Mark Twain served briefly as a Confederate militiaman in 1861.
At the start of the American Civil War, Samuel Clemens joined the Marion Rangers, a small pro-Confederate militia company in Missouri. He held the rank of second lieutenant, but his military service lasted only about two weeks. The unit disbanded without becoming a regular Confederate regiment, and Twain later left Missouri for Nevada to work with his brother Orion.
Twain later fictionalized the episode in “The Private History of a Campaign That Failed,” published in 1885. The humorous sketch describes inexperienced militiamen who panic during a supposed encounter with the enemy. Although based on his memories, it was deliberately highly fictionalized, and Twain saw no actual combat during the brief episode.
A common mix-up is confusing this service with his later move west in 1861 or with his changing political views during the war. Twain eventually rejected the Confederate cause and became increasingly associated with Unionist and anti-slavery positions.