Picacho Pass: April 1862

Recently I went on a road trip to Tucson, Arizona, with my mom and a friend. While there, my uncle kindly drove us to Picacho Peak State Park along Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix. I had long wanted to visit this place as the site of the Picacho Pass skirmish is nearby. This was not the only clash between Union and Confederate soldiers in the Arizona Territory, but it is the most famous. Taking place on either April 15^th or April 16^th (the 15^th seems to be the most accepted), the skirmish erupted as thirteen men led by Lieutenant James Barrett of the 1^st California Cavalry scouted east of El Picacho, a 3,374 foot mountain. Another detachment was to pass to the west side of the mountain. The detachments were to capture a Confederate force stationed in the pass. Instead, Barrett and his men attacked the ten men from Captain Sherod Hunter’s Arizona Rangers. The fighting lasted for approximately one hour and a half; by the end Lieutenant Barrett had fallen dead along with Private George Johnson and W. S. Leonard (mortally wounded). Privates James Botsford, Peter Gann, and William Tobin were wounded. The Confederates lost three men captured: Sergeant Henry Holmes, William Dwyer, and John Hill. These three men were taken to Fort Yuma, California, where they were paroled in December 1862. The three prisoners maintained that a sizable force defended Tucson, and as a result, the Unionists retreated about forty miles. This small military action probably ended up delaying the advance of the California Column by a few weeks. An excellent source for this skirmish is Andrew E. Masich’s The Civil War In Arizona: The Story Of The California Volunteers, 1861-1865, a book that I have highlighted in an earlier posting. For other information about the events at Picacho Pass, the Picacho Peak State Park website includes a 4:35 minute video about the Civil War in the Southwest.

During my visit to Picacho Peak State Park, the weather was unstable with sleet falling intermittently. Here is a view of Picacho Pass where the skirmish took place:

According to Masich’s book, “In 1928 the Arizona Historical Society and the Southern Pacific Railroad erected a fifteen-foot stone obelisk in the railroad right of way between the tracks and the peak on a spot a railroad signal superintendent believed to be Barrett’s burial site” (p. 42). In 1975, the obelisk was moved near the entrance to the state park after a bronze plaque on the obelisk was stolen.

The park even includes a map depicting the action at Picacho Pass:

A courtyard area includes a wall with special plaques:

Lovely saguaro cacti dot the slopes of Picacho Peak and the Pass. This magnificent saguaro specimen on the slope of Picacho Peak may have witnessed the nearby skirmish.

Another Hard Fighting Iowa Regiment

My record of posting entries has been pretty poor this month primarily due to a week off for spring break. I was fortunate to be able to go on a road trip to Tucson, Arizona, to visit some family members. While visiting in Arizona, my uncle took me to the site of a skirmish near Picacho Peak between Tucson and Phoenix. This skirmish will be the subject of a future posting. For today, though, here is the next entry in my series on regiments that served in the trans-Mississippi drawn from William Fox’s list of "300 fighting regiments".

Iowa compiled an impressive record of fielding exceptional fighting units with the 2^nd Iowa Infantry being a fine example. Their first commander was Samuel R. Curtis, who went on to render significant service in the trans-Mississippi. As for his regiment, they first saw duty in Missouri and then experienced heavy combat at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth. The regiment was an “old” one serving from the spring of 1861 until their final service during the battle of Bentonville in the spring of 1865. For more information about these Hawkeyes, see the following websites:

Civil War Index: brief history of the 2^nd Iowa from The Union Army

Iowa in the Civil War: a roster and a short history of the regiment are on this helpful website

“Sweeny’s Brigade — Dodge’s Division--Sixteenth Corps.

（1) Col. Samuel R. Curtis, W. P.; Major-Gen.	（3) Col. James Baker (Killed).
（2) Col. James M. Tuttle; Brig.-Gen.	（4) Col. James B. Weaver; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.
（5) Col. Noel B. Howard.

Companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff		2		2				17
Company	A		12	12		11	11	117
	B	1	9	10		14	14	160
	C	3	12	15	1	17	18	115
	D		9	9		12	12	129
	E	1	10	11	1	18	19	127
	F	2	15	17	1	21	22	107
	G		13	13	1	20	21	151
	H	1	7	8		19	19	120
	I	1	10	11		11	11	133
	K	1	11	12		16	16	115
Totals		12	108	120	4	159	163	1,291

Total of killed and wounded, 465; died in Confederate prisons (previously included), 16.

