The 5th Regiment was composed of volunteer companies from central Mississippi and assembled in the fall of 1861 by Colonel Albert E. Fant.

After taking heavy casualties in battles in Georgia and Tennessee, the regiment surrendered in April 1865.

[1] The 5th Regiment was first sent to Pensacola, returning to Mississippi in 1862 and taking part in the Battle of Shiloh and Siege of Corinth.

Under General John K. Jackson, the 5th Regiment took part in heavy fighting at the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862, retreating to Chattanooga and Georgia afterwards.

After retreating from Atlanta, the 5th Regiment fought in the Franklin–Nashville campaign, with battles at Franklin, Decatur, Columbia, Spring Hill, and Nashville.