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The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, on April 8, 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 Blair's Landing saw a Confederate cavalry-artillery force commanded by Brigadier General Tom Green attack several Union gunboats led by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter and soldiers in river transports under Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith in Red River Parish, Louisiana. Green's force attempted but failed to stop the retreat of Porter's and Smith's forces downstream in an action that was part of the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War. The only significant casualty during the fighting was Green, who was killed by an artillery round.
3rd Indiana Battery Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The following is the organization of the Union forces engaged in the Red River campaign, during the American Civil War in 1864. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the campaign. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
The M1857 12-pounder Napoleon or Light 12-pounder gun or 12-pounder gun-howitzer was a bronze smoothbore muzzleloading artillery piece that was adopted by the United States Army in 1857 and extensively employed in the American Civil War. The gun was the American-manufactured version of the French canon obusier de 12 which combined the functions of both field gun and howitzer. The weapon proved to be simple to produce, reliable, and robust. It fired a 12.03 lb (5.5 kg) round shot a distance of 1,619 to 1,680 yd at 5° elevation. It could also fire canister shot, common shell, and spherical case shot. The 12-pounder Napoleon outclassed and soon replaced the M1841 6-pounder field gun and the M1841 12-pounder howitzer in the U.S. Army, while replacement of these older weapons was slower in the Confederate States Army. A total of 1,157 were produced for the U.S. Army, all but a few in the period 1861–1863. The Confederate States of America utilized captured U.S. 12-pounder Napoleons and also manufactured about 500 during the war. The weapon was named after Napoleon III of France who helped develop the weapon.
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.
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.
The 11th 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 organized in the winter of 1861–1862 and always served west of the Mississippi River in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend 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.
The Battle of Henderson's Hill or 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.
1st Texas Field Battery or Edgar's Company was an artillery battery from Texas that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The artillery company formed in November 1860, but was not formally taken into Confederate service until April 1861. The unit participated in the disarming and surrender of United States soldiers and property in Texas in early 1861. The battery marched to Arkansas where in 1862 it joined the infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The battery fought at Milliken's Bend and Richmond (La.), shelled a Federal river transport, and campaigned in south Louisiana in late 1863. The 1st Texas Battery was captured at Henderson's Hill in March 1864. The soldiers were later exchanged, and the unit disbanded in 1865 at the end of the conflict.
The 28th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in east Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In May 1862, the regiment entered Confederate service and served the entire war west of the Mississippi River in the region known as the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was soon dismounted before being assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the all-Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. In 1863, the regiment played a secondary role at Milliken's Bend. The regiment fought in three major battles during April 1864, at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. The Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on 26 May 1865, but the survivors dispersed to their homes before that date.
The 2nd Louisiana Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Breazeale's Cavalry Battalion was formed in July 1862 and was augmented by five additional companies in September 1862 to form a regiment. It served for the entire war west of the Mississippi River in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The regiment fought at Georgia Landing, Fort Bisland, Irish Bend, and Brashear City in 1863 and Henderson's Hill and Mansfield in 1864. Afterward, the regiment fought in minor skirmishes before the Trans-Mississippi's final surrender on 26 May 1865.
The Donaldsonville Louisiana Artillery was a Louisiana artillery unit that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed from an old militia company, it arrived in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War in September 1861 with three obsolete guns and was equipped with three additional rifled guns. The battery fought at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Shepherdstown and Fredericksburg in 1862. The following year the unit served at Gettysburg and in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns. The battery fought in the Overland campaign and at the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. It surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.
The Madison Louisiana Light Artillery was a Louisiana artillery unit that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed as an infantry company, it arrived in the Eastern Theater in May 1861 and was converted to an artillery battery in August. The unit was armed with six guns in 1861, but by September 1862, it had only four guns. It served at Garnett's and Golding's Farm, Savage's Station, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg in 1862. The battery fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and in the Knoxville campaign in 1863. The Madison Light Artillery served in the Overland campaign and at the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. The unit surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.
