The Trans-Mississippian

Cabin Creek Preservation?

2012-01-26T19:56:00.002-06:00

The site of the First and Second Battles of Cabin Creek is currently commemorated in a tiny park near Pensacola, Oklahoma, consisting of about ten acres. There is no visitor center and essentially no attempt at interpreting the battle actions that occurred there; a few granite markers line the roadway but they serve little purpose other than to inform the visitor of the units that participated in the actions. Since the park itself contains just a small percentage of the actual battlefields, I've long thought of it as a prime candidate for further preservation.

As a member of the Oklahoma Historical Society, I receive the organization’s official journal, The Chronicles of Oklahoma. Every issue includes the minutes of the Society’s quarterly meeting. Reading minutes is one of my odd pleasures, and I found the following part in the most recent issue to be quite informative:

“Consideration of projects for the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Bob Blackburn reported the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission will hold its next meeting on April 30 at Honey Springs. He asked for at least four top priority projects, supported by the board, to submit to the commission at the meeting on Saturday and suggested the following: (1) finishing the visitor’s center at Honey Springs, (2) acquiring two parcels of land at the Cabin Creek Battlefield, (3) hosting an academic conference at the History Center in 2013 on the War in the West, and (4) changing reenactment schedules, having the Honey Springs reenactment in 2011, 2013, and 2015 in September…The president of the Civil War Trust and his chief fundraising officer were at the History Center last week and reported that the Civil War Trust has an option to buy the two parcels of land at Cabin Creek for $360,000. The Civil War Trust is applying for a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Plan for half the purchase price, leaving $180,000 to be raised” (The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Fall 2011, p. 380).

Wolverines in the West

2012-01-17T16:42:00.002-06:00

Did you know that the 1^st, 5^th, and 6^th Michigan Cavalry regiments of Brigadier General George A. Custer’s brigade served in the trans-Mississippi? In the summer of 1865 most of these regiment’s companies were dispatched to the West. Below is the short history of the 1^st Michigan Cavalry from William F. Fox’s Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898). Note that the Wolverines suffered a loss of two killed at Willow Springs in the Dakota Territory.

For more information about the 1^st Michigan Cavalry, see the following:

Michigan Historical Museum: has a photograph of a flag of the 1^st Michigan Cavalry

Michigan in the Civil War: this website has a roster and a short history of the regiment

“Custer’s Brigade —Kilpatrick’s Division--Cavalry Corps, A. P.

（1) Col. Thornton F. Brodhead; Bvt. Brig.-Gen. (Killed).	（2) Col Charles H. Town.
（3) Col. Peter Stagg; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.

companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
companies.		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.	Total Enrollment.
Field and Staff		2	2	4		1	1	26
Company	A	1	20	21	2	20	22	198
	B	1	15	16		25	25	219
	C	3	10	13	1	24	25	222
	D		5	5		9	9	166
	E		12	12		18	18	201
	F	3	10	13		17	17	228
	G	1	7	8		13	13	201
	H		15	15	2	20	22	205
	I	1	11	12		25	25	183
	K	1	17	18		18	18	197
	L		16	16	1	28	29	239
	M	1	10	11		26	26	201
Totals		14	150	164	6	244	250	2,486

Total of killed and wounded, 584; died in Confederate prisons (previously included), 56.

battles.	K. & M. W.	battles.	K. & M. W.	battles.	K. & M. W.
Charlestown, Va., March 7 1862	1	Falling Waters, Md., July 14, 1863	2	Trevilian Sta'n, Va., June 12, 1864	17
Middletown, Va., March 24, 1862	1	Rapidan, Va., Sept. 14, 1863	1	Winchester, Va., Aug. 11, 1864	2
Salem, Va., April 1, 1862	1	Robertson's River, Sept. 23, 1863	1	Front Royal, Va., Aug. 16, 1864	4
Piedmont, Va., April 17, 1862	2	Brandy Station, Oct. 11, 1863	1	Shepherdstown, Va., Aug. 25, 1864	2
Winchester, Va., May 24, 1862	10	Centreville, Va., Nov. 6, 1863	1	Smithfield, Va., Aug. 29, 1864	2
Cedar Mountain, Va., Aug. 9, 1862	4	Todd’s Tavern, Va., May 6, 1864	8	Opequon, Va., Sept. 19, 1864	11
Manassas, Va., Aug. 30, 1862	15	Beaver Dam,Va., May 9, 1864	2	Cedar Creek, Va., Oct. 19, 1864	7
Brentsville, Va., Jan. 9, 1863	3	Yellow Tavern, Va., May 11, 1864	14	Picket, Va., Dec. 14, 1864	1
Fort Scott, Va., Jan. 12, 1863	1	Milford Station May 20, 1864	1	Dinwiddie, Va., March 30, 1865	3
Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863	14	Hawes's Shop, Va., May 28, 1864	6	Five Forks, Va., April 1, 1865	8
Monterey Md. July 4, 1863	4	Old Church, Va., May 30, 1864	2	Willow Springs, D. T., Aug. 12, 1865	2
Hagerstown, Md,, July 6, 1863	2	Cold Harbor, Va., June 1-6, 1864	5	Place unknown	3

