10th Texas Field Battery Pratt's Texas Battery Hynson's Texas Battery | |
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Active | March 1, 1861 – May/June, 1865 |
Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
Branch | Confederate States Army |
Type | Artillery |
Engagements |
The 10th Texas Field Battery (also known as Pratt's Texas Battery and Hynson's Texas Battery) was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After being formed in early 1861 by Benjamin H. Pratt, the battery served with a cavalry formation led by Colonel William Henry Parsons for part of 1862. It was called upon to enter Missouri in support of troop movements related to the Battle of Prairie Grove, but this did not occur. It then operated along the Mississippi River in early 1863, harassing enemy shipping. The unit then participated in Marmaduke's Second Expedition into Missouri and the Battle of Pine Bluff in 1863. Late in 1864, the battery, now under the command of H. C. Hynson, served in Price's Raid, participating in several battles and skirmishes, including the disastrous Battle of Mine Creek. One source claims the unit's service ended on May 26, 1865, while a Confederate report dated June 1, 1865, states that it existed but did not have cannons. Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on June 2.
The 10th Texas Field Battery was organized on March 1, 1861. [1] [2] The unit was raised by Captain Benjamin H. Pratt, a Texas railroad builder. When the battery was mustered into Confederate service in Jefferson, Texas, it contained 72 men drawn from Harrison, Marion, and Cass counties. [3] Arriving in Arkansas in May 1862, Pratt's battery was assigned to Colonel William Henry Parsons's brigade, which was split up across the Arkansas Delta, harassing Union forces along the White River. At this time, the battery had eight cannons, but often operated in two- or four-gun sections. [4] It sometimes harassed Union shipping on the Mississippi River during mid-1862. [5] The battery continued to operate with Parsons's brigade through late 1862, although it was often not under Parsons's direct command. [3] Late in 1862, Pratt's battery and Parsons's brigade were intended to be sent to Missouri to tie down Union troops in support of the movements leading up to the Battle of Prairie Grove, but this did not occur. [6] During the early part of 1863, the battery served along the Mississippi River and sometimes harassed Union Navy transports and gunboats; it was claimed to have caused one sinking and to have damaged another ship. [3] In the spring, the battery served under Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke during Marmaduke's Second Expedition into Missouri. [3]
Marmaduke's raid saw Confederate cavalry strike into Missouri in hopes of distracting Union troops from more important areas and peaked with an abortive attempt to capture Cape Girardeau, Missouri. [7] From April 17 to May 2, Pratt's battery served in the raid, under Colonel George Washington Carter. [3] Two guns of the battery were part of a force sent to strike Patterson beginning on April 19 at midnight, [8] and while the battery was present on the field at Cape Girardeau, it was only lightly engaged. [9] After the raid failed due to the repulse at Cape Girardeau and the arrival of Union reinforcements, [10] Marmaduke's men concentrated on Crowley's Ridge in early May. [11] Still serving in Carter's brigade, [12] the battery, which was now armed with four cannons, moved to Colt, Arkansas, (then known as Taylor's Creek) as part of a plan to capture a Union cavalry force operating in the area. [13] Early on May 11, Carter's men made contact with the Union cavalry, bringing on the Skirmish at Taylor's Creek. [14] During the action, Marmaduke detached two of Pratt's cannons 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south, as he was worried about Union reinforcements and wanted to protect the center of his line. [15] After a brief skirmish, the Union cavalry retreated, but were able to escape as Carter did not order a pursuit. [16] The battery then returned to operating against river shipping, this time both on the Mississippi River and the Arkansas River. When Confederate troops abandoned the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 10, Pratt's battery was at the Arkansas River, where it covered the crossing of the retreating Confederate units. [3] The main part of the battery covered a ford, while a smaller portion was sent to support Etter's Arkansas Battery. Both Etter's guns and the detachment from Pratt's battery were soon silenced by Union counterbattery fire. [17] Later that day, in the Battle of Bayou Fourche, Pratt's battery, which was armed with 12-pounder howitzers at this time, supported Colonel Robert C. Newton's cavalry with artillery fire. [18]
