9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion

Last updated

9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion
Pindall's Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion
Missouri Regiments Army Banner.svg
Flag of the type carried by the battalion [1]
ActiveNovember 29, 1862, to June 7, 1865
CountryFlag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States of America
BranchBattle flag of the Confederate States of America.svg  Confederate States Army
Type Sharpshooter
Size battalion
Engagements American Civil War

The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion, also known as Pindall's Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion, was a unit that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battalion was formed in late 1862, in compliance with an earlier authorization by the Confederate States Congress for each brigade to have an associated battalion of sharpshooters. When first formed, the men had no unique qualifications to serve as sharpshooters and were drawn from a defunct artillery battery, a partisan rangers unit, and infantrymen. The unit's first major battle was the Battle of Prairie Grove in December 1862.

Contents

The first half of 1863 saw the battalion serving at various points in Arkansas. When a Confederate force attacked the Federal-held city of Helena, Arkansas, on July 4, in the Battle of Helena, the 9th Missouri Sharpshooters saw action. The unit was present in the Little Rock area during the Little Rock campaign later in the year, but saw no action. In March 1864, it moved into Louisiana to oppose the Red River campaign, during which it fought at the Battle of Pleasant Hill in early April. After Pleasant Hill, the battalion returned to Arkansas and was engaged at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30. The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion spent the rest of the war at various points in Louisiana and Arkansas before the Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater surrendered on May 26, 1865. The steamboat carrying the unit back to Missouri sank in the Red River of the South, killing at least 12 men of the battalion.

Background and formation

At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, the state of Missouri was politically divided. The Governor of Missouri, Claiborne Fox Jackson supported secession and the Confederate States of America, and created the pro-secession Missouri State Guard. Opposing the secessionists were troops from the Federal army. [2] In July, the anti-secession elements of the Missouri legislature voted to remain in the United States, while in November, Jackson and the pro-secession legislators voted to join the Confederacy. The resulting Confederate government of Missouri functioned as a government-in-exile. Pro-secession and Confederate forces won several battles, but by the end of 1861, were restricted to the southwestern portion of the state. [3] In March of the following year, a Federal victory over Confederate and Missouri State Guard forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas resulted in the Federals gaining control of Missouri. [4]

On April 21, 1862, the Confederate States Congress authorized each brigade of infantry to be assigned a battalion of sharpshooters. Per law, these battalions were to be armed with long-range rifles and were to consist of three to six companies. On November 25, Major General Thomas C. Hindman ordered his subordinate division commanders to form the sharpshooter battalions if practical. One of Hindman's division commanders, Brigadier General Mosby Monroe Parsons, had two weeks earlier formed a sharpshooter company to serve with a brigade of Missouri troops. Two more sharpshooter companies were formed on November 29, and the three were consolidated together into a battalion commanded by Major Lebbeus A. Pindall, at a camp near Fort Smith, Arkansas. According to historian James McGhee, the men assigned to the sharpshooter unit do not appear to have been exceptional marksmen or to have been otherwise uniquely qualified to serve as sharpshooters. [5] The first of the three companies was drawn from a defunct artillery battery (Foster's Battery) and a partisan ranger unit (Lawther's Partisan Ranger Regiment), while the others were pulled from infantry units. [6]

Service history

Prairie Grove

USA Arkansas relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Prairie Grove
Red pog.svg
Van Buren
Red pog.svg
Jacksonport
Red pog.svg
Little Rock
Red pog.svg
Helena
class=notpageimage|
Sites associated with the battalion in 1862 and 1863

After forming, the battalion moved north as part of a brigade commanded by Parsons, as Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost was now in divisional command. On December 6, Parsons' brigade (including Pindall's battalion), along with some Arkansas cavalry, advanced to Reed's Mountain. This position controlled the Cane Hill road. [5] The Arkansans were initially unable to drive a small force of Federal cavalry off the mountain, so Parsons was asked to support them. He sent Pindall's battalion into the fray. Not long before sundown, the Federal forces withdrew off of the mountain. [7]