Notes.--This regiment, with one exception, sustained the heaviest loss in action of any cavalry regiment in the war. It was organized at Detroit in August, 1861, and left the State on September 29, with 1,144 officers and men. It went into winter quarters at Frederick, Md., but in February, 1862, moved into Virginia, joining Banks's troops in their advance up the Shenandoah Valley. While there it was attached to Williams's Division, and took a large share of the cavalry fighting in that campaign. Colonel Brodhead fell, mortally wounded, at Manassas while leading a charge; the loss of the regiment in that battle was 8 killed, 13 wounded, and 97 captured,--many of the latter being wounded; it was then in Buford's Cavalry Brigade. In 1863 the regiment was assigned to Custer's Brigade of Michigan Cavalry. At Gettysburg the regiment lost 10 killed, 43 wounded, and 20 missing out of 300 engaged, the loss occurring in a charge against a superior force; a charge which Custer pronounced unequalled for brilliancy and gallantry in “the annals of warfare.” In the spring campaign of 1864, the losses from May 4th to June 30th were 40 killed, 138 wounded, and 65 missing; total, 243. The list of battles given above are those only in which men were killed, but the regiment participated in many others in which it lost men wounded or captured” (Fox, p. 376).

Centralia, Missouri: September 27, 1864

2012-01-11T20:36:00.002-06:00

In the last posting, I mentioned that the 39^th Missouri Infantry may have suffered more men killed and mortally wounded in a single engagement than any Union infantry unit during the war. According to records of the Adjutant General of Missouri, the unlucky 39^th lost 123 men at Centralia, Missouri, on September 27, 1864.

Organized in Hannibal, Missouri, in the late summer and early fall of 1864, the unit mostly engaged in scouting duties; some, if not all, of the companies were mounted. For a number of weeks, individual companies of the regiment were dispersed to different locations in Missouri; in January 1865 the regiment served briefly in the Nashville, Tennessee, area but then were quickly returned to Missouri. According to the sketch in Dyer’s Compendium Of The War Of The Rebellion, the 39^th “lost during service 2 Officers and 130 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 64 Enlisted men by disease. Total 196” (Dyer, vol. 2, p. 1336).

In the fall of 1864, Confederate General Sterling Price and his men embarked on a raid into Missouri. At the time of the action at Centralia, Price and his men were in the Pilot Knob area south of St. Louis. Before the raid, Price requested that various guerrilla leaders step up their activities, particularly in the area north of the Missouri River. The hope was that the guerrillas would draw Union troops away from pursuing Price’s men. As a result of Price’s call guerrilla activity spiked in August and September north of the Missouri River. The worst episode of guerrilla violence during this period occurred at Centralia, a town on the Northern Missouri Railroad about 120 miles northwest of St. Louis in Boone County.

On September 27, 1864, “Bloody” Bill Anderson, George Todd, and John Thrailkill and about 200 hundred of their men looted and burned much of Centralia. About noon the men attacked an incoming passenger train. Many of the passengers were robbed, and twenty-four unarmed Union soldiers from the train were murdered. Following this the guerrillas headed several miles out of town. Writing two days later, Colonel Edward A. Kutzner, the commander of the 39^th Missouri, reported:

“…detachments of Companies A, G, and H of this regiment, under the command of Maj. A. V. E. Johnston, left Paris, Mo., at 10 p.m. on the 26^th instant, marched during the night, and about 7 o’clock on the morning of the 27^th instant struck a trail which was supposed to be that of Anderson’s guerrillas. The major followed said trail to Centralia….The major determined at once to attack the enemy, and, sending a dispatch to Sturgeon for re-enforcements and leaving Captain Theis with thirty-three men in the town, marched with 125 of his command one mile and a half in a southeasterly direction, when, discovering the guerrillas, formed his line of battle and dismounted his men. About the time the order was executed Anderson charged with his whole force, a part of which had been concealed by a hollow in the prairie. Our forces had but time to fire one volley, when the enemy from his great superiority of numbers and arms broke through the line, completely surrounding the troops, giving no quarter and mutilating bodies. Captain Theis, hearing Major Johnston was killed and his command cut to pieces, ordered a retreat, and succeeded in saving eighteen out of the thirty-three men left in the town.

