Obediah Franklin Beene Served in Co. F 32 Mississippi Regiment during the Civil War. He took two of his slaves to war with him (see note). He was at Missionary Ridge, part of the Battle of Look Out Mountain (Chattanooga, TN). After the battle he found 11 bullet holes in his blanket and clothes, but he was not scratched. After the war he was paroled at Greensboro, NC.
He was born in Alabama, and moved to Itawamba Co, MS with his parents by 1838. Around 1849 he went to live with his sister, Nancy Morgan, to run her farm after her husband died. He is there with her on the 1850 census for Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. He stayed with Nancy and her three young children for about 3 years.
He returned to Itawamba Co, MS where he married Nancy Ann Walker on March 11, 1852. She died after only 15 months. He married his second wife, Mary Elizabeth "Mollie" Livingstone, on November 23, 1858 also in Itawamba Co, MS. There were no children (at least no surviving children) by Nancy Ann Walker. His second marriage produced at least eight children.
When Obe (pronounced Obie w/two syllables) was preparing to leave to serve in the CSA, he held his young son, Russell O. Beene in his arms...See notes on Russell O. Beene, infant.
Obediah Franklin Beene and his family moved to Freestone Co, TX in 1884 traveling by rail.
Mississippi 32nd Infantry Regiment, CSA
The Mississippi 32nd Infantry Regiment was organized about April 3, 1862. Later they were consolidated in the field with the 45th Infantry Regiment from July 1863 to early 1864. Then they were consolidated in the field with the 8th Infantry Regiment from August 1864 to April 9, 1865. On April 9, 1865 they were consolidated with Williams 3rd Infantry Battalion, the 8th Infantry Regiment, and part of the 5th Infantry Regiment and designated as the 8th Infantry Battalion while at Smithfield, NC.
First Commander: Mark P. Lowrey (Colonel)
Field Officers: F. C. Karr (Major)
J. W. Swinney (Major)
William H. H. Tison (Lt. Col, Col)Assignments: Unattached, Army of the MS, Dept. 2 (Apr-May 1862)
Wood's Brigade, 3rd Corps, Army of the MS, Dept 2 (Jun-Jul 1862)
Wood's Brigade, Hardee's Div, Army of the MS, Dept 2 (Jul-Aug 1862)
Wood's Brigade, Hardee-Buckner's Div, Left Wing, Army of the MS, Dept 2 (Aug-Nov 1862)
Wood's-Lowrey's Brigade, Buckner's-Cleburne's Div, 2nd Corps, Army of TN (Nov 1862-Nov 1863)
Lowrey's Brigade, Cleburne's Div, 1st Corps, Army of TN (Nov 1863-Apr 1865)Battles: Corinth Campaign (Corinth, MS) (Apr-Jun 1862)
Tullahoma Campaign (June 1863)
Chickamauga (Sept 19-20, 1863)
Chattanooga Siege (Sept-Nov 1863)
Chattanooga (Nov 23-25, 1863)
Atlanta Campaign (May-Sept 1864)
New Hope Church (May 25-Jun 4, 1864)
Kennesaw Mountain (Jun 27, 1864)
Atlanta Siege (July-Sept 1864)
Atlanta (July 22, 1864)
Jonesboro (Aug 31-Sept 1, 1864)
Franklin (Nov 30, 1864)
Nashville (Dec 15-16, 1864)
Carolinas Campaign (Feb-Apr 1865)Above taken from Compendium of the Confederate Armies, Mississippi, Stewart Sifakis, Facts On File, An Infobase Holdings Company
Mark P. Lowrey raised a company of men for the CSA in northeast MS. The field officers were commissioned April 3, 1862. Our Obediah Franklin Beene enlisted on or before April 30, 1862 in Co. F, 32nd Reg. MS, CSA. The roll call of Apr 30, 1862 shows 960 men present and a total of present and absent of 1,239.
