Wade's Battery 1st Light Battery Walsh's Battery | |
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Active | December 28, 1861–October 3, 1863 |
Country | Confederate States of America |
Branch | Confederate States Army |
Type | Artillery |
Equipment | 2x 6-pounder guns 4x 12-pounder howitzers |
Engagements | American Civil War |
Wade's Battery (later Walsh's Battery, also known as the 1st Light Battery) [1] was an artillery battery in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was mustered into Confederate service on December 28, 1861; many of the members of the battery had previously served in the Missouri State Guard. Assigned to the First Missouri Brigade, the battery saw action at the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Second Battle of Corinth in 1862. In 1863, the battery fought at the Battle of Grand Gulf, where Captain William Wade, first commander of the battery, was killed. The battery later saw action at the Battle of Champion Hill, Battle of Big Black River Bridge, and the Siege of Vicksburg. When the Confederates surrendered at the end of the Siege of Vicksburg, the men of the battery became prisoners of war. After a prisoner exchange, the men of the battery were combined with Landis's Battery and Guibor's Battery on October 3, 1863, and Wade's Battery ceased to exist as a separate unit.
Captain William Wade organized the battery in December 1861. Many of the batterymen had served in the Missouri State Guard before joining the battle; recruiting activities occurred at Osceola, Missouri and Springfield, Missouri. On December 28, the battery officially joined the Confederate States Army while at Springfield. After joining the army, the battery was assigned to the First Missouri Brigade and equipped with two 6-pounder guns [1] and four 12-pounder howitzers. [2]
In early 1862, the battery was assigned to the forces of Major General Sterling Price; while under Price, the battery took part in a skirmish near Flat Creek, Missouri on February 15. [1] On March 7 and 8, the battery was engaged at the Battle of Pea Ridge. At Pea Ridge, the battery was in Colonel Lewis Henry Little's brigade (the First Missouri Brigade) of Price's division of Major General Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West; also in Little's brigade were the 2nd Missouri Infantry, 3rd Missouri Infantry, 1st Missouri Cavalry, and Clark's Battery. [3] Early on March 7, Wade's Battery, along with Clark's Battery and Guibor's Battery, engaged in an artillery duel with the 1st Iowa Battery. The Confederate cannons were able to silence the 1st Iowa Battery, which had several of its ammunition chests exploded. [4] Early on March 8, Wade's Battery and Good's Texas Battery began firing at ranks of Union infantry which were preparing for a counterattack; however, this fire was not effective. In contrast, Union artillery began firing at the two Confederate batteries, inflicting casualties. Wade's Battery retreated in what historians William Shea and Earl J. Hess described as a "wild disorder." [5] When the Confederate position on the end of the battlefield where Wade's Battery was engaged collapsed, Wade's Battery was one of the last units to leave the field. [6] Wade's Battery suffered nine casualties at Pea Ridge. [1]
In April, Wade's Battery was ordered across the Mississippi River. The battery was then moved to Corinth, Mississippi; a May 5 muster of the battery counted 107 men. Wade's Battery did not see action at either the May 9 Battle of Farmington or the Battle of Iuka on September 19. [1] At the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4, Wade's Battery was assigned to Colonel Elijah Gates' brigade of Brigadier General Louis Hébert's division of Price's corps of Van Dorn's Army of West Tennessee; Gates' brigade also included the 16th Arkansas Infantry, 2nd Missouri Infantry, 3rd Missouri Infantry, 5th Missouri Infantry, and the 1st Missouri Cavalry. [7] On the first day at Corinth (October 3), Wade's Battery was positioned in front of the Confederate main line to shell Union infantry defending the outer defenses around Corinth. Heavy counterbattery fire from Battery H, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment killed First Lieutenant Samuel Farrington and many horses, forcing the battery to withdraw. [8] The battery also participated in an artillery duel that also included Landis's Battery, Guibor's Battery, and Hiram Bledsoe's Missouri Battery. The combined Confederate cannons drove off Union artillery, allowing a Confederate infantry charge to occur. [9] Later that day, a Union infantry force threatened Landis's Battery and Guibor's Battery; Wade's Battery helped repulse the threat. [10] At Corinth, Wade's Battery suffered 20 casualties. In December, Captain Wade was promoted to the command of the artillery in Major General John S. Bowen's division; First Lieutenant Richard Walsh replaced Wade as commander of the battery. [1]