I have to deplore the loss of the brave and chivalrous Maj. A. V. E. Johnston, Capt. J. A. Smith, an officer of much merit, and the gallant soldiers who fell on this bloody field….” (Official Records, ser. I, vol. 41, pt. 1, p. 443).

Although the Official Records states that the 39^th Missouri lost 116 men killed at Centralia, the loss of life was actually higher. W. F. Switzler’s The History of Boone County Missouri (1882) had a list of the killed and mortally wounded provided by J. A. Waddell, the Adjutant General of Missouri. Switzler's book lists 123 killed and mortally wounded from the 39^th Missouri at Centralia.

The Jefferson City (Missouri) National Cemetery has a monument memorializing the dead of the 39^th Missouri Infantry; 118 of its dead from Centralia are buried in a mass grave at this national cemetery.

The Forgotten 39th Missouri Infantry

2012-01-08T16:03:00.002-06:00

While putting together a blog posting a few weeks ago about the 26^th Missouri Infantry (Union), I was startled to read “The 39^th Missouri lost 2 officers and 120 men killed in a massacre at Centralia, Mo., September 27, 1864” in William F. Fox’s Regimental Losses in The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (p. 522). What? I flipped toward the front of Fox’s book until I found the table labeled “Maximum Of Regimental Loss In Killed And Died Of Wounds In Particular Engagements.” Obviously the key phrase is particular engagements because Fox did not include the 39^th Missouri Infantry in his list. If he had, the 39^th Missouri Infantry would have ranked as the Union infantry regiment that had lost the most number of men killed or mortally wounded in a single engagement, nudging aside the 5^th New York Infantry that Fox listed as having 117 killed at the battle of Second Manassas. And, as an aside, I can’t help but notice that Fox failed to mention the 79^th U. S. Colored Infantry’s loss of 111 killed at the battle of Poison Springs in this same list. Interestingly, he did select the 79th U. S. Colored Infantry [1st Kansas Colored] as one of his 300 fighting regiments so he did know about their casualties at Poison Springs. Unfortunately, I do not know why Fox omitted these two regiments and their losses from this table, and to guess at his thinking would only be speculation. Still, I think that the 39^th Missouri Infantry is deserving of more attention. Next time: a look at what happened to the 39^th Missouri Infantry at Centralia, Missouri, on September 27, 1864.

"'Give them hell, boys'"

2012-01-06T16:31:00.004-06:00

Over the years, I have visited the Pea Ridge National Military Park many times. Whenever I visit, I make it a point to locate something I’ve never seen before on the battlefield. On my last visit in November I decided to locate the position of Captain Junius Jones’ 1^st Independent Battery, Iowa Light Artillery. Early in the afternoon of March 7, 1862, Colonel Eugene A. Carr, the commander of the 4^th Division, ordered the battery into a position east of the Wire Road about 300 yards north of Elkhorn Tavern. The Iowa artillerymen were exposed to the fire of twenty-one Confederate guns that were positioned on Broad Ridge across a deep ravine from the Iowa battery boys. Confederate gunners hammered the Iowans scoring a hit on a caisson and inflicting heavy casualties on the Union gunners. During the barrage, Carr rode up to the Iowa artillerymen and yelled “’Give them hell, boys” (p. 112). For acts such as this one, Carr was awarded the Medal of Honor. The Iowa battery lost three killed and fourteen wounded during the battle, a high toll for a small unit.

My trusty guidebook (the source of the Carr quote and listed below) instructed me to “Walk along the hiking path to the north which follows the original roadbed of WIRE ROAD, and stop about 300 yards from the tavern” (p. 110). The area is now heavily wooded, and at one point I intentionally left the Wire Road and hiked over to Middle Ravine; Confederate artillery pieces were posted on Broad Ridge at the top of this ravine. Middle Ravine is impressively deep! I walked along this ravine back toward the tavern until I found a relatively flat area about 300 yards north of the tavern; this was probably the general location of the Jones’ Battery. The photograph below certainly doesn’t seem like much, but if the trees were removed from the scene then you would be able to see Broad Ridge in the distance.

