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. His remains were removed from Spotsylvania to Winchester after the war.

Dr. Terry Jones covers the details of this command structure in his excellent book "Lee's Tigers. The Louisiana Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia" (LSU Press, 1987).

Hugh Simmons
Fort Delaware Society