On December 7, in the Battle of Prairie Grove, Parsons' brigade was held in reserve to guard against a Federal flank attack for the first part of the battle. In the afternoon, Parsons' brigade moved to the front, [8] but Hindman ordered Pindall's battalion to remain in the rear near a church with Tilden's Missouri Battery. At this time, the battalion was about 130 men strong. It remained in the rear for about an hour, [9] but was ordered forward when Parsons requested support for his right flank. [10] Parsons ordered an attack, [11] which had some success. [12] Shortly before sunset, Parsons ordered another attack, [13] but it was repulsed. [14] No surviving official report by Pindall about the unit's actions during the battle is known to exist. [15] [lower-alpha 1] The unit suffered three casualties during the fighting, [16] all wounded. [17]

Pindall's battalion then served in front of the brigade line as a screen until the Confederates withdrew at around midnight. Hindman's army initially fell back to Van Buren, where it remained for about three weeks before retreating to Little Rock. Pindall's battalion was stationed at Little Rock until May 1863, when it moved to a camp along the White River, upriver from Jacksonport. On June 7, the battalion was strengthened when a company from the 2nd Northeast Missouri Cavalry Regiment was integrated into the unit. [17] [lower-alpha 2]

Helena and Little Rock

Confederate Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes led an offensive against the Federal-held city of Helena, Arkansas, with hopes of relieving some of the pressure on Vicksburg, Mississippi. [19] In late June, Pindall's battalion began moving towards Helena, and arrived in the area on July 3, 1863. [17] When the Confederates attacked in the Battle of Helena the next day, the battalion was aligned in front of Parsons' brigade. [20] Along with a unit of Arkansas troops from the local area, Pindall's battalion drove in the Federal skirmish line, [21] and the Missouri sharpshooters then opened fire on the Federal soldiers manning artillery pieces in a defensive work known as Battery C atop Graveyard Hill. [22]

Two Confederate attacks against Graveyard Hill failed, but the third captured Battery C. [23] The first Confederate soldier to enter Battery C may have been an officer from Pindall's battalion. [24] However, the Confederates who had taken Graveyard Hill were unsupported. A continued attack towards Helena was repulsed, and the Confederates on Graveyard Hill came under concentrated Federal fire and were forced to retreat. [17] According to historian Ed Bearss, Pindall's battalion suffered 43 casualties; [25] historian James E. McGhee states that the battalion's losses at Helena were instead 39 men. It was only 190 men strong on July 5. After Helena, the unit withdrew with the Confederate army to Des Arc and then back to Little Rock. [17] In August, Parsons, without authority, sought to transfer men from a cavalry unit to an artillery battery. When the cavalrymen and their officers were not willing to switch branches of service, Parsons' brigade inspector used Pindall's battalion and part of the 10th Missouri Infantry Regiment to force the transfer. [26] In August, Federal forces from Helena advanced towards Little Rock in the Little Rock campaign. [27] Pindall's battalion joined other Confederate infantry in building fortifications across the Arkansas River from the city, [17] but Federal cavalry crossed the river further downstream, avoiding the defenses. While Confederate cavalry fought Federal forces in the Battle of Bayou Fourche on September 10, the rest of the Confederate troops abandoned Little Rock. [27] Pindall's battalion saw no fighting in the campaign. [17]

Pleasant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry

Map showing movements leading up to the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill Red River campaign.svg
Map showing movements leading up to the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill

Pindall's battalion withdrew with the rest of the Confederate army into southwestern Arkansas, and spent the winter of 1863–1864 at Camden and Spring Hill. [17] In March 1864, Federal forces led by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks began the Red River Campaign, a push up the Red River of the South towards Shreveport, Louisiana. The campaign was politically and economically motivated, hoping to establish Abraham Lincoln's 1863 plan for political reconstruction in Louisiana, prevent collaboration between Confederate forces and the Second French intervention in Mexico, and acquire cotton to send back to Federal textile mills. [28] Parsons' brigade, including Pindall's battalion, was transferred to northwestern Louisiana in March to reinforce Confederate forces opposing Banks' campaign. While encamped south of Shreveport in late March, [29] Parsons was elevated to division command, and Pindall's battalion became part of a brigade commanded by Colonel Simon P. Burns. [30] McGhee believes that this time frame was when Pindall's battalion was formally designated the 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion. [31]

