| |
|---|---|
 A6-pounder smoothbore gun of the type issued to the battery | |
| Active | c. September 7, 1862 to June 7, 1865 |
| Allegiance | Confederate States |
| Branch | Confederate States Army |
| Type | Artillery |
| Engagements | |
The1st Missouri Field Battery was afield artillerybattery that served in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War. The battery was formed byCaptain Westley F. Roberts inArkansas in September 1862 asRoberts' Missouri Battery and was originally armed with two12-pounder James rifles and two6-pounder smoothbore guns. The unit fought in theBattle of Prairie Grove on December 7, as part of a Confederate offensive. Roberts' Battery withdrew after the battle and transferred toLittle Rock, Arkansas, where Roberts resigned and was replaced byLieutenant Samuel T. Ruffner.
During the middle of 1863, the unit, asRuffner's Missouri Battery, was part of a force sent to theMississippi River under the command ofColonelJohn Bullock Clark Jr., with the intent of harassingUnion shipping. Clark's force was eventually recalled to Little Rock, which was being threatened by the UnionArmy of Arkansas underMajor GeneralFrederick Steele. The Confederates abandoned Little Rock on September 10, and Ruffner's Battery saw action during the retreat as part of therear guard. After the retreat from Little Rock, Ruffner's Battery was temporarily assigned toBrigadier GeneralJohn S. Marmaduke'scavalry division. The battery accompanied Marmaduke in an expedition against the Union garrison ofPine Bluff, Arkansas, seeing action at theBattle of Pine Bluff on October 25.
The unit's assignment to Marmaduke's division ended in December, after which it received a new set of cannons: two10-pounder Parrott rifles and two12-pounder howitzers. In early 1864, it became part of Brigadier GeneralMosby M. Parsons's division, which was ordered intoLouisiana in April to countera Union thrust up the Red River. While Parsons'sinfantry fought at theBattle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, Ruffner's Battery served in a reserve role and was not engaged. The Union troops present at Pleasant Hill continued to retreat back down the river, so Parsons was returned to Arkansas to move against Steele'sCamden expedition. Supply issues forced Steele to retreat fromCamden, Arkansas, and the Union troops were pursued to theSaline River. On April 30, the Confederates caught up with Steele at the river crossing and attacked, starting theBattle of Jenkins' Ferry. Ruffner's Battery, along with Lesueur's Missouri Battery, supported an infantry assault, but moved to an exposed position in the process. A Unioncounterattack captured several of Ruffner's Battery's cannons and Steele's men escaped across the river that night. The battery was then rearmed with four 6-pounder smoothbores.
In November 1864, the unit was given the official designation of the 1st Missouri Field Battery. It spent the remainder of the war in Louisiana and Arkansas and wasparoled on June 7, 1865, atAlexandria, Louisiana, afterGeneralEdmund Kirby Smith signed surrender terms for the ConfederateTrans-Mississippi Department on June 2.
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When theAmerican Civil War began in early 1861, the state ofMissouri did notsecede despite being aslave state, as both secessionist andUnionist viewpoints had substantial support among the state's populace. TheGovernor of Missouri,Claiborne Fox Jackson, mobilized pro-secessionstate militia, which encamped nearSt. Louis, wherea federal arsenal was located.Brigadier GeneralNathaniel Lyon of theUnion Army, commander of the arsenal, dispersed the militiamen on May 10, in theCamp Jackson affair. Lyon's action was followed by a pro-secessionriot in St. Louis. In response, Jackson formed the pro-secessionMissouri State Guard, a militia unit;Major General[a]Sterling Price was appointed as its commander on May 12. On June 15, Lyon drove Jackson and the secessionists from the state capital ofJefferson City; Jackson then went toBoonville. Two days later, the secessionists were forced from there, and Jackson and Price fell back to southwestern Missouri, pursued by Lyon.[2]
In early August, Price and the Missouri State Guard were joined byConfederate States Army troops commanded by Brigadier GeneralBen McCulloch. On August 10,Lyon attacked the combined camp of Price and McCulloch. Lyon was killed, and the battle ended in a Union defeat.[3] Price and the Missouri State Guard then headed north towards theMissouri River in a campaign that culminated in the successfulSiege of Lexington in September. In October, Union forces commanded by Major GeneralJohn C. Frémont concentrated against Price, who retreated southwards toNeosho, where he was joined by Jackson. On November 3, Jackson and the pro-secession legislators voted to secede and join theConfederate States of America, functioning as agovernment-in-exile,[4] first fromArkansas and later fromMarshall, Texas.[5] The remaining portion of the state legislature had previously voted to remain in the Union.[4]