What was it like to be with the battery in the early afternoon of March 7, 1862? Captain Junius Jones reported:

“…I found Lieutenant Gambell actively engaged, the rebel guns having him in perfect range of grape, shell, and shrapnel. The fire of the rebels was galling in the extreme. Just as I delivered my second round Reese Parkhurst, acting as No. 3, was killed, a cannon-ball taking off his left leg and a piece of rock striking him in his head. I then had the prolonges fixed to fire retiring when necessary. Shortly after this event one of my caissons was exploded by a shot from the rebels, and another was lost to me by a runaway team running into the caisson team, which took fright, and they in running away capsized it down a slope, breaking the pole and otherwise disabling it. The team escaped. Two of the horses were subsequently recovered by Lieutenant David, as was by him two of my ammunition-chests and contents. By this time the rebels’ fire began to tell on my men….” (Official Records, series I, vol. 8, p. 265).

Guidebook: Hess, Earl J., Richard W. Hatcher III, William Garrett Piston, and William L. Shea. Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge & Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide with a Section on Wire Road. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.

Off the Beaten Track

2011-12-31T14:53:00.013-06:00

On Thursday the temperature was fairly mild, the wind wasn’t too strong…what better time to go on a day trip and visit the gravesite of Stand Watie!

Watie, a Cherokee Indian, was born in Georgia in 1806. In the 1830s he was one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota, in which the Cherokees agreed to cede their lands in the southeast in exchange for a new homeland in the Indian Territory. Approved by the U. S. Senate, the treaty was controversial in part because principal chief John Ross was not a signatory. Many of the signers of the treaty were eventually targeted for assassination but not all were actually attacked. However, Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot were assassinated; Stand Watie escaped the attempt on his life.

When the Civil War started, Watie cast his allegiance with the Confederacy, and eventually became the only Indian to achieve the rank of general during the war. His wartime career mostly occurred in the Indian Territory where he achieved a reputation as a rather daring raider. For example, he led a force that captured a valuable Union wagon train at 2^nd Cabin Creek in September 1864, and his men even captured a steamboat on the Arkansas River. Watie did not surrender his small force until June 1865 giving them the distinction of being the last organized group of Confederates to surrender. Watie survived the war for only six years, dying in the Indian Territory in 1871.

Watie’s gravesite is not near an interstate highway or close to any large urban centers. Perhaps he would appreciate the fact that Polson Cemetery is still in the midst of a rural area in Delaware County, Oklahoma. Tyson Foods trucks rumble along, though, on a state highway several miles to the east. Driving to the cemetery from my hometown of Pryor, Oklahoma, involved traveling on state highway 20 to the Arkansas state line, then heading north on state highway 43 to the town of Southwest, Missouri, and then west into Oklahoma about three miles. Googling “Polson Cemetery” will yield an accurate and helpful map.

Two photographs of Watie’s gravesite:

And, close to Watie's final resting place are markers for John Ridge and Major Ridge, assassinated signers of the Treaty of New Echota:

Wire Road

2011-12-26T10:56:00.003-06:00

Unlike the Eastern and Western Theaters, the trans-Mississippi only had a rudimentary transportation network. This lack made it much more difficult for armies to maneuver and helps to explain why armies in the trans-Mississippi were smaller than their counterparts further east. With such a limited transportation network, authorities on both sides found it much more difficult to supply a large army.

Wire Road (also known as Telegraph Road) was one of the most significant byways in the trans-Mississippi. Constructed in 1838 by the federal government, the road stretched from Springfield, Missouri, to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Part of the road eventually became part of the Trail of Tears, and it became one segment of the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Since it was such an important road, it is not surprising that major campaigns occurred near it. In fact, three major battles of the trans-Mississippi occurred either directly on or near Wire Road. These were the battles of Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove.

Wire Road runs through the Pea Ridge National Military Park with the best section near Elkhorn Tavern. Here is a photograph depicting the Wire Road about 200 feet northeast of the Tavern.

You can almost hear a Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach rolling along or the sounds of soldiers marching down the road. Do you have an interest in retracing the route of Wire Road? If so, consult the following guidebook:

Hess, Earl J., Richard W. Hatcher III, William Garrett Piston, and William L. Shea. Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge & Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide with a Section on Wire Road. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.