Parsons' division began moving towards the front lines on April 5, but did not arrive until four days later, too late to participate in the Confederate victory at the Battle of Mansfield. After their arrival in the afternoon of April 9, Parsons' division formed on the right of the Confederate line as part of the deployments for the Battle of Pleasant Hill. [32] Parsons' men attacked with initial success, defeating a Federal brigade, but were then counterattacked in the flank by additional Federal troops. [31] The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion was caught in the resulting melee that ended with Parsons' men being driven to the rear. The collapse of Parsons' division prevented a Confederate success like the one the day before at Mansfield. [33] Pindall's unit lost 2 killed and 8 wounded in the fighting at Pleasant Hill. [31]

On March 23, Federal forces commanded by Major General Frederick Steele had left Little Rock with the intention of moving south towards Shreveport to join Banks' campaign. Steele's offensive has become known as the Camden Expedition. With insufficient quantities of food and forage, Steele decided to instead move towards Camden on April 12, which the Federal forces occupied three days later. [34] As Banks' campaign had been defeated, Confederate General E. Kirby Smith decided to take Parsons' and two other divisions into Arkansas to attack Steele, with the march beginning on April 14. [35] Confederate troops defeated elements of Steele's army at the Battle of Poison Spring (April 18) and the Battle of Marks' Mills (April 25), and having learned of Banks' defeat, Steele ordered a retreat from Camden on April 26. Smith's Confederates pursued. [36]

During the pursuit, heavy rains began, and the ground turned muddy and swampy. The Confederates caught up to Steele on April 30, and attacked in the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. The terrain was waterlogged and allowed for only a portion of the Confederate force to be engaged at one time. [37] Burns' brigade went to the Confederate right. Charging, Burns' brigade forced Federal troops back about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) before being repulsed by reinforcements. Parsons' men were eventually ordered to withdraw so that Walker's Greyhounds could enter the fighting. [38] All of the Confederate attacks at Jenkins' Ferry were repulsed, and Steele's army was able to reach Little Rock safely in early May. [39] The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion had 1 man killed and 4 wounded; the unit was cited by Burns for "sturdy and unwavering courage". [31]

War's end

USA Arkansas relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tulip
Red pog.svg
Haynesville
Red pog.svg
El Dorado
Red pog.svg
Monticello
Red pog.svg
Jenkins' Ferry
Red pog.svg
Camden
class=notpageimage|
Post-Jenkins' Ferry encampments of the battalion

Along with the rest of Parsons' division, the battalion spent the rest of the war camped at various points in Arkansas and Louisiana. [31] On May 1, Smith's force moved to Tulip, Arkansas, where Parsons' division remained until May 12, although the rest of the Confederate force continued south earlier. The men then continued to the Haynesville, Louisiana, area, before returning to Arkansas. Parsons' division made a long-term encampment near El Dorado. [40] When Parsons' men left the camp near El Dorado in August, the division was separated, with Burns' brigade sent to Monticello. While at Monticello, Burns' brigade skirmished with Federal troops on September 10, which was the unit's last combat experience. [41]

Burns' brigade spent the winter of 1864–1865 at Camden. [42] Pindall's battalion was strengthened on January 20, 1865, with the addition of two companies that had been recruited during Price's Missouri Expedition in 1864. [31] That same day, Pindall was promoted to lieutenant colonel; Gabriel S. Kendrick became the unit's major in place of Pindall. The battalion now consisted of six companies, all of whom consisted of Missouri troops; they were designated with the letters A through F. [43] Morale among the Confederate troops in the Trans-Mississippi sank in May when news arrived of the surrender of the Confederate forces of Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston to the east. On May 26, the Confederates in the Trans-Mississippi surrendered as well. [44] The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion journeyed to Shreveport, where the men were paroled on June 7. The battalion was sent back to Missouri on the steamboat Kentucky; the vessel sank in the Red River during the trip. [45] At least 12 men of the battalion died in the wreck. Besides those who died when Kentucky sank, 17 were killed in action and a further 24 died of various diseases during the time the battalion existed. During the time the battalion existed, about 550 men served in it. [45]