Battles.	K. & M. W.	Battles.	K. & M. W.
Fort Donelson, Tenn.	54	Nickajack, Ga.	1
Shiloh, Tenn.	15	Atlanta, Ga.	17
Corinth, Miss.	25	Jonesboro, Ga.	2
Dallas, Ga.	4	Eden Station, Ga., Dec. 7, 1864	2

Present, also, at Siege of Corinth, Bear Creek, Ala.; Town Creek, Ala.; Resaca, Ga.; Rome Cross Roads, Ga.; Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.; Litttle Ogeeche River, Ga.; Siege of Savannah, Ga.; Columbia, S.C.; Lynch’s Creek, S. C.; Bentonville, N. C.

Notes.--Organized at Davenport, Iowa, in May, 1861. During the first year of its service it was stationed in Missouri, employed on guard duty at various points, and in protecting railroad communications. It left St. Louis February 7, 1862, proceeding by river transports to Fort Donelson, where, under command of Colonel Tuttle, it was engaged in the assault on the enemy's right. It was then in Lauman’s Brigade of General C. F. Smith's Division, and led the attack of the brigade. Its casualties at Fort Donelson were 33 killed and 164 wounded; two color-bearers were killed, and two wounded, while eight of the nine men in the color-guard were killed or wounded. The regiment was engaged a few weeks later at Shiloh; it was then in Tuttle's Brigade of W. H. Wallace's Division; loss, 8 killed, 60 wounded, and 4 missing. Next came the Siege of Corinth, and on October 3, 1862, the battle of Corinth. At that battle the Second fought in Hackleman's Brigade of Davies's Division, its loss there amounting to 12 killed, 84 wounded, and 5 missing. Among the killed were Colonel Baker, Lieutenant-Colonel Noah W. Mills and four line officers; General Hackleman was also killed in this engagement.

The regiment wintered at Corinth, Miss., and in the fall of 1863 moved to Pulaski, Tenn. It reenlisted in the winter of 1863-64, and upon its return from its veteran furlough entered the Atlanta campaign, during which it was in Fuller's (1st) Brigade, Veatch’s (4th) Division, Sixteenth Corps. After the fall of Atlanta it was transferred to Howard’s (1st) Brigade, Rice’s (4th) Division, Fifteenth Corps, with which it marched to the Sea and through the Carolinas. In November, 1864, the veterans and recruits of the Third Iowa remaining in the field were transferred to this regiment. The Second Iowa was mustered out July 12, 1865” (Fox, Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865, p. 403)

More Civil War Veterans in My Hometown

In August 2009, my first set of postings included a two part series that featured Civil War veterans buried in Fairview Cemetery in my hometown of Pryor Creek, Oklahoma. When I visited the cemetery a few weeks ago, I was surprised to find three more Civil War veterans. Fairview Cemetery is a bit unusual in its arrangement. As a veteran cemetery tramper, I’ve noticed that the “older” section gradually progresses to the newer sections. Fairview Cemetery has two “older” sections: one on the east side and one on the west side. Not sure why the cemetery developed in that fashion, but the soldiers featured in this posting are buried on the east side of the cemetery. All three were Union veterans, and I was able to find some additional facts about two of the men.

William H. Pearson served in the 6^th Illinois Cavalry, a regiment that saw much duty in the western theater.

Mathias Washam, a farmer, enlisted at age 22 on September 7, 1863 in the 11^th Tennessee Cavalry, later being transferred to the 9^th Tennessee Cavalry. His descriptive record states that he had blue eyes, light hair, and stood five feet eight inches tall. After being paid a $25 bounty, Washam went absent without leave until he was restored to duty in late February 1864; he lost his pay for the forty-nine days that he was absent. From that point on, Washam served faithfully even being promoted to sergeant and then appointed as quartermaster sergeant. The military mustered him out in Knoxville, Tennessee, on September 11, 1865.

Initially, Corporal Samuel Johnson puzzled me as no Samuel Johnson served in the 17^th Missouri Infantry as his marker so plainly notes. The 1900 census listed a Samuel Johnson, a native of Michigan, living in the Cherokee Nation. Could he have served in the 17^th Michigan? Indeed, after searching in various records, I concluded that he did. Johnson enlisted in Company I on August 16, 1862 in Dundee, Michigan. At some point during the war he was promoted to corporal and was mustered out in Washington, D. C. on June 3, 1865. One of Fox’s “Three Hundred Fighting Regiments,” the 17^th Michigan Infantry served in the IX Army Corps and saw much hard service.