In early 1863, the battery was transferred to the Vicksburg, Mississippi area, where it occupied a fortification known as Fort Wade. While at Fort Wade, the battery shelled passing ships of the Union Navy. The earlier guns of the battery had been replaced by 10-pounder Parrott rifles; one of these weapons burst on March 31, inflicting 10 casualties in the battery. Guibor's Battery was also stationed in Fort Wade. [11] At the Battle of Grand Gulf on April 29, seven ironclad warships of the Union Navy bombarded Fort Wade and the nearby Fort Coburn. The guns of Fort Wade were silenced, but Fort Coburn continued firing. Towards the end of the fighting, Wade was killed. [12] The battery suffered seven casualties in the battle. After Grand Gulf, the battery was temporarily placed on detached service, and missed the Battle of Port Gibson on May 1. [13] Wade's Battery was attached to Francis Cockrell's brigade in John S. Bowen's division. [14]
On the morning of May 16, as part of the Battle of Champion Hill, the battery fought an artillery duel, destroying a Union artillery caisson. [15] Later that day, Wade's Battery provided supporting fire for an attack by the First Missouri Brigade; when the attackers were forced to retreat, the battery helped provide covering fire. [16] Wade's Battery lost five men at Champion Hill. [13] On May 17, Wade's Battery formed part of a Confederate line guarding the crossing of the Big Black River. The horses assigned to the battery had been positioned on the other side of the river; when the Confederate line broke, the men of Wade's Battery were unable to withdraw their guns. [17] They were forced to spike their cannons before joining the retreat. After reaching the defenses of Vicksburg, the men of the battery were assigned a new weapon–a 32-pounder rifled cannon. [13]
During the Siege of Vicksburg, many of the men of Wade's Battery engaged in sharpshooting. Beginning in late June, they began digging a tunnel for the purpose of detonating a charge of gunpowder under the Union line, but the Confederate garrison surrendered before this could be completed. [18] The battery lost seven men during the siege; by the time of the surrender on July 4, only 52 men were left. They were paroled and reported to Demopolis, Alabama. After being exchanged, the battery was combined with Landis's Battery and Guibor's Battery on October 3; Wade's Battery ceased to exist as a separate unit. [19]
The Army of the West, also known as the Trans-Mississippi District, was a formation of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War that was a part of the Army of Mississippi. It saw action in the Battle of Pea Ridge, Battle of Corinth, and Battle of Iuka and consisted of about 20,000 personnel.
The 1st Missouri Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally commanded by Colonel John S. Bowen, the regiment fought at the Battle of Shiloh, where it was engaged near the Peach Orchard on April 6, 1862. On April 7, during the Union counterattacks at Shiloh, the regiment was instrumental in preventing the Washington Artillery from being captured. The regiment was next engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth, where it outflanked several Union positions. On the second day at Corinth, the regiment was only minimally engaged. On November 7, the 1st Missouri Infantry was combined with the 4th Missouri Infantry to form the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated), as a result of heavy battle losses in both regiments.
The 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Round Mountain and Bird Creek (Chusto-Talasah) in 1861, Pea Ridge, Siege of Corinth, Second Corinth, Hatchie's Bridge and the Holly Springs Raid in 1862, and in the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, and Murfreesboro in 1864. The unit fought dismounted at Second Corinth and Hatchie's Bridge before being remounted as cavalry for the remainder of the war. The regiment surrendered to Federal forces on 4 May 1865 and its remaining personnel were paroled.