In the spirit of disclosure, the guidebook was also used to provide the background about Wire Road. And, if you have an interest in learning more about the logistical challenges of campaigning in Arkansas and Missouri then the following article will be of interest to you:

Piston, William Garrett. "Struggle for the Trans-Mississippi." North & South. Vol. 11, No. 5. 14-21, 67.

Elkhorn Tavern

2011-12-20T19:04:00.004-06:00

Situated near the intersection of the Huntsville Road and Wire Road, Elkhorn Tavern is one of my favorite places at the Pea Ridge National Military Park. Every time I visit the park, I have to take a photograph of Elkhorn Tavern. Why I feel compelled to do this is anyone’s guess but maybe it speaks to the photogenic nature of the old tavern. Actually, the structure that stood during the battle burned in 1863, but Mr. Joseph Cox rebuilt the tavern in the 1880s closely modeling it after the wartime structure. The current tavern is a reconstruction of the 1880s era building.

Soldiers in Colonel Henry Little’s Missouri Brigade saw this view of the tavern while advancing along the Wire Road.

The tavern as viewed from the Huntsville Road:

And one final photograph of the old tavern. Note the set of antlers on top of the building. Union Colonel Eugene Carr took the original antlers as a souvenir, but returned them when the tavern was rebuilt in the 1880s. At some point, the antlers again were liberated or loaned out and their current home is uncertain.

The 26th Missouri Volunteer Infantry: One of the 300 Fighting Regiments

2011-12-17T19:25:00.005-06:00

It’s about time that I get back to posting items on my blog! The end of the semester, followed by my Christmas preparations, have filled my days over the last two weeks. This afternoon I attended an interesting event at a friend’s house: I joined in with about twenty-two other people for the singing of the entire Messiah! My contribution was minimal, but nevertheless it was fun to be with friends for a cultural event.

Several weeks have gone by since I last highlighted one of the 300 fighting Union regiments from William F. Fox’s Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898). All of the regiments that I have featured served at some point in the trans-Mississippi, and many of these, like the regiment spotlighted today, were small units. The 26^th Missouri Infantry saw some action in their native state and then engaged in campaigns in Mississippi (most notably the Vicksburg campaign) before heading east to Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

The 26^th Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment website created by Greg A. Wall has lots of helpful information including rosters, biographical sketches, statistics, regimental losses, and even Recollections of the 26^th Missouri Infantry by Benjamin Devor Dean (1892).

“Boomer’s Brigade —Quinby's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

（1) Col. George B. Boomer (Killed).

（2) Col. Benjamin D. Dean

Losses.	Officers.	En. Men.	Total.
Killed and mortally wounded	6	112	118
Died of disease, accidents, etc.	2	171	173
Died in Confederate prisons		12	12

Totals	8	295	303

Original enrollment, 972; killed, 118; percentage, 12.1.

Battles.	Killed.	Wounded.¹	Missing.²	Total.
Iuka, Miss.	21	75	1	97
Guerillas, Miss.	1		1	2
Corinth, Miss.	1	2		3
Jackson, Miss.		1		1
Champion's Hill, Miss.	18	69		87
Assault on Vicksburg, May 19th	2			2
Assault on Vicksburg, May 22d	5	5		10
Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.	2	10		12
Missionary Ridge, Tenn.	15	34	4	53
Sherman’s March, Ga.	1		1	2
The Carolinas	1	2		3

Totals	67	198	7	272

Present, also, at New Madrid, Mo.; Island No. 10, Mo.; Tiptonville, Mo.; Farmington, Miss.; Siege of Corinth, Miss.; Raymond, Miss.; Siege of Jackson, Miss.; Lookout Mountain, Tenn.; Savannah, Ga.; Salkahatchie, S. C.; Neuse River, N. C.

Notes.--Recruited in the fall of 1861. In March, 1862, it joined Pope’s expedition against New Madrid, Mo., and participated in the investment and capture of Island Number 10. Its division — Hamilton’s — then moved to Corinth, where it joined the besieging army, arriving there April 22, 1862. Although the regiment was under fire at New Madrid, and also during the Siege of Corinth, yet it sustained little or no loss. But at Iuka it was hotly engaged, its skirmishers opening that battle; the whole regiment was soon under a severe fire, in which Colonel Boomer was seriously wounded. Two weeks later, under Lieutenant-Colonel Homan, it was engaged at the battle of Corinth; it was then in Buford’s (1st) Brigade, Hamilton’s (3d) Division, Army of the Mississippi.

