The Army of the Southwest was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to t ...

that served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. This force was also known as the Army of Southwest Missouri.

History

Army of the Southwest

Created on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, 1861, the Army of the Southwest was the field unit of the Dist. of Southwest Missouri, composed of troops from the Department of Missouri. The principal commander of the army was

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Samuel R. Curtis, but several other officers commanded the army for brief periods of time later in the war. When Curtis assumed command of the Army there were three divisions commanded by Brig. Gen. Franz Sigel, Brig. Gen. Alexander Asboth and Col. Jefferson C. Davis. Sigel felt he had been passed over for command of the army and threatened to resign. More than half the Army of the Southwest was composed of German immigrants and Sigel (a German) carried a great deal of influence with them. Wishing to appease Sigel when he organized the army, Curtis named Sigel second-in-command and placed him in overall command of the 1st and 2nd Divisions which were composed of mostly German immigrants. Colonel Peter J. Osterhaus (another German immigrant) assumed command of the 1st Division and Gen. Asboth (a Hungarian immigrant) retained command of the 2nd Division. This left Col. Davis' 3rd Division as the only division composed of native born units (mostly from Midwestern States). So Curtis created the 4th Division with Colonel Eugene A. Carr in command to bring an ethnic balance to the army.Shea p.14 Curtis led the army into its greatest engagement of the war at the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Federal forces, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, moved south ...

. After capturing

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the ...

, later that year, the army ceased to be of great significance for the rest of the war. The 1st Division, now commanded by Frederick Steele was eventually transferred to the

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

after a brief stint in the Dist. of Eastern Arkansas. Asboth's 2nd Division and Davis' 3rd Division were transferred to the Army of Mississippi during the

siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth (also known as the first Battle of Corinth) was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry ...

Army of Southeast Missouri

On December 3, 1862, much of the 4th Division was re-designated the Army of Southeast Missouri under the command of General John W. Davidson. This formation had two divisions commanded respectively by Col. William P. Benton and Col. Chester A. Harding, Jr. (later General Carr). This army was short-lived as the troops were transferred to the

in preparation for the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi R ...

, where they became part of the 14th Division, XIII Corps under the command of General Carr.

Commanders

* Major General Samuel R. Curtis (December 25, 1861 – August 29, 1862) * Major General Frederick Steele (August 29, 1862 – October 7, 1862) * Major General Eugene A. Carr (October 7, 1862 – November 12, 1862) * Major General Willis A. Gorman (November 12, 1862–December 13, 1862) Also in command of the Dist of Eastern Arkansas from December 3

Major Battles

(Curtis) *

Battle of Cotton Plant The Battle of Cotton Plant also known as Action at Hill's Plantation or Action at Cache River or Action at Round Hill (July 7, 1862) was fought during the American Civil War in Woodruff County, Arkansas. Frustrated in its attempt to march to L ...

(Curtis) ''only units from the 1st Division were engaged'' * Capture of Helena (Curtis)

References