Notes

  1. ↑ Very few of the Missouri units below the brigade level filed official reports for Prairie Grove, Frost's report did not address the repulsed attack at the end of the battle, and Parsons' report glossed over it. [15]
  2. ↑ The 2nd Northeast Cavalry Regiment had briefly existed in mid-1862 during a recruiting expedition led by Joseph C. Porter but had been disbanded. [18]

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Arkansas Post (1863)</span> 1863 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Arkansas Post, also known as Battle of Fort Hindman, was fought from January 9 to 11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate forces had constructed a fort known as Fort Hindman near Arkansas Post in late 1862. In December of that year, a Union force under the command of Major-General William T. Sherman left for an expedition against Vicksburg, without Major-General John A. McClernand because neither Major-Generals Henry Halleck nor Ulysses S. Grant trusted McClernand. After Sherman's force was repulsed at Chickasaw Bayou, McClernand arrived and took command from Sherman in January 1863.

The Battle of Cotton Plant also known as Action at Hill's Plantation or Action at Cache River or Action at Round Hill was fought during the American Civil War in Woodruff County, Arkansas. Frustrated in its attempt to march to Little Rock by a lack of supplies, the Union Army of the Southwest under the command of Samuel Ryan Curtis moved south down the White River. Curtis's army encountered a Confederate force led by Albert Rust on the east bank of the Cache River near Cotton Plant. Rust was only able to bring two Texas cavalry regiments into action. These horsemen attacked the Federal advance guard under Charles Edward Hovey, but after a spirited fight, Union reinforcements arrived and drove off the Texans. Rust's force made a disorderly retreat and Curtis's army was able to march south to Clarendon before veering east to occupy Helena on the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Grand Gulf</span> Battle of the American Civil War 1863

The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. Union Army forces commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant had failed several times to bypass or capture the Confederate-held city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign. Grant decided to move his army south of Vicksburg, cross the Mississippi River, and then advance on the city. A Confederate division under Brigadier General John S. Bowen prepared defenses—Forts Wade and Cobun—at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, south of Vicksburg. To clear the way for a Union crossing, seven Union Navy ironclad warships from the Mississippi Squadron commanded by Admiral David Dixon Porter bombarded the Confederate defenses at Grand Gulf on April 29. Union fire silenced Fort Wade and killed its commander, but the overall Confederate position held. Grant decided to cross the river elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of St. Charles</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of St. Charles was fought on June 17, 1862, at St. Charles, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Earlier in 1862, a Union Army force commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis moved against Little Rock, Arkansas, but became bogged down in the Batesville area due to lack of supplies. The Union leadership decided to send a naval force from Memphis, Tennessee, up the White River to resupply Curtis's men. Major General Thomas C. Hindman, the Confederate commander in Arkansas, had fortifications constructed near St. Charles to stop the Union movement. Two artillery positions were built, and three ships, including CSS Maurepas, were scuttled to obstruct the river.

The 10th Regiment Missouri Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized on November 10, 1862 and was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons. The regiment fought at the Battle of Prairie Grove, where both the regiment's colonel and lieutenant colonel were killed. The regiment fought at the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863, where it suffered heavy casualties. Beginning in late 1863, the 12th Missouri Infantry Regiment was attached to the regiment; the men of the 12th Missouri Infantry were officially merged into the regiment in late 1864. The regiment fought at the battles of Pleasant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry in April. On June 8, 1865, the men of the regiment were paroled and sent back to Missouri.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landis's Missouri Battery</span> Artillery battery of the Confederate States Army

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.