Corinth Campaign. In May the 32nd MS Inf. was assigned to S. A. M. Wood's Brigade, Hardee's Corps. They stayed at Corinth till May 29, 1862 holding the fortified lines around their encampment against the Union Gen. Halleck without serious encounters. Then they went to Tupelo, MS, and then under Gen. Bragg went to Chattanooga, TN, from there to Kentucky. Then they fought a battle at Perryville, Oct 8, 1862. Wood's Brigade of Buckner's Div. was in the line to the left of Cheatham's Div. Gen. Wood was wounded and Col. Lowrey, who took command of the Bridage, and two other Colonels were wounded. The 32nd must have suffered heavy loss, but official reports are meagre about this campaign. General Orders Dec 21, 1862: "The regiments of the brigade of Brigadier-General Wood, which, on the memorable field of Perryville, participated in the gallant and desperate charge resulting in the capture of the enemy's batteries, will, in addition to the name of the field on their colors, place the cross-cannon inverted."
Chickamauga. Col. Lowrey commanding the brigade which at the time included the 32nd and 45th Regiments and Hawkins' Battalion, with the 16th, 32nd, and 45th AL in Cleburn's Div of D. H. Hill's Corps.
Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20, 1863. "Col. Lowrey commanded the 32nd and 45th Regiments consolidated. Lowrey's command was the right regiment of the brigade, with Hawkins' sharpshooters on his right. They did not go into the fight until late in the evening of the 19th, when they moved against the strong position Gen. Thomas had taken on the Chattanooga road, Cleburne advancing from the direction of Chickamauga Creek. Captain Williams' company of the 45th, deployed as skirmishers, first encountered the enemy, and the battle was joined fiercely, Thomas' first line making desperate efforts to hold their position at a fence. 'When we reached the further side of the field,' Wood wrote, 'many of the enemy still remained behind their defenses, and shots were exchanged at twenty paces. In crossing this field Col. Lowrey greatly distinguished himself by his continued exertions in urging forward his command.' The Federals were driven from these defenses, and Lowrey's men took 30 prisoners. Next day, Sunday, Cleburne was ordered against Thomas' main line of log works, which were so planned that when Lowrey's Regiment had advanced closely and gained the summit of a ridge, the men came under the direct and cross fire of a long line of infantry and a battery in front throwing grapeshot. It was the most severe ordeal the regiment had ever known. The men lay down, and did their best to make an effective reply to the musketry. Lowrey wrote, 'In a very short time I lost over one-fourth of my command in killed and wounded. Nineteen of my men now sleep in one grave near where the colors stood, all of whom were killed near that spot.' The regiment held the position an hour and a half. The rest of the Brigade was driven back. Lowrey supposed some other advance would be made to relieve him. But when the ammunition was practically exhausted the regiment fell back. Capt. Coleman, of the sharpshooters, wrote: 'Owing to the gallantry and coolness of Col. Lowrey, his regiment fell back in fine order, and this inspired my own company. The good order preserved under so hot a fire was remarkable.' In his report, Lt. Gen. Hill quoted the words of Cleburne: 'Five hundred men were killed or wounded by this fire in a few minutes. Upon the repulse, Lowrey's Regiment having been forced to retire, I ordered the brigade still further back to reform.' Deshler's Brigade was sent in to the place where Lowrey had been, but Deshler was killed and his men driven to shelter. Lowrey earned promotion on this field to Brigadier-General. In his report of the battle, Lt. Gen. D. H. Hill wrote, 'Col. M. P. Lowrey has been deservedly promoted, and a worthier object of advancement could not have been selected.' The casualties of this single encounter were 25 killed and 141 wounded. Major F. C. Karr, of the 32nd, a faithful and gallant veteran, was shot through with a Minie ball and died soon after the battle. 'Many of my best men fell,' the Colonel wrote. The various companies selected for the Roll of Honor the following: Smith Scroggins, A (killed); J. B. Milton, B (killed); Samuel H. Stevenson, C; J. W. Looney, D (killed); Monroe M. Miller, E (killed); J. M. Cooper, F; C. H. Reed, G; Sergt. John Calvin Dean, H; C. C. Campbell, I (killed); Sergt. T. W. Crabb, K."
From Military History of Mississippi 1803-1898, by Dunbar Rowland, Taken from The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, 1908, with a new index by H. Grady Howell, Jr., The Reprint Company, Publishers, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1978
The Dunbar Rowland book contains a lot more information on the 32nd MS Inf Reg. If your ancestor fought in a MS Reg, write to:
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
P.O. Box 571
Jackson, MS 39205They charge a fee to cover the look up, copying and mailing, but it's worth it, if they find something for you!
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