Brown's Arkansas Battery
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The Brown's Arkansas Artillery Battery (1862–1863) was a
Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
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 ...
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 th ...
. Also known as: the Newton Artillery. The battery operated in the Confederate Department of the Trans-Mississippi for its entire existence.


Organization

When General Thomas C. Hindman arrived in Arkansas in late May, 1862 to assume command of the new Trans-Mississippi District, he found almost nothing to command. He quickly began organizing new regiments, but his most pressing need was for arms for the new forces he was organizing, including the artillery. One of his first acts was to order General Albert Pike, commanding the Indian Territory, to return Woodruff's Battery, also known as the Weaver Light Artillery to Arkansas. Louis W. Brown first had been elected Second Lieutenant in Capitan William E. Woodruff's militia battery, then known as the Totten Light Artillery on December 20, 1860, and he was still serving as a lieutenant in Woodruff's battery at the time of this transfer. Woodruff's Battery was utilized to provide the officer cadre for several new batteries in the summer of 1862. Brown was promoted to captain and ordered to command a battery to be organized from details from the infantry regiments of Brigadier General James H. McBride's brigade. William J. Leonard was appointed Jr 1st Lieutenant of Captain Brown's Artillery Company by Special Order No. 69, effective July 17, 1862. Another former member of Woodruff's battery, Sergeant Henry Halliburton was promoted to serve as Second Lieutenant of Captain Brown's battery. Little is known of this battery, except that it was named the "Newton Artillery" in honor of Col. Robert C. Newton. No muster rolls have ever been located. Historians have assembled a roster of thirty four unit members by examining the muster rolls of the regiments which detailed men to the battery. Most of the thirty-four names which appear in the National Archives records under Brown's Arkansas Battery also can be found in the 27th Arkansas Regiment. Six each came from Companies "G" and "I"; another five were assigned from Company "F". Others appear to be from Companies "A", "B", "C", "E", "H" and "K". Several Missouri men from Co B, Matlock's Ark Regiment, joined the battery. They previously had been members of Jeffers' Mo Independent Cavalry Company, the Swamp Rangers. One of them, Joseph Coker, later wrote a short paper, which is part of the Thomas Ewing Family Papers, Library of Congress. Cooker traces some of his experiences during the war, including a little on his service in Brown's Battery. The transfer of men from the 26th Arkansas to Brown's Battery was made permanent "by order of Gen. Hindman" as of August 12, 1862. This was also the date that transfers of men to other batteries (Hart's, etc.) were made permanent. It is also, coincidentally, the date of a reorganization of regiments in Arkansas in which new elections of officers were held, and some companies were shifted around, consolidated, etc.


Service

By October 18, 1862, Brown's Arkansas Battery, with four iron 6-pounder guns was located at Pittman's Ferry, in Randolph County, Arkansas, with Colonel Colton Green's Missouri Cavalry Regiment. In early November, the battery was assigned to a small brigade of Missouri Cavalry, including the 3rd Missouri Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Colonel John Q. Burbridge. Under Burbridge's command, the battery fought at the
Battle of Clark's Mill The Battle of Clark's Mill was fought on November 7, 1862, near Vera Cruz, Missouri, as part of the American Civil War. Confederate troops led by Colonels Colton Greene and John Q. Burbridge were recruiting in the Gainesville area. Federal ...
on November 7, 1862 in
Douglas County, Missouri Douglas County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,578. The county seat and only incorporated community is Ava. The county was officially organized on Oc ...
. Battery Member Joseph Coker described the battery's participation in the Battle of Clark's Mill. General Thomas C. Hindman congratulated Burnbridge's command on their achievement; By December 1862, the battery, now apparently reduced to two guns, was assigned to Colonel Joseph C. Porter's Missouri Cavalry Brigade during General John S. Marmaduke's December 1862 through January 1863 expedition through southern Missouri. This movement was two-pronged. Col. Porter led one column, comprising his Missouri Cavalry Brigade, out of Pocahontas, Arkansas, to assault Union posts around Hartville, Missouri. When he neared Hartville on January 9, he sent a detachment forward to reconnoiter. It succeeded in capturing the small militia garrison. The same day, Porter moved toward Marshfield. On January 10, some of Porter's men raided other Union installations in the area before making contact with Marmaduke's column east of Marshfield. Marmaduke had received reports of Union troops approaching to surround him and prepared for a confrontation. Early on the morning of January 11 the Confederates under Porter made contact with Union Col. Samuel Merrill 's scouts and skirmishing commenced. Merrill marched his force directly to Hartville where it took a strong defensive position on covered, high ground west of the courthouse. Shelby and Porter's brigades attempted to dislodge Merrill's force, but it was too strongly positioned. Over a four-hour period several Confederate assaults were made, each being repulsed in turn. Eventually Merrill withdrew most of his force. Both sides claimed victory in the Battle of
Battle of Hartville The Battle of Hartville was fought January 9–11, 1863, in Wright County, Missouri, as part of John S. Marmaduke's first expedition into Missouri, during the American Civil War. Background Marmaduke led a Confederate raid into Missou ...
. Marmaduke was compelled to make a rapid retreat into Arkansas and then an arduous trek to winter camp. What became of the battery following Marmadukes' First Missouri Expedition is unclear. It is possible that Brown's Battery also participated in General Marmaduke's Second Missouri Expedition. In April 1863, there is a reference to Brown's Battery of Greene's Brigade in a General Order No. 10., issued by General Holmes, which refers to the court martial of one of the battery's soldiers for offences committed in February 1863 when the battery was stationed at Batesville, Arkansas. The battery is listed as belonging to Colonel
Colton Greene Colton Greene (July 7, 1833 – September 23, 1900) was an American businessman and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, mostly leading cavalry units. After the war he pursued several successful civic proj ...
's Missouri Cavalry Brigade of Brigadier General Marmaduke's Missouri Cavalry Division as of May 20, 1863, with the added comment "ordered to Little Rock". The battery virtually disappears from the records at that point. Brown's Battery is not mentioned in Marmaduke's report of the raid, however, Marmaduke's report does mention that his force included that eight field pieces and two mountain guns. It is assumed that Collins's battery of Shelby's Brigade had four cannons, and it is likely that Pratt's battery of Carter's Brigade of Texans also had four pieces. That does not account for the two other weapons he reported having on the raid. These could be the two pieces of Brown's Battery attached to Greene's Brigade. The battery is listed as being assigned to Greene's Brigade on May 20, 1863, immediately after the raid. General Marmaduke began his second raid into Missouri from Northeast Arkansas on April 18, 1863. During the raid, he intended to obtain much-needed supplies for his troops, several hundred of whom were unarmed and un-mounted. Marmaduke organized his
division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of about 5,000 men into two
columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
, each made up of two
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...
s. Colonel George W. Carter led one of the columns, which consisted of a brigade led by Colonel
Colton Greene Colton Greene (July 7, 1833 – September 23, 1900) was an American businessman and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, mostly leading cavalry units. After the war he pursued several successful civic proj ...
and the other by Carter himself. The second column was led by Colonel
Joseph O. Shelby Joseph Orville "J.O." Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Early life and education Joseph Orvil ...
and consisted of Shelby's famous "
Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought enti ...
," commanded by Colonel George W. Thompson, and another brigade commanded by Colonel John Q. Burbridge. In all, the division had between eight and ten pieces of artillery. Following an unsuccessful attack on the heavily fortified city of Cape Girardeau on April 26, 1863, Marmaduke began a retreat to Arkansas, conducting a rear guard action at the Battle of Chalk Bluff on May on May 1 and May 2, 1863 while he crossed his forces back into Arkansas.


