Colonel C. W. Sears, Regiment Commanding
Claudius Wister Sears was born in Peru, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1937 to 1941 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 8th U. S. Infantry upon his graduation. He fought in Florida during the Seminole Wars until October of 1842 when he resigned his commission. He accepted a teaching position at St. Thomas Hall in Holly Springs, Marshall County, Mississippi. In 1845 he accepted a position as a professor of mathematics and physics at the University of Louisiana (Tulane) from 1845 to 1859 before returning to St. Thomas Hall as president of the school briefly in 1859.
Before joining the 46th Mississippi, Sears enlisted in the 17th Mississippi and was elected Captain of Company G of that unit. He served bravely with that regiment until he was appointed Colonel of the 46th Mississippi on 11 December 1862. Sears survived the war and later taught mathematics and civil engineering at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Lafayette County, Mississippi from 1865 to 1889. He died there in 1891 and is buried there in the Oxford's Saint Peter's Cemetery
The 46th Mississippi was initially organized from the 6th Mississippi Battalion Infantry in 1862 under LTC John W. Balfour. It was briefly known as the 49th Mississippi.
| Name | Company | Enlistment Rank | Discharge Rank | Alternate Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balfour, John W. | F&S | Lieutenant Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | |
| Cowan, W. | F&S | Quartermaster Sergeant | Quartermaster Sergeant | |
| Cowan, Warren | F&S | Quartermaster Sergeant | Quartermaster Sergeant | |
| Cowan, William | F&S | Quartermaster Sergeant | Quartermaster Sergeant | |
| Keep, W. W. | F&S | Chaplain | Chaplain | |
| Lattimore, J. L. | F&S | Chaplain | Chaplain | |
| McCormick, P. J. | F&S | Assistant Surgeon | Surgeon | |
| Porter, James C. | F&S | Acting Adjutant | Acting Adjutant | |
| Richardson, W. B. | F&S | Commissary of Subsistence | Commissary of Subsistence | |
| Sears, C. W. | F&S | Colonel | Colonel | |
| Sheppard, I. N. | F&S | Acting Quartermaster | Acting Quartermaster | |
| Wildey, H. H. | F&S | Private | Ensign | |
| Williams, Thomas E. | F&S | Adjutant | Adjutant |
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