The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The American Civil War began in April 1861 with the Battle of Fort Sumter, and fighting soon escalated. Beginning in May, events in the state of Missouri led to an expansion of the war into that state. In 1862, Confederate recruiting activities took place in Missouri, and a cavalry regiment was formed in Oregon County. On September 2, the unit entered Confederate service, but was soon reclassified as infantry. After many of the unit's men transferred to other units, the regiment was reclassified as a battalion and named the 7th Missouri Infantry Battalion. Under the name Mitchell's Missouri Infantry, the unit was part of a Confederate offensive at the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7. During the battle, the unit made several charges against the Union lines, but was repeatedly repulsed by artillery fire. The regiment spent most of early 1863 encamped near Little Rock and Pine Bluff in Arkansas, and may have been part of an expedition to the Mississippi River.