Battery F, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment was an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

unit from Missouri that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The battery participated in operations in December 1861. Battery F fought at the battles of Prairie Grove and

Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

in December 1862. The battery fought at

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

, Brownsville, Mustang Island, and Fort Esperanza in 1863. The unit fought at Spanish Fort, and

Fort Blakely A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in 1865. Battery F was mustered out on 11 August 1865.

Formation

The battery's parent unit was created on 10–12 June 1861 in St Louis and

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

as the

1st Missouri Volunteer Infantry The 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment evolved from one of several unofficial pro-Unionist Home Guards militia formed in St. Louis in the early months of 1861 by Congressman Francis Preston Blair, Jr. and other Unionist activists. The militia that ...

. On 1 September 1861, the unit was re-designated the 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment. At that time, Battery L and Battery M were transferred into the regiment from United States regular army units. Adding these two batteries increased the regiment from 10 to 12 companies, with batteries named A through M, excluding J. Battery C was disbanded in September 1861. Battery I and Battery L were disbanded in January 1862 and Battery B was disbanded in February 1862. Battery F's officers were

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

David Murphy, First Lieutenants James Marr, John L. Matthaei, and Frank A. Howard, and

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

s George Meyers, Siegmund Sallman, and Edward S. Rowland. Meyers resigned on 3 September 1861. Byron M. Callendar was promoted first lieutenant and

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

on 1 January 1862. Howard was discharged on 2 April 1862. Marr was promoted to captain of Battery M on 22 November 1862. Murphy was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 April 1863; he was replaced as captain by Joseph Foust from Battery E on 26 May 1863. Rowland transferred to Battery E on 30 May 1863. Adolphus Stauber was promoted first lieutenant on 1 May 1863 and Louis Dorman was promoted second lieutenant on 1 July 1863. First Lieutenant William Arthur was promoted to captain of Battery G, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery on 2 January 1864. Matthaei was promoted to captain of the reorganized Battery C on 17 January 1864. First Lieutenant John H. Hogan was promoted captain in

1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union) The 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment recruited from Southern Unionists that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was the only predominantly-white Union regiment from Alabama. Of the 2,678 white Alabamia ...

on 6 August 1864.

Organization

District of Central Missouri to June, 1862. District of Southwest Missouri, Dept. Missouri, to October, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. Missouri, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, Herron's Division, 13th Army Corps, Army Tennessee, to July, 1863. Artillery, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, to August, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to September, 1863. Artillery, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. Gulf, to February, 1864. Artillery, 4th Division, 13th Army Corps, to June, 1864. Defenses New Orleans, La., to August, 1864. Reserve Artillery, Dept. Gulf, to December, 1864. District Southern Alabama, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 13th Army Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to August, 1865.

History

SERVICE.--Duty at St. Louis and Clinton, Mo., until March, 1862, and in Central District of Missouri until June. Expedition to Milford, Mo., December 15–18, 1861. Shawnee Mound, Milford, December 18. Ordered to Springfield, Mo., June 3, 1862. Moved to Jefferson City August 16, to Sedalia August 18, and to Springfield August 26. Action at Lone Jack August 16. Schofield's Campaign in Southwest Missouri October, 1862, to January, 1863. Occupation of Newtonia October 4, 1862. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren, Ark., December 27–29. Duty at Springfield, Rolla, and other points in Southwest Missouri until April, 1863. Moved to St. Louis, Mo., and duty there until June. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., June 3–16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., June 16-July 4. Expedition to Yazoo City July 12–22. Capture of Yazoo City July 14. Moved to Port Hudson, La., July 24, thence to Carrollton August 16. Expedition to the Rio Grande, Texas, October 24-December 2. Capture of Mustang Island November 17. Fort Esperanza November 27–30. Reconnaissance on Mattagorda Island January 21, 1864. Duty at Mattagorda Island until June, 1864. Moved to New Orleans, La., and duty there until December. Duty in District of Southern Alabama until March, 1865. Campaign against Mobile and its defenses March 17-April 12. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Fort Blakely April 9. Capture of Mobile April 12. Duty at Mobile and in District of Alabama until August. Mustered out August 11, 1865.

Armament

At the Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862, Battery F was commanded by David Murphy. Its equipment consisted of four 3-inch Ordnance rifles and two

14-pounder James rifle The 14-pounder James rifle or James rifled 6-pounder or 3.8-inch James rifle was a bronze muzzle-loading rifled cannon that was employed by the United States Army and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fired a solid sh ...

s (3.8-inch caliber) according to one source. The 1st quarter 1863 report stated that the battery was commanded by Joseph Foust and stationed at Rolla, Missouri. The unit had four 3.5-inch English

Blakely rifle A Blakely rifle is one of a series of rifled muzzle-loading cannon designed by British army officer Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely. They were widely sold outside of the British army, and were best known for their use by the Confederate Stat ...

s (manufactured by Fawcett & Preston of Liverpool) and two 3.8-inch James rifles. In September 1863, Battery F was at Carrollton, Louisiana and in December 1863 it was at Mustang Island on the Texas coast, in each place with the same armament as the 1st quarter 1863 report. The 4th quarter report from Pass Cavallo, Texas stated that there were four 3.5-inch Whitworth rifles (a possible error) and two 3.8-inch James rifles.

Notes

References

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