In February 1862, pressure from Brigadier GeneralSamuel R. Curtis's UnionArmy of the Southwest led Price to abandon Missouri for Arkansas. In March, Price, McCulloch, andMajor GeneralEarl Van Dorn joined forces to form theArmy of the West.[6] Van Dorn moved against Curtis, and the two foes fought theBattle of Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8. McCulloch was killed and the Confederates and Missouri State Guardsmen were defeated. After Pea Ridge, the Army of the West retreated toVan Buren, Arkansas.[7] Eventually, many of the members of the Missouri State Guard transferred to official Confederate States Army formations.[8] Around September 7, while located at Van Buren,Captain Westley[b] F. Roberts formed afield artillerybattery that would bear his name.[10]
The battery was armed with horse-drawncannons in October: two12-pounder James rifles taken from Union forces at theBattle of Lone Jack and two obsolescent6-pounder smoothbores.[10][11][12] Unlike the smoothbores, the captured James rifles had aseries of spiral grooves engraved along the inside of thegun barrel, which spun the projectile when it was fired,[12] giving the cannon greater effective range and accuracy.[13] The James rifles had a range of 1,700 yards (1.6 km),[14] and the 6-pounder smoothbores had a range of 1,500 yards (1.4 km).[14] Both of these cannons werefield guns designed to firesolid shot at a flat trajectory over a long range.[15] Later in the war, the battery was equipped with two10-pounder Parrott rifles and two12-pounder howitzers.[16] Parrott rifles had a range of between 2,970 yards (2,720 m) and 3,200 yards (2,900 m) depending on the variant, while the howitzers only had a maximum range of 1,072 yards (980 m).[17] The howitzers fired at a highertrajectory,[18] which was useful where rough terrain made projectiles fired with a flat trajectory ineffective.[19] Confederate artillerymen were hampered by problems with gunpowder andartillery fuze quality, which often resulted in premature detonation of shells, sometimes while still in the cannon.[20] All of the pieces used by the battery required a crew of four to six men.[21]
On December 7, the battery was engaged during theBattle of Prairie Grove in Arkansas.[10] During the fight, Roberts' Battery was part of ColonelRobert G. Shaver'sbrigade, along with severalinfantry regiments fromArkansas.[9] Shaver's brigade was initially held in reserve, but it was ordered from the Confederate leftflank to the right flank byArmy of the Trans-Mississippi commander Major GeneralThomas C. Hindman. Roberts' Battery then moved forward onto a ridge.[22] The battery's new position gave it a clear field of fire against Brigadier GeneralFrancis J. Herron's Union division. Of the battery's four cannons, only the two James rifles could be deployed due to the terrain,[10] although the two 6-pounders were still with the battery. The James rifles were the onlyrifled cannons available to the Confederates at Prairie Grove.[23] After deploying, Roberts' Battery came under heavy Union fire. In turn, the Missourians took up a new position further down the ridge.[10][23] Even in the new position, heavy Union artillery fire rendered the battery's position untenable, and the guns were withdrawn up the hill. Eventually, Roberts decided that the battery could not hold its position, and the gunners abandoned the pieces and took shelter in some nearby woods.[23] The battery had participated in the fighting at Prairie Grove for two hours, and damaged two cannons ofBattery L, 1st Missouri Light Artillery;[10] one shot from the battery wounded a man riding near Herron.[24] The battle ended when night fell, and the Confederates retreated from the field. In order to mask the noises of retreat, the wheels of Roberts' Battery's cannons andcaissons were padded with blankets. The retreat continued until the Confederates reached Van Buren,[25] a process that took two days.[26]
By January 6, 1863, the battery had been transferred toLittle Rock, Arkansas, where Roberts resigned.Lieutenant Samuel T. Ruffner became commander of the battery, which adopted his name. In February, the unit boarded asteamboat for transport to the vicinity ofPine Bluff, Arkansas, which it reached on February 22. While near Pine Bluff, the battery was stationed at a position named Fort Pleasant under the authority of Brigadier GeneralDaniel M. Frost. In June, the battery, as part of a formation commanded by ColonelJohn Bullock Clark Jr., moved to the area around theMississippi River with the intent of interfering with Union shipping.[16] Ruffner's Battery, which was armed with four 6-pounders at this time,[27][28] was positioned in the vicinity of Gaines' Landing, along with the8th and9th Missouri Infantry Regiments.[27] After firing onUnion Navy shipping on June 22 and 27,[16] Ruffner's Battery, along with the two infantry regiments, skirmished with the25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, the4th Ohio Battery, and elements of the5th Illinois Cavalry Regiment on June 28, in the Gaines' Landing vicinity.[27]
