Benton's 37th would later be designated as the 34th Mississippi Infantry Regiment and McLain's 37th would remain as the 37th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. I have seen your several posts looking for information on Needham H. Temples of Company E, Shubuta Guards, 37th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Company E, Shubuta Guards (raised in Clarke County, MS) was part
of McLain's 37th, so it is McLain's 37th that you are interested in.
To confuse matters even more, both McLain's 37th and Benton's 37th were at Corinth, MS, in May of 1862 when General Halleck was laying seige to the city. When General Beauregard evacuated Corinth on May 29th, 1862, Mclain's 37th remained
in northeast Mississippi in the army of General Sterling Price, and Benton's 37th went with General Bragg's army to Chattanooga, TN, then through middle Tennessee and into Kentucky. Off hand I do not know when Benton's 37th officially became
the 34th Mississippi Infantry Regiment.
To the best of my knowledge, McLain's 37th was never in Kentucky and did not go into Tennessee until 1864 as part of Hood's army after the Atlanta campaign.
In September of 1862 General Price moved his army to Iuka, MS, and there on September 19th & 20th fought the Battle of Iuka. As part of Martin's Brigade, McLain's 37th took part in this battle. After evacuating Iuka, General Price combined his army with that of General Van Dorn and together they attacked General Rosecrans at Corinth, MS, on October 3-4 1862 where Colonel McLain was
severely wounded. On October 5, 1862, another battle was fought at Hatchie Bridge as Van Dorn's army was retreating from Corinth.
Needham H. Temples muster card for August to October 1862 has him "Absent, Sick in hospital" and the card for November to December 1862 has him "Died Oct 20, 1862". Although no cause of death is stated, one could easily surmise that Needham died
from the illness that had him "Sick in hospital". But I would caution that you keep an open mind and entertain the idea that he may have died from wounds sustained at Iuka, Corinth, or Hatchie Bridge.
To wrap up, McLain's 37th (now commanded by Colonel Orlando S. Holland) was at the seige and surrender of Vicksburg, then parole camp at Enterprise MS, then at Pollard, AL, then was one of the first units at the battle of Resaca, GA, participated throughout the Atlanta Campaign, was part of Hood's army in the Tennessee Campaign, and finished the war at Greensboro, North Carolina, when Johnston surrendered.
Thanks,
Kenny