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Confederate (CSV)

Major

John Alan Blair

(1835 - 1898)

Home State: Mississippi

Education: University of Mississippi (Law) , Class of 1860

Branch of Service: Infantry

Unit: 2nd Mississippi Infantry

Before Sharpsburg

He moved with his family to Tippah County, MS as a small boy. After law school he established a practice in Jacinto, Tishomingo County. He enlisted as Private, Company K, 2nd Mississippi Infantry in April 1861 and was appointed Sergeant-Major of the Regiment. He was wounded at First Manassas in July 1861. He was elected Major of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry at the reorganization of April 1862.

On the Campaign

He was wounded at Sharpsburg on 17 September, as were Colonel Stone and Lieutenant Colonel Humphreys - all the Regiment's field officers. They were relieved in command by Lt Moody.

The rest of the War

He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after Humphreys was killed at Gettysburg, and was himself captured there, and was a prisoner until exchanged at Point Lookout, MD in March 1864. He was wounded again, at Weldon Railroad, VA in 1864. He was captured at Hatcher's Run, VA in February 1865, and held at Johnson's Island, OH. He was released 18 June 1865 after taking the oath of allegiance.

After the War

He was a lawyer in Tupelo, MS and was in the State Legislature.

References & notes

Basic service and his wounding at Sharpsburg from Dunbar Rowland's The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi (1908). Details from a bio sketch in Rowlands's Mississippi (1907) and from a casualty list/roster for the Maryland Campaign provided by Michael Brasher, from his research in Compiled Service Records, Company rolls, and other period sources. His gravesite is on Findagrave.