Army of Western Louisiana

Last updated

Army of Western Louisiana
Active–May 26, 1865
DisbandedSurrendered May 26, 1865
CountryFlag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States of America
AllegianceFlag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg  Louisiana
BranchBattle flag of the Confederate States of America (1-1).svg  Confederate States Army
Type Field army
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Richard Taylor
John G. Walker

The Army of Western Louisiana was a part of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought in all the major engagements during Union Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks' campaign to capture Port Hudson, Louisiana. For much of its existence, it served under Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor. Perhaps its crowning achievement was its victory in April 1864 at the Battle of Mansfield.

On June 17, 1864, Maj. Gen. John G. Walker was ordered to relieve General Taylor of command of the Army of Western Louisiana, as Taylor had been promoted to lieutenant general and sent to the larger Army of Tennessee. In September and October 1864, the infantry of the Army of Western Louisiana campaigned in southern Arkansas. The army surrendered along with all the troops of the Trans-Mississippi Theater on May 26, 1865.

Composition

District of West Louisiana - April 1863

Major General Richard Taylor

Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana - March 1864
Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor

Mouton's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton

18th Louisiana
28th Louisiana
Consolidated Crescent Regiment
Gross Tete (Louisiana) Flying Artillery
Valverde (Texas) Artillery

Polignac's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac

15th Texas
17th Texas Consolidated
22nd Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
31st Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
34th Texas Cavalry (dismounted)

Cavalry
Brig. Gen. Thomas Green

Lane's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Walter P. Lane

1st Texas Partisan Rangers
2nd Texas Partisan Rangers
2nd Regiment, Arizona Brigade
3rd Regiment, Arizona Brigade
Arizona Scouts (company)
McMahan's (Texas) Artillery

Bagby's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Arthur P. Bagby

4th Texas Cavalry
5th Texas Cavalry
7th Texas Cavalry
13th Texas Cavalry Battalion
McAnnelly's Scouts (company)
Moseley's (Texas) Artillery

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Piedmont</span> US civil war battle; Union victory

The Battle of Piedmont was fought June 5, 1864, in the village of Piedmont, Augusta County, Virginia. Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter engaged Confederates under Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones north of Piedmont. After severe fighting, Jones was killed and the Confederates were routed. Hunter occupied Staunton on June 6 and soon began to advance on Lynchburg, destroying military stores and public property in his wake.

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

The Battle of Valverde, also known as the Battle of Valverde Ford, was fought from February 20 to 21, 1862, near the town of Val Verde at a ford of the Rio Grande in Union-held New Mexico Territory, in what is today the state of New Mexico. It is considered a major Confederate success in the New Mexico Campaign of the American Civil War, despite the invading force abandoning the field. The belligerents were Confederate cavalry from Texas and several companies of Arizona militia versus U.S. Army regulars and Union volunteers from northern New Mexico Territory and the Colorado Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of New Mexico</span> Military unit

The Army of New Mexico, also known as the Sibley Brigade, was a small Confederate field army in the American Civil War. It operated in Confederate Arizona and New Mexico Territory during the New Mexico Campaign in late 1861 and early 1862, before it was transferred to Louisiana. At first the force was tasked with securing Confederate Arizona's forts, most of which were still in Union hands. John R. Baylor had already established the Confederate Territory of Arizona after the First Battle of Mesilla in 1861. Now the goal was to capture the remaining U.S. held forts in Confederate Arizona and to invade New Mexico Territory. The army also hoped to capture the mines of Colorado and California, to secure gold and silver supplies to finance the Confederate war effort. Ultimately, the Confederate plans were thwarted at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Monett's Ferry</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Monett's Ferry or Monett's Bluff saw a Confederate States Army force led by Brigadier General Hamilton P. Bee attempt to block a numerically superior Union Army column that was commanded by Brigadier General William H. Emory during the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate commander Major General Richard Taylor set a trap for the retreating army of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks near the junction of the Cane River with the Red River. Taylor assigned Bee's troops to plug up the only outlet from the trap while Taylor's other forces closed in from the rear and sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Pleasant Hill</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, 1864, in Louisiana formed part of the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War, when Union forces were attempting to occupy the Louisiana state capital, Shreveport.