The 32nd Texas Cavalry Regiment, sometimes incorrectly named Andrews's 15th Texas Cavalry Regiment, was a unit of volunteer cavalry mustered into the Confederate States Army in May 1862 and which fought during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed around companies from Richard Phillip Crump's 1st Texas Cavalry Battalion which fought in Indian Territory and at Pea Ridge. Many of the soldiers died of disease in the unhealthy camps near Corinth, Mississippi. The cavalrymen were dismounted in July 1862 and served as infantry for the rest of the war. The regiment fought at Richmond, Ky., Stones River, and Chickamauga in 1862–1863, in the Meridian and Atlanta campaigns and at Nashville in 1864, and at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley in 1865. The regiment's 58 surviving members surrendered to Federal forces on 9 May 1865.
Douglas's Texas Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In June 1861, the unit was formed by combining one group of men from Dallas with a second group from Tyler and placing them under the command of John Jay Good. The battery fought at Pea Ridge in March 1862 and soon afterward transferred to the east side of the Mississippi River. James Postell Douglas replaced Good as commander and led the battery at Richmond, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign, Franklin, and Nashville. After operations around Mobile, Alabama, Confederate units in the region surrendered and the survivors of the battery were paroled on 12 May 1865. It was the only Texas field artillery unit that served east of the Mississippi.
Battery B, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment, also known as Welfley's Independent Missouri Battery, was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized in September 1861, Welfley's Independent Battery fought at Pea Ridge and in the White River campaign. After its name changed to Battery B, 1st Missouri in December 1862, it fought at Cape Girardeau, Chalk Bluff, Vicksburg, Sterling's Plantation, and Brownsville. In September 1864, the unit ceased to exist when it was consolidated with three other Missouri batteries while stationed at New Orleans.
The 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment or South Kansas-Texas Mounted Volunteers was a unit of mounted volunteers that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Wilson's Creek and Chustenahlah in 1861, Pea Ridge, Corinth siege, Iuka, Second Corinth, and the Holly Springs Raid in 1862, Thompson's Station in 1863, and at Yazoo City, in the Atlanta campaign, and at Nashville in 1864. The regiment fought dismounted at Iuka and Second Corinth before being remounted for the rest of the war. The regiment surrendered to Federal forces in May 1865 and its remaining 207 men were paroled.
The 27th Texas Cavalry Regiment, at times also known as Whitfield's Legion or 1st Texas Legion or 4th Texas Cavalry Battalion, was a unit of mounted volunteers that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. First organized as the 4th Texas Cavalry Battalion or Whitfield's Legion, the unit served dismounted at Pea Ridge and First Corinth. Additional companies from Texas were added and the unit was upgraded to the 27th Texas Cavalry Regiment or 1st Texas Legion later in 1862. Still dismounted, the unit fought at Iuka and Second Corinth. The regiment was remounted and fought at Holly Springs in 1862, Thompson's Station in 1863, and at Yazoo City, Atlanta, Franklin, and Third Murfreesboro in 1864. The regiment surrendered to Federal forces in May 1865 and its remaining soldiers were paroled.
The 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of foot soldiers from Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment distinguished itself at Wilson's Creek in 1861. The 3rd Louisiana fought at Pea Ridge, First Corinth, Iuka, and Second Corinth in 1862. The unit defended Vicksburg in 1863 where it was captured. At Vicksburg, the unit's fortification was twice blown up by powerful land mines. The surviving soldiers were paroled and exchanged, after which they performed guard duty for the rest of the war.
The 6th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Chustenahlah in 1861. The following year the unit fought at Pea Ridge, First Corinth, Second Corinth, Hatchie's Bridge, and Holly Springs. The 6th Texas Cavalry participated in the fighting at Thompson's Station in 1863, the Atlanta campaign, and the Franklin–Nashville Campaign in 1864. The regiment formally surrendered to Union forces in May 1865 and its remaining soldiers were paroled.
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 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated) was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on November 7, 1862 when the 1st Missouri Infantry and the 4th Missouri Infantry were consolidated as a result of heavy battle losses in both units. The regiment served in several battles in the 1863 Vicksburg campaign, including a charge that almost broke the Union line at the Battle of Champion Hill. When the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Confederate surrender, the regiment was captured and later exchanged. In 1864, the regiment fought in the Atlanta campaign, and suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Franklin. On April 9, 1865, the regiment surrendered at the Battle of Fort Blakeley, and was paroled in May when the war ended for all effective purposes.