Disbanded

References to Brown's Battery become very scarce following Marmadukes Second Expedition to Missouri. The May 20, 1863 report of the battery's assignment to Greene's Brigade includes a note that the battery had been ordered to Little Rock. It may be that the battery was ordered to Little Rock to be disbanded. General Holmes issued Special Order No. 23, District of Arkansas, dated April 11, 1863, which appears to have ordered the transfer of 17 members of Brown's Battery who had originally been transferred from Shaler's 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment to return to their unit. These men are counted as present on the regiment's muster rolls in for April/May 1863. Six other unit members had been discharged from the service on March 23, 1863. While these figures only account for 23 of the 120 men originally ordered to be transferred to the battery from McBride's Brigade in the summer of 1862, they seem to point to the conclusion that the battery was disbanded in April/May 1863. The unit is not mentioned again in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.Osborne, Phil "Re: Brown's Battery", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 3/3/2013, Accessed 4 March 2013, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?page=1;md=read;id=27953


See also

*
List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units This is a list of Arkansas Civil War Confederate Units, or military units from the state of Arkansas which fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. The list of Union units is shown separately. Like most states, Arkansas possessed ...
*
Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* Confederate Units by State *
Arkansas in the American Civil War During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union. Following the capture of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Abraham Lincoln called for troops from every Union state to put down t ...
*
Arkansas Militia in the Civil War The units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection include the Arkansas State Militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United ...
*


Notes


References

* Bartels, Carolyn M. ''The Civil War in Missouri Day by Day 1861-1865.'' Shawnee Mission, KS: Two Trails Publishing. 1992. * Ewing, T. (n.d.). Thomas Ewing papers. * Goman, F. W., & Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation. (1999). Up from Arkansas: Marmaduke's first Missouri raid, including the battles of Springfield and Hartville. Springfield, Mo: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation. * McGhee, J. E. (2008). Guide to Missouri Confederate units, 1861–1865. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. * Peter Wellington Alexander Papers, Box 5 & 6, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. * Phillips, Henry M. "The Battle of Cape Girardeau: A Civil War Encounter." ''
Southeast Missourian ''The Southeast Missourian'' is a 3 day per week newspaper published in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and serves (as the name implies) the southeastern portion of Missouri. History The paper began publication on October 3, 1904 as ''The Daily Rep ...
''. April 26–30, 1956. Clippings Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Kent Library, Southeast Missouri State University. * Ponder, Jerry. ''The Battle of Chalk Bluff: An Account of General John S. Marmaduke’s Second Missouri Raid.'' Doniphan, MO: Ponder Books. 1994. * The Old-line Democrat. (1859). Little Rock, Ark: Peek, Butler & Doolittle. * United States. (1961). Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the State of Arkansas. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the
Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...
of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. * Wright, V. C., & Payne, L. M. (1953). The battle of Chalk Bluff which occurred during the Civil War, May 1 and 2, 1863: Battle location: four miles northwest of St. Francis, Arkansas and four miles southwest of Campbell, Missouri. Piggott, Ark: s.n..


External links


Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home PageThe Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110718122909/http://arkansascivilwar.com/ The Arkansas History Commission, State Archives, Civil War in Arkansas {{American Civil War , expanded=CTCBS Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Arkansas 1865 disestablishments in Arkansas Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Military units and formations in Arkansas Military in Arkansas 1862 establishments in Arkansas Military units and formations established in 1862 Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War