The 16th Missouri Infantry Regiment (also known as Jackman's Missouri Regiment, Caldwell's Missouri Regiment, and the 7th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Lewis')) was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed from men recruited by Jeremiah V. Cockrell and Sidney D. Jackman during an expedition into Missouri in August 1862. Although the recruits fought at the Battle of Lone Jack on August 16, they were not officially mustered into Confederate service until August 31. The regiment fought at the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7. In May 1863, the regiment was designated the 7th Missouri Infantry Regiment, although this designation was changed to the 16th Missouri Infantry Regiment in December. On July 4, the regiment fought at the Battle of Helena, suffering heavy casualties. The unit then spent time building fortifications at Little Rock, Arkansas, before leaving the town in September. The 16th Missouri then fought at the Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, 1864, and at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30. On June 8, 1865, the men of the regiment were paroled and sent back to Missouri via steamboat. More men died while serving in the 16th Missouri Infantry Regiment than died in any other Missouri unit serving in the Confederate States Army.

The 3rd Missouri Infantry Regiment served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The infantry regiment was officially mustered into service on January 17, 1862. It fought at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas in March before being transferred across the Mississippi River. While stationed at Corinth, Mississippi, the regiment played a minor role in the Battle of Farmington before the evacuation of the town. In September, the unit saw light action at the Battle of Iuka before being heavily engaged during the Second Battle of Corinth as the Confederates attempted to retake the town in October. In early 1863, the regiment was transferred to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, in order to strengthen the defenses of the Mississippi River at that point. At the Battle of Grand Gulf on April 29, the unit helped repulse a Union Navy attack against the Confederate defensive works. After elements of the Union Army of the Tennessee landed below Grand Gulf, the regiment fought in a delaying action at the Battle of Port Gibson on May 1.

The 11th Missouri Infantry Regiment (also known as Hunter's Missouri Infantry Regiment and 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Burns')) was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The unit was mustered into Confederate service on August 31, 1862, although many of the men recruited for the regiment had already seen action at the Battle of Lone Jack. On December 7, the regiment fought at the Battle of Prairie Grove, where the regiment helped defeat Colonel William A. Weer's brigade. Prairie Grove was a Confederate defeat, and the 11th Missouri Infantry retreated into southern Arkansas. Later, the unit began moving against the garrison of Helena, Arkansas. On July 4, 1863, the regiment penetrated the Union works at the Battle of Helena, although its brigade was soon isolated and defeated.

The 9th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The unit was formed on November 16, 1862, and was originally commanded by Colonel John Bullock Clark Jr. At the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, the regiment was officially in Brigadier General John S. Roane's brigade, although it served with Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons' brigade for most of the battle. After spending the summer of 1863 harassing Union Navy shipping on the Mississippi River, the regiment was reorganized, with elements of an Arkansas unit being replaced with the 8th Missouri Infantry Battalion. After the reorganization, the regiment fought in the Battle of Pleasant Hill and the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry in April 1864. On June 7, 1865, the men of the regiment were paroled; they would eventually be sent back to Missouri via steamboat.

The 12th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After mustering into Confederate service on October 22, 1862, as White's Missouri Infantry, the regiment, as Ponder's Missouri Infantry, fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, where it charged the Union lines several times. On May 3, 1863, the regiment was named the 9th Missouri Infantry Regiment, and fought under that name until December 15, 1863, when it was renamed the 12th Missouri Infantry Regiment. On July 4, 1863, the regiment, as part of Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons' brigade, broke through the Union lines at the Battle of Helena. However, Parsons' flanks were exposed, and the Confederates were driven from the field, suffering heavy losses. After Helena, only 168 men remained in the regiment. On November 22, 1863, the survivors of the regiment were combined into two companies, which were then attached to the 10th Missouri Infantry Regiment, although the 12th Missouri Infantry was still treated as a separate unit for reporting purposes. In April 1864, the 12th Missouri Infantry fought at the battles of Pleasant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry. On September 29, 1864, the survivors of the 12th Missouri Infantry were officially merged into the 10th Missouri Infantry, ending the 12th's separate service career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Confederate)</span> Infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army

The 5th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment entered into service on September 1, 1862, when the elements of two preceding battalions were combined. Many of the men entering the regiment had seen service with the secessionist Missouri State Guard. James McCown was the regiment's first colonel. After playing a minor role at the Battle of Iuka on September 19, the regiment then fought in the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4th. After being only lightly engaged on the 3rd, the regiment charged the Union lines on the 4th, capturing a fortification known as Battery Powell. However, Union reinforcements counterattacked and drove the regiment from the field. In early 1863, the regiment was transferred to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, where it built fortifications. The unit spent part of April operating in Louisiana, before again crossing the Mississippi River to return to Grand Gulf.

