Monday, January 13, 2014

Veterans of Trans-Mississippi Actions at Chickamauga


Recently, I’ve been reading a history of the Chickamauga campaign, and while perusing the Order of Battle I noticed some familiar regiments. As far as I can determine, there were fourteen units that fought at the battle of Chickamauga that had campaigned earlier in the trans-Mississippi. Here is the list of units:

Union units:

1st Illinois Light Artillery, Battery C (New Madrid, Missouri)
21st Illinois (Campaigning in southeastern Missouri, fall 1861-early 1862)
22nd Illinois (Belmont)
25th Illinois (Pea Ridge)
27th Illinois (Belmont)
35th Illinois (Pea Ridge)
36th Illinois (Pea Ridge)
42nd Illinois (Fremont's Missouri campaign-1861)
44th Illinois (Pea Ridge)
51st Illinois (New Madrid, Missouri)
59th Illinois (Pea Ridge)

22nd Indiana Infantry (Pea Ridge)

2nd Missouri Infantry (Pea Ridge)
15th Missouri Infantry (Pea Ridge)
1st Missouri Light Artillery, Battery G (Fremont's Missouri Campaign-1861)

Confederate units:

1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge)
2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge)
5th-13th Arkansas Infantry (Belmont)

Bledsoe’s Missouri Battery (Carthage, Wilson’s Creek, Dry Wood, Lexington, Pea Ridge)

6th-10th-15th Texas (Arkansas Post)
17th-18th-24th-25th Texas Cavalry (dismounted) (Arkansas Post)
Good-Douglas Texas Battery (Pea Ridge)

A further comment…I hope that there is a scholar working on a book about Arkansas units similar to those written by Art Bergeron, James L. McGhee, Ralph Wooster about Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas troops respectively. Arkansas troops are well deserving of such a reference source.

6 comments:

  1. A book on Arkansas units is something I'm highly interested in pursuing someday. Unfortunately I'm a lowly graduate student, so it will be a while.

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    1. I definitely remember my days of being a "lowly" (and poor) graduate student. For what ever reason, I have some nostalgia about that time. Keep those Arkansas units in mind because some day you'll be done (!) with graduate school.

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  2. I would also include the 22nd Indiana (Pea Ridge) who, along with the 59th Illinois and the rest of Sidney Post's brigade, were lightly engaged at Chickamauga. They were guarding supply trains and missed the major action at Chickamauga. There are likely others who campaigned in the TM but maybe didn't fight at Pea Ridge or any of the other early battles. For example, Battery G, 1st Missouri Light Artillery was on Fremont's campaign in the fall of 61 and was also engaged at Chickamauga.

    Great idea for this list!

    Andy Papen

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    1. Thanks for your comments about the 22nd Indiana and Battery G of the 1st Missouri Light Artillery. I've added them to the list!

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  3. I thought of a few more. All four Illinois regiments in Luther Bradley's brigade at Chickamauga saw service in Missouri: the 22nd and 27th at Belmont, the 42nd with Fremont, and the 51st at New Madrid. Finally, the 21st Illinois of Carlin's brigade at Chickamauga also saw service under Grant in southeast Missouri. The list just keeps getting longer doesn't it????

    Andy Papen

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  4. I had no idea when I did the posting that the list would become so long--rather impressive isn't it? Thanks for being so observant.

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