The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought in the American Civil War between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks' operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Irish Bend</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, took place during the American Civil War. It was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the Bayou Teche region near Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in southern Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walker's Greyhounds</span>

Walker's Greyhounds was the popular name for a division of the Confederate States Army under Major-General John George Walker, composed exclusively of units from Texas. It fought in the Western Theater and the Trans-Mississippi Department, gaining its nickname because the men were able to move long distances rapidly on foot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur P. Bagby Jr.</span> Confederate Army officer and lawyer (1833–1921)

Arthur Pendleton Bagby Jr. was an American lawyer, editor, and Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. Confederate General E. Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department assigned Bagby to duty as a brigadier general on April 13, 1864, to date from March 17, 1864, and as a major general on May 16, 1865. These extra-legal appointments were not made official by appointments of Bagby to general officer grade by Confederate President Jefferson Davis or by confirmation by the Confederate Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Gibbs</span> Union Army general (1823–1868)

Alfred Gibbs was a career officer in the United States Army who served as an officer during the Mexican-American War and Apache Wars. He served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

The Battle of Yellow Bayou, also known as the Battle of Norwood's Plantation, saw Union Army forces led by Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower clash with Confederate States Army troops commanded by Brigadier General John A. Wharton in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana during the American Civil War. This was the final action of the Red River campaign in which a Union army under Major General Nathaniel P. Banks was repulsed by Confederate forces led by Major General Richard Taylor. The failed Union campaign almost ended in disaster when an accompanying Union fleet led by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter was trapped at Alexandria, Louisiana, by low water in the Red River. An engineering feat saved the fleet, allowing Banks' army to complete its withdrawal.

The Second Battle of Donaldsonville was an American Civil War battle took place on June 28, 1863 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Alabama Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Alabama Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry unit of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The 39th Arkansas Infantry Regiment or the 6th Trans-Mississippi Rifle Regiment was an infantry formation of the Confederate States Army in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was successively commanded by Colonels Albert W. Johnson, Alexander T. Hawthorn, John B. Cocke, and Lieutenant-Colonel Cadwallader Polk.

The 4th Arkansas Field Battery (1862–1865) was a Confederate States Army artillery battery during the American Civil War. The battery spent its entire existence in the Department of the Trans-Mississippi, including time in the Indian Territory. Late in the war the battery supported operations in Louisiana. Also known as: Desha County Artillery and West's Battery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Texas Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 16th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers from Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited in early 1862 and mustered into Confederate service in April 1862. The unit fought as cavalry at the Battle of Cotton Plant but it was dismounted in the summer of 1862. The 16th Cavalry served as infantry in Walker's Texas Division for the remainder of the war. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. The unit marched to Texas in early 1865 and disbanded in May 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th Texas Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 13th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was enrolled in Confederate service in February 1862 and served exclusively west of the Mississippi River. The unit was later dismounted and became part of the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend in 1863 and Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry in 1864. The regiment disbanded in May 1865, but its official surrender date was 2 June 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th Texas Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 18th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was enrolled in Confederate service in May 1862 and always campaigned west of the Mississippi River in the region known as the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was assigned to the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend, Richmond (La.), and Bayou Bourbeux in 1863 and Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry in 1864. The regiment disbanded in mid-May 1865, but its formal surrender date was 26 May 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Henderson's Hill</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Henderson's Hill, also known as the Bayou Rapides, saw a reinforced Union Army division led by Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower opposed by a regiment of Confederate Army cavalry and attached artillery under Colonel William G. Vincent. That evening, during a rainstorm, Mower sent one infantry brigade on a circuitous march to gain the rear of Vincent's command. The brigade's subsequent attack surprised and captured most of the Confederates. Mower could not exploit his minor victory because the arrival of additional Federal army and naval units was delayed. This clash occurred during the Red River campaign of the American Civil War which saw Major General Nathaniel P. Banks' Union army try to seize Shreveport, Louisiana, from its Confederate defenders led by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor.

Clark's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

References