Hiram Bledsoe's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Missouri State Guard and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was formed when the Missouri State Guard was formed as a pro-secession state militia unit in response to the Camp Jackson affair. As part of the Missouri State Guard, the unit was engaged in the Engagement near Carthage and the Battle of Wilson's Creek during mid-1861, before fighting at the Battle of Dry Wood Creek and the Siege of Lexington later that year when Major General Sterling Price led the Guard northwards towards the Missouri River. After the Missouri State Guard retreated into Arkansas in early 1862, Bledsoe's Battery served during the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March. The battery, as part of the Army of the West, transferred across the Mississippi River into Tennessee in April, where it left the Guard to enter Confederate service on April 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Missouri Field Battery</span> Unit of the Confederate States Army

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Confederate)</span> Infantry regiment in the Confederate States Army

The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. From May 1861, the war began affecting events in the state of Missouri. In 1862, Confederate recruiting activities took place in Missouri, and a cavalry regiment was formed in Oregon County, the nucleus being former members of the Missouri State Guard. On September 2, the unit entered Confederate service, but it was reclassified as infantry ten days later. After many of the men transferred to other units, the regiment was reclassified as a battalion on October 19 and named the 7th Missouri Infantry Battalion, also known as Mitchell's Missouri Infantry. It participated in 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.

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Flag, Pindall's 9th Battalion Missouri Sharpshooters C.S.A." Missouri Digital Heritage. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 19–20.
  3. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 20–25.
  4. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 34–37.
  5. 1 2 McGhee 2008, p. 253.
  6. ↑ McGhee 2008, pp. 30, 171–172, 253.
  7. ↑ Shea 2009, pp. 121–123.
  8. ↑ McGhee 2008, pp. 253–254.
  9. ↑ Shea 2009, p. 216.
  10. ↑ Shea 2009, p. 228.
  11. ↑ Shea 2009, pp. 230–231.
  12. ↑ Shea 2009, pp. 233–235.
  13. ↑ Shea 2009, pp. 235.
  14. ↑ Shea 2009, pp. 237–238.
  15. 1 2 Shea 2009, p. 239.
  16. ↑ Shea 2009, p. 240.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McGhee 2008, p. 254.
  18. ↑ McGhee 2008, pp. 63–64.
  19. ↑ Kennedy 1998, p. 175.
  20. ↑ Gurley 2013, p. 119.
  21. ↑ Christ 2010, pp. 126–127.
  22. ↑ Bearss 1991, p. 1225.
  23. ↑ Christ 2010, p. 129.
  24. ↑ Gurley 2013, pp. 119–120.
  25. ↑ Bearss 1991, p. 1243.
  26. ↑ McGhee 2008, p. 124.
  27. 1 2 Kennedy 1998, p. 233.
  28. ↑ Johnson 1998, p. 265.
  29. ↑ McGhee 2008, pp. 254–255.
  30. ↑ Gurley 2015, pp. 191–192.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McGhee 2008, p. 255.
  32. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 192.
  33. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 194.
  34. ↑ Kennedy 1998, p. 273.
  35. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 196.
  36. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 273–274.
  37. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 197.
  38. ↑ Gurley 2015, pp. 199–200.
  39. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 274–275.
  40. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 201.
  41. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 202.
  42. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 203.
  43. ↑ McGhee 2008, pp. 252–253.
  44. ↑ Gurley 2015, p. 204.
  45. 1 2 McGhee 2008, pp. 255–256.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.