The regiment took the field on November 20, 1862, manning the fortifications along the Mississippi River at Columbus for a week before joining Ulysses S. Grant's army at LaGrange, and being attached to the XIII Corps. They spent the winter guarding supply lines and railroads around Jackson and Humboldt. Staying behind while the main force advanced down the Mississippi River and against Jackson, the regiment eventually joined in the Siege of Vicksburg on May 28, 1863. They were present for the Confederate surrender on July 4 and were then assigned to duty in Helena. From August 1 to early September 1863 they joined General Frederick Steele and his expedition against Little Rock. There they saw action at the Battle of Bayou Fourche where the Confederate forces under General Sterling Price were defeated and Union forces exercised control over most of Arkansas.