The 6th Missouri Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed on August 26, 1862, when two existing units were combined. Later that year, the regiment was then lightly engaged at the Battle of Iuka and saw heavy action at the Second Battle of Corinth. In 1863, the regiment was engaged at the Battle of Port Gibson, and was part of a major charge at the Battle of Champion Hill. After a defeat at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, the regiment took part in the siege of Vicksburg, where it saw heavy fighting. The siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4 with a Confederate surrender; after being exchanged, the regiment combined with the 2nd Missouri Infantry to form the 2nd and 6th Missouri Infantry (Consolidated). The 6th Missouri Infantry ceased to exist as a separate unit.
The 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment was formed on April 28, 1862, and served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The infantry regiment did not see action at the Battle of Farmington on May 9, and the Battle of Iuka on September 19 despite being part of the Confederate force present at those battles. As part of Brigadier General Martin E. Green's brigade, the regiment participated in three charges against Union lines on October 3, 1862, during the Second Battle of Corinth. The following day, the regiment, along with the rest of Green's brigade, attacked the new Union lines. Despite initial success, the attack was repulsed by a Union counterattack. The regiment ceased to exist as a separate unit when it was combined with the 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment on November 7, 1862, to form the 1st and 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Consolidated).
The 3rd Missouri Light Battery was an artillery battery of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery originated as a Missouri State Guard unit active in late 1861, and was officially transferred to the Confederate States Army on January 28, 1862. The battery provided artillery support at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, and was lightly engaged at the Battle of Iuka in September. In October 1862, the battery was lightly engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth and saw action at the Battle of Davis Bridge, where it lost at least one cannon. The 3rd Light Battery saw action at the Battle of Champion Hill on May 16, 1863, and had its cannons captured at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge the next day. After participating in the Siege of Vicksburg, the battery was captured on July 4, 1863 and was paroled and exchanged. The battery was then consolidated with the Jackson Missouri Battery; the 3rd Light Battery designation was continued. In early 1864, the battery received replacement cannons and was assigned to the defense of Mobile Bay. The 3rd Light Battery saw action at the Battle of Spanish Fort in March and April 1865. When the Confederate Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana surrendered on May 4, 1865, the battery was again captured; the men of the battery were paroled on May 10, ending their military service.
The 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Organized on January 16, 1862, the regiment first saw major action at the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8, 1862. After Pea Ridge, the regiment was transferred across the Mississippi River, fighting in the Battle of Farmington, Mississippi on May 9. The unit missed the Battle of Iuka in September, but was heavily engaged at the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4. The regiment helped drive in a Union position on October 3. On October 4, the 2nd Missouri Infantry, along with the rest of Colonel Elijah Gates' brigade, captured a fortification known as Battery Powell, but were forced to retreat by Union reinforcements.
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 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.
Barrett's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After entering Confederate service on April 1, 1862, the unit was armed with two 6-pounder smoothbore cannons and two 12-pounder howitzers and was commanded by Captain Overton W. Barrett. It was present during the Siege of Corinth, but saw no action. During the Battle of Perryville in October 1862, Barrett's battery provided artillery support for a Confederate brigade. After spending the next several months moving around Tennessee, the battery supported a Confederate attack during the Battle of Stones River in December. The 1863 Chickamauga campaign brought light action for the unit, which also fought in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. When the Confederates retreated after the Missionary Ridge fighting, Barrett's battery was part of the Confederate rear guard at the Battle of Ringgold Gap, earning the praise of Patrick R. Cleburne. Rearmed with four 12-pounder howitzers, the unit was action in the 1864 Atlanta campaign as part of the Confederate reserve artillery, although two of the cannons were lost to attrition. On April 16, 1865, the battery ceased to exist when its flag, cannons, and most of its members were captured during the Battle of Columbus, Georgia. As of January 2021, its battle flag is part of the collection of the Missouri State Museum.