When Marmaduke moved against the city of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in October, Pratt's battery accompanied him. [3] On October 24, Marmaduke readied his forces to begin moving towards the city and its Union garrison. Near the Saline River, the Confederate force split to conduct a pincer attack. Pratt's battery was part of Newton's wing of the Confederate force, as part of Major B. D. Chenoweth's brigade. [19] Early on the 25th, Newton's cavalry reached a brickyard southeast of Pine Bluff, where they dismounted and waited for the other wing of the Confederate force to fire a signal shot, which would begin the Battle of Pine Bluff. [20] Once the shot was fired, Newton's men, led by Wood's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, charged the town, but were halted by Union defenders. Pratt's battery was then deployed to fire on Union sharpshooters deployed in houses; the defenders were driven back further into the town by the fire. [21] The Union soldiers were eventually driven back into a barricaded position in the town square. Pratt's battery was brought up to fire on the position and particularly Union troops in the cupola of the courthouse. [22] While the courthouse cupola defenders were driven out of their positions, the main Union barricades held. Ruffner's Missouri Battery had been firing from a churchyard, and Pratt's battery joined the Missouri gunners in that position. [22] The Union position could not be subdued, and Marmaduke believed that a frontal attack would be too costly, so the Confederates abandoned the town in the mid-afternoon. [23] The battery then spent the winter of 1863–1864 stationed in northeastern Louisiana. [24] Beginning on May 23, 1864, the battery accompanied a force of Missouri cavalry led by Colonel Colton Greene to a landing on the Mississippi River in Arkansas, where it fired on several transports through June 4. [25] The intention was to disrupt the portion of the Union supply line dependent on the Mississippi River. [26] At this time, Pratt's battery had six cannons. [27] It was split into multiple detachments in order to maximize disruption of river traffic. [5] On May 24, the battery dueled with the gunboat USS Curlew for about half an hour before withdrawing, and it fought other skirmishes with elements of the Union Navy and the Mississippi Marine Brigade. [28] When Union forces responded to Greene's harassment of river traffic by landing a sizable infantry force near the Confederate position on June 5, [29] the Confederates withdrew and Pratt's battery covered a bridge during the Battle of Ditch Bayou, [27] which was fought on June 6. [29] At Ditch Bayou, the Confederates held off Union forces for some time before withdrawing when they ran out of artillery ammunition. The Union troops were unable to mount an effective pursuit. [30]
On February 19, 1864, Pratt was elevated to the rank of major [2] and placed in command of a four-battery formation known as the Second Horse Artillery Battalion that included in it his former unit. [3] Second Lieutenant H. C. Hynson took command of the battery and was promoted to captain. [2] When Major General Sterling Price invaded Missouri in late 1864, Hynson's battery accompanied the expedition. [3] During Price's Raid, the battery was armed with three cannons and was assigned to Marmaduke's division. [31] On September 27, Price's men were preparing to attack a Union defensive position at Fort Davidson. As part of the preparation for the Battle of Fort Davidson, two guns each from Harris's Missouri Battery and Hynson's battery were attempted to be dragged up to the top of Shepherd Mountain. According to historian Kyle Sinisi, only two pieces could be brought to the summit, [32] while the historians Bryce Suderow and R. Scott House state that four were placed on the mountain. [33] Another gun from the battery was sent to a position near a creek in order to support the direct assaults against the fort, along with another cannon from Harris's battery. [34] Fire from Union artillery in the fort forced the two guns to withdraw. [35] Union cannon also fired on the pieces on Shepherd Mountain, with much greater effectiveness than the Confederate fire down from the mountain. [36] The Confederate attacks against Fort Davidson were unsuccessful, although the fort was taken the next day after its defenders abandoned it. [37] Price then moved his army northwest; plans to attack the cities of St. Louis and Jefferson City were abandoned due to the strength of the positions. [38]
During the movement across Missouri, Hynson's battery fought in a skirmish at California on the afternoon of October 9. [39] The Confederate column continued west and reached the vicinity of Kansas City in late October. On October 22, pursuing Union cavalry caught up with Price's rear guard near Independence, bringing on the Second Battle of Independence. [40] Hynson's battery was engaged during the action, which ended in a Confederate defeat. [41] The next day, the battery saw more action as part of a Confederate defensive line during the Battle of Byram's Ford. [42] Concurrently with the fighting at Byram's Ford, Price's army was decisively defeated at the Battle of Westport and began retreating through Kansas. The victorious Union soldiers pursued Price, and caught up to part of his army, bringing on the Battle of Marais des Cygnes on October 