During the Vicksburg campaign it was in Boomer's (3d) Brigade, Crocker’s Division, Seventeenth Corps. At Champion's Hill the regiment encountered some more hard fighting and heavy losses, Major Charles F. Brown being among the killed. Colonel Boomer was killed in the assault on Vicksburg --May 22d--while in command of the brigade. In October, 1863, the division under command of General John E. Smith --now the Third Division, Fifteenth Corps—left Memphis and moved to Chattanooga, where it fought in the battle of Missionary Ridge. This division did not move with Sherman on the Atlanta campaign, but garrisoned Allatoona, Kingston, Ga., and other points on that line. The regiment was mustered out in November, 1864, the recruits having been consolidated into a battalion of three companies, which marched with Sherman to the Sea, and through the Carolinas.

1 Includes the mortally wounded.

2 Includes the captured” (Fox, p. 416).

Pea Ridge Monuments

2011-12-04T18:42:00.005-06:00

Situated near Elkhorn Tavern are two monuments; they are the only monuments at the Pea Ridge National Military Park. This is quite a contrast to the Gettysburg battlefield with its hundreds of granite monuments and vast arrays of metal tablets, markers, etc. Although I enjoyed examining the Gettysburg monuments, they almost make the battlefield seem like an odd sort of monument museum. By contrast, the National Park Service’s administered trans-Mississippi battlefields are nearly monument-less. I guess it is a matter of taste, but I like the less cluttered look of these battlefield parks in the trans-Mississippi.

Both of the Pea Ridge monuments are simply designed. In 1887, a marble obelisk was erected in memory of the Confederate dead.

Three sides are devoted to three prominent Confederates who were killed or mortally wounded at Pea Ridge: Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch, Brigadier General James M. McIntosh, and Colonel William Y. Slack.

The following grim poem is carved on the fourth side:

“O give me the land with a grave in each spot,

And names in the graves that shall not be forgot.

Yes, give me the land of the wreck and the tomb;

There’s a grandeur in graves, there’s a glory in doom.”

Union and Confederate veterans dedicated the second monument in 1889.

The Civil War in Indian Territory

2011-11-28T16:39:00.003-06:00

Recently, Drew Wagenhoffer mentioned on his blog that the next issue of Blue & Gray Magazine would feature the war in the Indian Territory. Today, I received the issue in the mail, and it looks like a winner! The author is Michael J. Manning, and the issue's introduction states that he "is currently Chief Ranger at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee. He resided in Oklahoma for a long time and attended college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah...his first job in the history field was working as an interpreter at Fort Gibson Historic Site near Muskogee."

The issue has the classic Blue & Gray treatment with lots of maps, photographs, and "The General's Tour" of significant sites. Pleasingly, this is part one of the magazine's coverage of the war in the Indian Territory. Part two will be published "near the end of the sesquicentennial period." This issue covers April 1861 to September 1, 1863. The actions discussed in this issue are Chusto-Talasah, Chustenahlah, Bayou Manard, Old Fort Wayne, 1st Cabin Creek, Honey Springs, and Devil's Backbone. Enjoy!

An Aside

2011-11-24T11:16:00.001-06:00

Recently I took down from my bookshelf a classic novel that I had not read in many years. Although many believe it depicts the actions of the 124^th New York Infantry at Chancellorsville, The Red Badge of Courage is written in such a way that it could be about the experience of any common soldier in any large-scale battle of the war. Stephen Crane, I think, captured the emotions and experiences of Civil War soldiers in an insightful way. If you’ve never read the novel or have not read it in a long time, then I encourage you to pick up a copy. It’s a short novel, and it might make a nice break from watching football and visiting (arguing?) with family members about politics.

In the spirit of rereading old favorites, I am also enjoying John Keegan’s, The Face of Battle. The heart of the book are his depictions of three battles (Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme) from the perspective of ordinary soldiers. There are many thought provoking comments in this book, and you will get a true sense of being with the soldiers in the ranks after reading this book.

A Cold and Difficult March

2011-11-21T18:52:00.001-06:00

Regular readers know that on occasion I highlight notable marches made by soldiers in the trans-Mississippi. While perusing Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West by William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess recently, I came across another example of a long march in a relatively short time.

In February 1862, Major General Sterling Price, well aware of a Union advance on Springfield, Missouri, decided to retreat from that area. He and his Missouri soldiers marched south on Telegraph Road and retreated toward Arkansas. At first, Union forces under Brigadier General Franz Sigel made only modest efforts to speed Price’s force on their way, but on 16 February Sigel started pressing the enemy.