In late July, Clark's force was transferred back to Little Rock, as the city was threatened by the UnionArmy of Arkansas under Major GeneralFrederick Steele. The Confederates abandoned Little Rock on September 10, without a fight.[16] On September 11, Ruffner's Battery was engaged during the Confederate withdrawal. Unioncavalry were pursuing the Confederates, and encountered elements from the11th and12th Missouri Cavalry Regiments. Ruffner's Battery then fired at the pursuers with the unit's four cannons, inflicting casualties. After additional fighting between the Union cavalry and the5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment andElliott's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, the retreat continued without further pursuit.[29] After the retreat from the city, Ruffner's Battery was temporarily assigned to Marmaduke's cavalry division.[16]
After capturing Little Rock, Union troops occupied several points on theArkansas River. Pine Bluff was occupied by the5th Kansas and1st Indiana Cavalry Regiments; the garrison was commanded by ColonelPowell Clayton. On October 25, Marmaduke attacked Pine Bluff. The Union cavalrymen barricaded thetown square, which was then assaulted by Marmaduke's cavalry.[30] The attack quickly bogged down and Ruffner's Battery, which had remained in reserve with other Confederate artillery, was called into action.[31] The unit served on the right of the Confederate line,[16] and opened fire with three cannons on the Union position (near the local courthouse) from the grounds of a church.[32] While the artillery fire forced the defenders from some of their positions, the main Union line held up under fire.[33] Further Confederate cavalry charges failed to carry the makeshift defensive position, and Marmaduke's men withdrew after engaging in somelooting.[30] On December 2, the battery's assignment to Marmaduke's division ended, and the unit left Marmaduke on the 5th. Ruffner's Battery returned to Fort Pleasant without its cannons, which were given toJoseph Bledsoe's Missouri Battery. Once the fort was reached, Ruffner's Battery was assigned the cannons of a defunct artillery unit known as Von Puhl's Missouri Battery: two 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 12-pounder howitzers.[34]
The battery was later assigned to a new brigade commanded by Clark, which was part of Brigadier GeneralMosby M. Parsons's division. In March 1864, Parsons's division was transferred toLouisiana, where Major GeneralRichard Taylor and hisDistrict of West Louisiana were confrontinga Union thrust up the Red River. On April 9, Parsons's division, as part of Taylor's army, engaged the Union force at theBattle of Pleasant Hill, although Ruffner's Battery was in a reserve role and was unengaged.[16] While Confederate assaults at Pleasant Hill were repulsed, the Union army, commanded by Major GeneralNathaniel Banks, continued a retreat that had begun several days earlier.[35] After Pleasant Hill,GeneralEdmund Kirby Smith, who was in overall command of the Confederate forces, moved his men back into Arkansas, where Steele had occupiedCamden. Steele's supply line was tenuous, and he had suffered defeats at the battles ofPoison Spring andMarks' Mills. Running low on food, the Union troops abandoned Camden on April 26, with hopes of retreating to Little Rock. The Confederates pursued, and caught up with Steele at the crossing of theSaline River on April 30.[36]
That morning, as part of theBattle of Jenkins' Ferry, Ruffner's Battery, along withLesueur's Missouri Battery, positioned themselves to provide supporting fire for an attack by Parsons's Division.[37] When Clark's brigade, along with ColonelLucien C. Gause's brigade of Brigadier GeneralThomas J. Churchill's division, attacked the Union line, Ruffner's and Lesueur's Batteries moved forward in support. Clark and Gause were repulsed, exposing the two batteries' positions.[38] Visibility on the battlefield was poor, and Ruffner's Battery stumbled into the2nd Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, under the erroneous perception that the Kansans were a Confederate regiment. The error allowed the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry to capture either two[39] or three[40][41] of the battery's cannons, which were moved to the Union lines.[42] After the attack miscarried, Churchill's and Parsons's men were withdrawn.[40] The battery suffered 17 casualties at Jenkins' Ferry; seven of the losses wereprisoners of war, some of whom were executed byAfrican American soldiers as revenge for African American troops who had been killed by Confederate cavalry while trying to surrender at Poison Spring.[39]
Later that day, Steele's men escaped across the Saline River via apontoon bridge; they arrived in Little Rock on May 2.[43] Ruffner's Battery was assigned four new cannons, all 6-pounder smoothbores. After Jenkins' Ferry, the unit saw no further action,[44] and spent the rest of the war stationed at various points in Arkansas and Louisiana. On November 19, the battery, which had previously borne the name of its commander, was officially designated the 1st Missouri Field Battery and was assigned toMajor William D. Blocher's artillery organization.[39] Smith signed surrender terms for theTrans-Mississippi Department on June 2, 1865;[45] the men of the 1st Missouri Field Battery wereparoled five days later, while stationed atAlexandria, Louisiana, ending their combat experience. Over the course of the unit's existence, roughly 170 men served in it at some time or another. At least six of them were killed in battle, and at least four more died of illnesses.[39]