25. [43] At Marais des Cygnes, Hynson's battery was armed with three cannons, variously reported as either a 6-pounder smoothbore and two Parrott rifles [44] or a 6-pounder smoothbore and two 12-pounder Napoleons. [45] The battery made a stand at a river crossing during part of the action, [46] and towards the end of the battle, the battery was part of a force commanded by Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr. that provided a rear guard for the retreating Confederates. Due to an ammunition shortage, Hynson's battery left the 6-pounder on the field when Clark's men finally abandoned their positions. [47] [48] One Confederate officer present at the battle stated that the battery "did such good execution that the enemy were compelled to fall back". [44]
Later on the 25th, Price's Confederates fought another action, the Battle of Mine Creek. Hynson's gunners manned two cannons on the right of the Confederate line at the battle. [49] Another cannon in the middle of the Confederate line was either crewed by Hynson's men [50] or Hughey's Arkansas Battery. [51] During the battle, Union cavalry charged the Confederate line, and came under canister fire from Hynson's and Harris's batteries. [52] Once the Union attack hit home, the Confederate defenders routed, and Mine Creek ended in a Confederate disaster, with many cannons and hundreds of men, including Marmaduke, captured. Price's defeated survivors continued retreating until they reached Texas in December. [53] Pratt was fatally wounded during the retreat. [3] A listing of Confederate artillery units produced by Ohio State University states that the battery's service ended on May 26, 1865, [1] while a Confederate strength report as of June 1, 1865 lists the battery as being located at Marshall, Texas, but without any cannons. [54] Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on June 2. [55]
The Battle of Helena was fought on July 4, 1863, near Helena, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Union troops captured the city in July 1862, and had been using it as a base of operations. Over 7,500 Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes attempted to capture Helena in hopes of relieving some of the pressure on the Confederate army besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Helena was defended by about 4,100 Union troops led by Major General Benjamin Prentiss, manning one fort and four batteries of artillery.
The Battle of Marais des Cygnes took place on October 25, 1864, in Linn County, Kansas, during Price's Missouri Campaign during the American Civil War. It is also known as the Battle of Trading Post. In late 1864, Confederate Major-General Sterling Price invaded the state of Missouri with a cavalry force, attempting to draw Union troops away from the primary theaters of fighting further east. After several victories early in the campaign, Price's Confederate troops were defeated at the Battle of Westport on October 23 near Kansas City, Missouri. The Confederates then withdrew into Kansas, camping along the banks of the Marais des Cygnes River on the night of October 24. Union cavalry pursuers under Brigadier General John B. Sanborn skirmished with Price's rearguard that night, but disengaged without participating in heavy combat.
The Battle of Westport, sometimes referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West", was fought on October 23, 1864, in modern Kansas City, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Union forces under Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumbered Confederate force under Major General Sterling Price. This engagement was the turning point of Price's Missouri Expedition, forcing his army to retreat. The battle ended the last major Confederate offensive west of the Mississippi River, and for the remainder of the war the United States Army maintained solid control over most of Missouri. This battle was one of the largest to be fought west of the Mississippi River, with over 30,000 men engaged.
The Battle of Fort Davidson, also known as the Battle of Pilot Knob, was a battle of Price's Missouri Expedition fought on September 27, 1864, near Pilot Knob, Missouri. Confederate troops under the command of Major-General Sterling Price had entered Missouri in September 1864 with hopes of challenging Union control of the state. On September 24, Price learned that Union troops held Pilot Knob. Two days later, he sent part of his command north to disrupt and then moved towards Pilot Knob with the rest of his army. The Confederate divisions of Major-General James Fagan and Brigadier-General John Marmaduke drove Union troops under Brigadier-General Thomas Ewing and Major James Wilson from the lower Arcadia Valley into Fort Davidson on September 26 and on the morning of September 27.
The Battle of Glasgow was fought on October 15, 1864, in and near Glasgow, Missouri, as part of Price's Missouri Expedition during the American Civil War. The battle resulted in the capture of needed weapons and improved Confederate morale, which had been dented after a defeat in the Battle of Pilot Knob.