Here is a brief passage from Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West that describes the ensuing march:

“The rebels hurried over the fifty miles from Crane Creek in Missouri to Little Sugar Creek in Arkansas in less than thirty-six hours. Weather, fatigue, hunger, and demoralization took a severe toll. Everyone became ‘foot sore and tired from marching over the hard and frozen ground.’ Exhaustion was a critical problem because the Missourians had not had a full night of sleep since February 11 in Springfield. Whenever the column halted for a few moments, men in the ranks dozed while leaning against one another. Soldiers even fell asleep while marching” (p. 34). Union troops also marched quickly, but they “had rested well in Springfield on February 13 and had the psychological advantage of knowing that the enemy was on the run” (p. 34-35).

Baptism of Fire at Pea Ridge: The 9th Iowa Infantry

2011-11-12T17:31:00.003-06:00

Since my previous posting was about the battle of Pea Ridge, I decided to feature next a regiment that experienced combat at that battle. The 9^th Iowa Infantry, one of William F. Fox’s “300 Fighting Regiments,” had the unfortunate distinction of suffering higher casualties than any regiment at Pea Ridge. This gallant unit went on to serve with distinction in the Vicksburg campaign, the Atlanta campaign, and the March to the Sea. Fox’s sketch of the unit from Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898) is included below.

For more information about these Hawkeyes see the following:

Iowa in the Civil War: includes a history of the regiment and a partial roster

University of Iowa Libraries: a digitized copy of John C. Brown’s diary is available

“Thayer's Brigade —Steele's Division--Fifteenth Corps.

（1) Col. William Vandever; Bvt. Major-Gen.

（2) Col. Frank J. Herron; Major-Gen.

（3) Col. David Carskaddon.

companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
companies.		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.	Total Enrollment.
Field and Staff					2		2	16
Company	A	3	13	16		20	20	122
	B	1	11	12		18	18	118
	C	2	14	16		27	27	118
	D		15	15		32	32	130
	E	2	14	16		26	26	123
	F	1	9	10		31	31	133
	G	2	16	18		19	19	112
	H	1	19	20		16	16	124
	I		17	17		16	16	120
	K		14	14		25	25	113
Totals		12	142	154	2	230	232	1,229

154 killed == 12.5 per cent.

Total of killed and wounded, 571.

Battles.	K. & M. W.	Battles.	K. & M. W.
Pea Ridge, Ark.	74	Rocky Face Ridge, Ga.	1
Chickasaw Bluffs, Miss.	1	Resaca, Ga.	4
Arkansas Post, Ark.	1	Dallas, Ga.	6
Brandon Station, Miss.	1	Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.	5
Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.	13	Atlanta, Ga.	5
Assault on Vicksburg	29	Jonesboro, Ga.	2
Missionary Ridge, Tenn.	5	Bentonville, N. C.	2
Ringgold, Ga.	2	Place unknown	1
Claysville, Ga.	2

Present, also, at Sugar Creek; Jackson; Cherokee Station; Tuscumbia; Chattahoochie,; Lovejoy's Station; Griswoldville; Macon; Eden Station; Congaree Creek; Columbia.

Notes.--Mustered in at Dubuque, September 24, 1861, it left the State on the 26th, 1,007 strong, and proceeded to Benton Barracks, St. Louis. Four months of active service were passed in Missouri, and then it joined Curtis's Army of the Southwest, having been assigned to Vandever's Brigade, Carr's Division. It fought at Pea Ridge, withstanding a severe attack and sustaining the heaviest loss of any regiment on that field, its casualties amounting to 38 killed, 176 wounded, and 4 missing,--a total of 218 out of 560 engaged. The regiment arrived at Helena, Ark., in July, 1862, remaining there five months and then embarking in December, 1862, for Chickasaw Bayou, where it was under fire. The spring of 1863 was passed in camp at Young’s Point, on the Mississippi, where its ranks were sadly depleted by disease. The Ninth was actively engaged at the Siege of Vicksburg, losing there 121 killed or wounded. In the assault on Vicksburg, May 19th, it lost 4 killed and 12 wounded; in the assault of May 22d, it lost 18 killed and 60 wounded. In January, 1864, 287 men reenlisted, received the customary furlough of one month, and returned accompanied by 125 recruits. The Ninth served during the Atlanta campaign in Osterhaus's (1st) Division, Fifteenth Corps, losing in that campaign,--from May 1st to September 1st,--14 killed, 70 wounded, and 6 missing. While on the March to the Sea, it was in Stone's Iowa Brigade, C. R. Wood's (1st) Division, Fifteenth Corps” (Fox, p. 408)

