Confederate States of America. Army. Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana

The Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana was established by General Orders, No. 73 issued by the Adjutant and Inspector-General’s Office on October 1, 1862. It was a geographical command of the Confederate Army encompassing the State of Mississippi and the State of Louisiana east of the Mississippi River. It was subdivided into the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Military Districts. Its first commander was Maj. Gen. John C. Pemberton who commanded the department from October 1, 1862–December 22, 1863, and Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk later commanded it from December 23, 1863–January 27, 1864. In January 1864 Alabama was merged into the Department and it became known as the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. (Beers, The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Government of the Confederate States of America, 263; Confederate States Army-General Orders from the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, 87)