The Second Battle of Independence was fought on October 22, 1864, near Independence, Missouri, as part of Price's Raid during the American Civil War. In late 1864, Major General Sterling Price of the Confederate States Army led a cavalry force into the state of Missouri in the hopes of creating a popular uprising against Union control, drawing Union Army troops from more important areas, and influencing the 1864 United States presidential election. Price was opposed by a combination of Union Army and Kansas State Militia forces positioned near Kansas City and led by Major General Samuel R. Curtis; Union cavalry under Major General Alfred Pleasonton followed Price from the east, working to catch up to the Confederates from the rear. While moving westwards along the Missouri River, Price's men made contact with Curtis's Union troops at the Little Blue River on October 21. After forcing the Union soldiers to retreat in the Battle of Little Blue River, the Confederates occupied the city of Independence, which was 7 miles (11 km) away.
The Second Battle of Lexington was a minor battle fought during Price's Raid as part of the American Civil War. Hoping to draw Union Army forces away from more important theaters of combat and potentially affect the outcome of the 1864 United States presidential election, Sterling Price, a major general in the Confederate States Army, led an offensive into the state of Missouri on September 19, 1864. After a botched attack at the Battle of Pilot Knob, the strength of the Union defenses at Jefferson City led Price to abandon the main goals of his campaign.
The Battle of Little Blue River was fought on October 21, 1864, as part of Price's Raid during the American Civil War. Major General Sterling Price of the Confederate States Army led an army into Missouri in September 1864 with hopes of challenging Union control of the state. During the early stages of the campaign, Price abandoned his plan to capture St. Louis and later his secondary target of Jefferson City. The Confederates then began moving westwards, brushing aside Major General James G. Blunt's Union force in the Second Battle of Lexington on October 19. Two days later, Blunt left part of his command under the authority of Colonel Thomas Moonlight to hold the crossing of the Little Blue River, while the rest of his force fell back to Independence. On the morning of October 21, Confederate troops attacked Moonlight's line, and parts of Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr.'s brigade forced their way across the river. A series of attacks and counterattacks ensued, neither side gaining a significant advantage.
The Battle of Byram's Ford was fought on October 22 and 23, 1864, in Missouri during Price's Raid, a campaign of the American Civil War. With the Confederate States of America collapsing, Major General Sterling Price of the Confederate States Army conducted an invasion of the state of Missouri in late 1864. Union forces led Price to abandon goals of capturing the cities of St. Louis and Jefferson City, and he turned west with his army towards Kansas City.
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H. Cooper and a Union column commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon near Newtonia, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Cooper's force had moved into southwestern Missouri, and encamped near the town of Newtonia. The Confederate column was composed mostly of cavalry led by Colonel Joseph O. Shelby and a brigade of Native Americans. A Union force commanded by Brigadier General James G. Blunt moved to intercept Cooper's force. Blunt's advance force, led by Salomon, reached the vicinity of Newtonia on September 29, and attacked Cooper's position on September 30. A Union probing force commanded by Colonel Edward Lynde was driven out of Newtonia by Cooper's forces on the morning of the 30th.
The Second Battle of Newtonia was fought on October 28, 1864, near Newtonia, Missouri, between cavalry commanded by Major General James G. Blunt of the Union Army and Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby's rear guard of the Confederate Army of Missouri. In September 1864, Confederate Major General Sterling Price had entered the state of Missouri with hopes of creating a popular uprising against Union control of the state. A defeat at the Battle of Pilot Knob in late September and the strength of Union positions at Jefferson City led Price to abandon the main objectives of the campaign; instead he moved his force west towards Kansas City, where it was badly defeated at the Battle of Westport by Major General Samuel R. Curtis on October 23. Following a set of three defeats on October 25, Price's army halted to rest near Newtonia on October 28.
The Battle of Van Buren was fought in Crawford County, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during the American Civil War. After defeating Confederate forces led by Major General Thomas C. Hindman at the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, Union forces under Brigadier Generals James G. Blunt and Francis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions at Van Buren and Fort Smith. Disease, lack of supplies, and desertion had previously forced Hindman to begin withdrawing most of his force from the area. Setting out on December 27, the Union troops struck an outlying Confederate cavalry unit near Drippings Spring, north of Van Buren, on the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops.