A Quick Photographic Tour of the Battle of Leetown

2011-11-06T16:08:00.014-06:00

When I woke up yesterday, I checked the weather forecast and then decided to drive to the Pea Ridge National Military Park for the day. Before I reached the battlefield, I made a detour to Fayetteville to eat at a great restaurant: The Catfish Hole. Regrettably, I skipped the Dickson Street Bookstore—the University of Arkansas Razorbacks were hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks later in the day, and I feared that the traffic would be bad. After fortifying myself for a battlefield visit by eating catfish and hush puppies, I drove to the Pea Ridge battlefield. It had been quite some time since I last visited, and I noticed that the displays have been almost completely revamped in the visitor center; also workers have constructed several new fences on the battlefield. One major upgrade over the past few years has been the installation of new interpretive signage; these new signs, illustrated by artist Andy Thomas, are a significant improvement over the old signs.

My companion for this tour was Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge & Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide with a Section on Wire Road (2006) by Earl J. Hess, Richard W. Hatcher III, William Garrett Piston, and William L. Shea. This guidebook has served me well on visits to Wilson’s Creek and Prairie Grove; it is well organized with clear maps. In case you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (1992) by William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess. This is an outstanding campaign history!

The battle of Pea Ridge was basically a two-part fight with action occurring near Leetown on March 7, 1862 as well as fighting near Elkhorn Tavern on March 7^th and 8^th. What follows are a handful of photographs of the Leetown battlefield with brief commentary.

This first photograph looks west along a fence bordering the south edge of Oberson’s Field. The view depicts the area occupied by the 22^nd Indiana Infantry until they moved toward Morgan’s Woods.

Next a view looking north from the position of Captain Martin Welfley’s Independent Missouri Battery (Union). The 2^nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles were positioned in the treeline in the distance. Skirmishers from the 36^th Illinois Infantry killed Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch along the treeline shown on the far left of this photograph; Brigadier General James M. McIntosh met his demise along the treeline at about the 11:00 position in the photograph.

A view of Morgan’s Woods where the 3^rd Louisiana Infantry and the 4^th, 14^th, and 15^th Arkansas Infantry clashed with the 18^th Indiana, the 22^nd Indiana, the 37^th Illinois, and the 59^th Illinois. Fighting was difficult in such a tangled wood.

The cannons mark the position of Captain Peter Davidson's Peoria Battery (Battery A, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery). Parts of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry and the 4th Arkansas Infantry emerged from their fight in Morgan's Woods and charged toward this battery. A part of the 37th Illinois Infantry provided support with Captain William P. Black earning a Medal of Honor by firing a Colt revolving rifle at the advancing Confederates until he fell wounded. Captain John M. Simpson of the 4th Arkansas Infantry leaped on top of one of the cannon and then was mortally wounded as Confederates captured two of the guns.

The cannon marks the position of Captain John J. Good’s Texas Battery. Oberson’s Field is over the treeline. Before Good’s battery took position, a brief clash took place nearby at Foster’s Farm. The events there were perhaps the most controversial of the battle with allegations that Cherokee Indians had scalped Union soldiers.

Honey Springs National Battlefield Park?

2011-11-05T19:55:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, I trekked to the Honey Springs Battlefield, a 1,200 acre site near Checotah maintained by the Oklahoma Historical Society. If you’re ever in that area, I highly recommend a visit to this gem; there are six walking trails and many interpretive signs. The only downside is that a handful of the signs were damaged making them difficult to read.

Occurring on July 17, 1863, the battle was the largest that occurred in the Indian Territory. Not only was the battle a significant Union victory, but the units involved were unusual. The 1^st Kansas Colored Infantry, the first African-American unit to see combat during the war, were heavily involved and several Indian units engaged in fighting there as well. There were also units from Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin that saw action during the battle.

It has long been a dream of the Oklahoma Historical Society that the battlefield become a unit of the National Park Service, and this week a federal report at least opened the “possibility the state’s Honey Springs Civil War site could be designated a national battlefield park” according to an article in today’s Tulsa World. This is an exciting piece of news, and I hope that Honey Springs is designated as a national battlefield.

To see photographs of the battlefield as well as additional links go to the Civil War Album.