Company A of the 17th Mississippi Infantry was known as the Buena Vista Rifles and was organized in Buena Vista on March 28, 1861. Soldiers from this company served with the Army of Northern Virginia in many battles, including First Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and the Appomattox campaign. Company A specifically served under William Barksdale at the Battle of Gettysburg and were part of Barksdale's charge on the Peach Orchard.