The Battle of Brownsville was fought on August 25, 1863, near what is now Lonoke, Arkansas, between Union forces led by Colonel Washington Geiger and Confederate troops under Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke. Union forces commanded by Major General Frederick Steele were advancing from Helena, Arkansas, towards Little Rock, the state capital of Arkansas. Confederate Major General Sterling Price ordered cavalry led by Marmaduke and Brigadier General Lucius M. Walker to Brownsville in response to the Union advance.
Landis's Missouri Battery, also known as Landis's Company, Missouri Light Artillery, was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the early stages of the American Civil War. The battery was formed when Captain John C. Landis recruited men from the Missouri State Guard in late 1861 and early 1862. The battery fielded two 12-pounder Napoleon field guns and two 24-pounder howitzers for much of its existence, and had a highest reported numerical strength of 62 men. After initially serving in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, where it may have fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge, the unit was transferred east of the Mississippi River. The battery saw limited action in 1862 at the Battle of Iuka and at the Second Battle of Corinth.
Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally formed as Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, the unit consisted of men recruited in Missouri by Lieutenant Colonel Alonzo W. Slayback during Price's Raid in 1864. The battalion's first action was at the Battle of Pilot Knob on September 27; it later participated in actions at Sedalia, Lexington, and the Little Blue River. In October, the unit was used to find an alternate river crossing during the Battle of the Big Blue River. Later that month, Slayback's unit saw action at the battles of Westport, Marmiton River, and Second Newtonia. The battalion was briefly furloughed in Arkansas before rejoining Major General Sterling Price in Texas in December. Probably around February 1865, the battalion reached official regimental strength after more recruits joined.
The 1st Missouri Field Battery was a field artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was formed by Captain Westley F. Roberts in Arkansas in September 1862 as Roberts' Missouri Battery and was originally armed with two 12-pounder James rifles and two 6-pounder smoothbore guns. The unit fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, as part of a Confederate offensive. Roberts' Battery withdrew after the battle and transferred to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Roberts resigned and was replaced by Lieutenant Samuel T. Ruffner.
The capture of Sedalia occurred during the American Civil War when a Confederate force captured the Union garrison of Sedalia, Missouri, on October 15, 1864. Confederate Major General Sterling Price, who was a former Governor of Missouri and had commanded the Missouri State Guard in the early days of the war, had launched an invasion into the state of Missouri on August 29. He hoped to distract the Union from more important areas and cause a popular uprising against Union control of the state. Price had to abandon his goal of capturing St. Louis after a bloody repulse at the Battle of Fort Davidson and moved into the pro-Confederate region of Little Dixie in central Missouri.
Nichols's Missouri Cavalry Regiment served in the Confederate States Army during the late stages of the American Civil War. The cavalry regiment began recruiting in early 1864 under Colonel Sidney D. Jackman, who had previously raised a unit that later became the 16th Missouri Infantry Regiment. The regiment officially formed on June 22 and operated against the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad through August. After joining Major General Sterling Price's command, the unit participated in Price's Raid, an attempt to create a popular uprising against Union control of Missouri and draw Union troops away from more important theaters of the war. During the raid, while under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Nichols, the regiment was part of an unsuccessful pursuit of Union troops who were retreating after the Battle of Fort Davidson in late September.
The 13th Missouri Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry unit that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In early April 1863, Captain Robert C. Wood, aide-de-camp to Confederate Major General Sterling Price, was detached to form an artillery unit from some of the men of Price's escort. Wood continued recruiting for the unit, which was armed with four Williams guns, and grew to 275 men by the end of September. The next month, the unit fought in the Battle of Pine Bluff, driving back Union Army troops into a barricaded defensive position, from which the Union soldiers could not be dislodged. By November, the unit, which was known as Wood's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, had grown to 400 men but no longer had the Williams guns. In April 1864, Wood's battalion, which was also known as the 14th Missouri Cavalry Battalion, played a minor role in the defeat of a Union foraging party in the Battle of Poison Spring, before spending the summer of 1864 at Princeton, Arkansas. In September, the unit joined Price's Raid into the state of Missouri, but their assault during the Battle of Pilot Knob failed to capture Fort Davidson.
The Little Rock Campaign, officially known as Advance of the Union forces upon Little Rock, Arkansas, was a campaign conducted by the Union Army in Arkansas during the American Civil War. The offensive was designed to capture Little Rock.