Pea Ridge Sesquicentennial

Today is the Sesquicentennial of the first day of the battle of Pea Ridge. From March 9 through March 11th, the anniversary will be marked by several special events in Bentonville as well as at the Pea Ridge National Military Park. The events include a cavalry reenactment in Bentonville, firing demonstrations, talks, guided hikes, and a memorial service at the battlefield. For further details, click on the link in this posting.

The Fighting 31st Illinois Infantry

William F. Fox featured the 31^st Illinois Infantry as one of his “Three Hundred Fighting Regiments” and for good reason. These Illinois soldiers served in an unusual number of combat actions starting at Belmont, Missouri, and then in combat in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Their first colonel was the colorful “Black Jack” Logan who went on to become a successful Major-General.

For more information about the storied 31^st see the following:

Illinois in the Civil War Project: a roster and short histories of the 31^st Illinois are included

Morris, W. S., J. B. Kuykendall, L. D. Hartwell. History 31^st Regiment: Illinois Volunteers Organized by John A. Logan. Southern Illinois University Press, 1998.

“John E. Smith’s Brigade — Logan's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

（1) Col. John A. Logan; Major-Gen.	（3) Col. Edwin S. McCook; Bvt. Major-Gen.
（2) Col. Lyndorf Ozburn; Bvt. Brig-Gen.	（4) Col. Robert N. Pearson; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.

Companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff		2		2	1		1	16
Company	A	1	22	23		32	32	183
	B	1	14	15		30	30	179
	C		16	16		33	33	173
	D	3	18	21		38	38	185
	E		16	16		24	24	178
	F		16	16	1	24	25	174
	G		17	17	1	39	40	182
	H	1	15	16		27	27	195
	I		17	17		26	26	178
	K	1	15	16		20	20	166
Totals		9	166	175	3	293	296	1,809

Total of killed and wounded, 630; died of disease in Confederate prisons (previously included), 19.

Battles.	K. & M. W.	Battles.	K. & M. W.
Belmont, Mo.	18	Trenton, Tenn.	1
Fort Donelson, Tenn.	58	Canton, Miss.	1
Burnt Bridge, Tenn.	1	Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.	5
Grand Junction, Tenn.	1	Battle of Atlanta, Ga.	49
Thompson’s Hill, Miss.	1	Siege of Atlanta Ga.	3
Raymond, Miss.	2	Lovejoy's Station, Ga.	3
Champion's Hill, Miss.	8	March to the Sea	1
Vicksburg Assault, May 22, 1863	5	Wateree River, S. C.	1
Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.	13	Bentonville, N. C.	1
Jackson, Tenn.	1	Place unknown	2

Present, also, at Fort Henry, Tenn.; Siege of Corinth; Tuscumbia River; Jackson, Miss.; Meridian Raid; Big Shanty, Ga.; Jonesboro, Ga.; Siege of Savannah; Salkahatchie, S. C.; Columbia, S. C.

Notes.--Organized at Cairo, September 18, 1861. In November it fought at Belmont, where it lost 10 killed, 70 wounded, and 4 missing. In February, 1862, it moved up the Tennessee River, and was present at the bombardment of Fort Henry; thence it marched over the hills to Fort Donelson, where it went into position in front of the enemy's works, amid winter's snow and storm. It was engaged in the assault, during which the regiment evinced a remarkable steadiness under fire, changing front to rear on tenth company in the face of severe musketry, over uneven ground and in tangled brush. Colonel Logan, who still commanded the Thirty-first, was seriously wounded in this action, and Lieutenant-Colonel John H. White was killed; the total loss was 31 killed, 117 wounded, and 28 missing. During the Vicksburg campaign, the Thirty-first served in J. E. Smith’s Brigade, Logan’s Division, Seventeenth Corps; it lost at Raymond 1 killed and 6 wounded; at Champion’s Hill, 5 killed and 18 wounded; and on May 22d, in the grand assault on Vicksburg 3 killed and 21 wounded, including Lieutenant-Colonel John D. Rees, who was mortally wounded by a hand-grenade while mounting the parapet. It also sustained severe losses in the trenches during the siege, several being killed in the fight over the crater at the Mine Explosion at Fort Hill May 25th. The regiment encountered its hardest fighting and greatest percentage of loss on July 22; 1864, at the battle of Atlanta; it was then in Leggett’s (3d) Division, Seventeenth Corps” (Fox, 361).