I have been researching this regiment for several years now but am still trying to figure out how it was named. The surviving letters of the men who served in it called the regiment Armistead's Regiment. Silas Buck (color bearer) writes his sister and says she should direct her letters to Silas Buck, co D, Armistead's Reg, Armistead's Brigade. The captain of co. I signs his name Jas D. Lynch, Capt Comdy co I, Armstead Reg.

Order of War Department, March 24, 1865, the ten companies of Mississippi Cavalry under the command of Col. C. G. Armistead will constitute the Twelfth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry.

Ten? what happened to the 11th? They are all present at the surrender. Lynch is the only one I can find that was in Selma at the close of the war. He transfered to the Nitre and Mining Bureau but still is listed as a capt in Armistead's Cav on the POW rolls.

They say a portion of the 12th was transferred to Col Wade. but this was a month before Armistead's reg was named the 12th. I believe that was a portion af the 12th Batl Cav which was renamed the 10th Reg cav. Major Cox was a member of that unit and he was captured with the flag which was a 2nd Natl flag. Spence and Buck say the regiment flag never fell into enemy hands and it was a Mobile Depot flag.

After the war Spence and the officers repeatedly refer to the regiment as the 16th Confederate Cavalry. When was it designated that?

Well my questions were answered by R.C Beckett in his sketch of the regiment where he writes "From Demopolis we went to Dayton, Ala., and with other companies formed a regiment, which was the 16th Confederate Cavalry, but was always known as Colonel Armistead's Regiment.

But today I ran into this.....(memorandom from AIGO dated aug 8, 1864, describes makeup of Armistead's 11 companies, 4 of them apparently not legally organized, but which have been functioning as 12th Miss Cavalry; Dabney H. Maury recomends acceptance of "this really efficient regiment") from The Papers of Jefferson Davis vol 10

So 4 companies called themselves the 12th Miss Cavalry while they were in Armistead's Regiment and once accepted by the powers that be the regiment was named the 16th Conf Cav. Then the War Dept in 1865 renames 10 companies what 4 companies were calling themselves in 1864. No wonder they called themselves Armistead's regiment, they didnt know who they were. By the way after the war most of the privates called it the 12th Miss Cav., Spence in his sketch for the Courier Journal calls it "his regiment".

Any help would be appreciated.