The 1st Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery mustered into Confederate service in October 1861. The unit traveled to Fort Jackson in early 1862 and took part in the defense of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. The soldiers became prisoners when the forts surrendered and the battery reformed at Franklin after their prisoner exchange. The battery fought at Fort Bisland and Irish Bend in 1863. Later in the year the battery engaged Union shipping on the rivers in several actions. In 1864 the battery briefly fought at Mansfield before its commander was killed while engaging Union gunboats in late April. The unit also fought at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery was in Texas when the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered in May 1865.
The 1st Louisiana Regular Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was accepted into Confederate service in October 1861. The battery fought at Baton Rouge in August 1862, then it transferred to the west bank of the Mississippi River and fought at Georgia Landing in October. In 1863, it fought at Fort Bisland and Vermillion Bayou. The battery was attached to Tom Green's Texas cavalry brigade for the remainder of the year and fought at Second Donaldsonville. In 1864, the battery did not come into action at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, but it fought at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery was at Tyler, Texas, at the end of the conflict.
The 3rd Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery organized in March or April 1862 at Monroe, Louisiana. It was nicknamed the "Bell Battery" because the cannons it was supposed to use were cast from bells donated by plantation owners. However, those guns never joined the battery and it received four different cannons. On 10–11 May 1863, the battery fought Union gunboats while part of the garrison of Fort Beauregard. In 1864, it served during the Red River campaign and was present, but not engaged at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. The battery dueled with two Union gunboats at DeLoach Bluff on 26 April. After a skirmish on 6 May at Polk's Bridge, three of the battery's four guns became disabled. The soldiers ended the war while manning heavy cannons at Grand Ecore near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and where they surrendered in June 1865. A total of 108 men served in the battery during the war.
The 5th Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The Pelican Artillery organized on 31 October 1862, recruiting men mostly from St. James Parish, Louisiana. The battery first saw action in November 1862 against Union gunboats on Bayou Teche. In April 1863, the unit distinguished itself at Fort Bisland and it fought a skirmish at Vermillion Bayou a few days later. In July 1863, the battery fired on Federal shipping at Gaudet's Plantation near Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and fought at Kock's Plantation. In April 1864, it served during the Red River campaign and was present, but not engaged at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. In May 1864, the unit was engaged at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery surrendered in early June 1865 while at Tyler, Texas. A total of 183 men enlisted in the battery during the war; 2 were killed in action, 5 died from disease, and 1 drowned.
The 6th Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The Grosse Tete Artillery organized in December 1863 using men detached from the 1st Louisiana Regular Battery and exchanged prisoners from the Pointe Coupee Artillery. In April and May 1864, the battery served during the Red River campaign and fought at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Blair's Landing, and Monett's Ferry. In May 1864, the unit helped capture the Union river transport City Belle at Wilson's Landing, helped destroy the USS Covington and USS Signal, and fought at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery surrendered on 1 June 1865 while at Alexandria, Louisiana.
The Action of April 26–27, 1864 saw a Confederate States Army force led by Lieutenant Colonel John H. Caudle and Captain Florian Cornay ambush several Union Navy warships and auxiliary vessels commanded by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter as they made their way downstream on the Red River of the South. Eleven days earlier, a Confederate naval mine sank a Union ironclad warship. The vessel was refloated and escorted downstream by Porter with five Union vessels, but on April 26 the ironclad had to be scuttled.
References
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 4. Secaucus, N.J.: Castle. 1987 [1883]. ISBN 0-89009-572-8.
- Bergeron, Arthur W. Jr. (1989). Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units 1861-1865. Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-2102-9.
- Blessington, Joseph P. (1875). "The Campaigns of Walker's Texas Division". New York, N.Y.: Lange, Little & Co. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- Frazier, Donald (1995). "Val Verde Battery". Handbook of Texas . Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- Kiper, Richard Leslie (1976). "Dead-end at the crossroads: the battles of Mansfield (Sabine Crossroads) and Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, 8 and 9 April 1864: Master's Thesis" (PDF). Houston, Tex.: Rice University . Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- Official Records (1891). "A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: Volume XXIV Part I". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 630. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
