1861–1862 On 29 September 1861, Battery E left St Louis and marched to
Jefferson City. Later, the battery was attached to the
Department of the West and took part in
Major General John C. Frémont's advance to
Springfield, Missouri. The cavalry vanguard dispersed a Confederate force in the
action at Springfield on 25 October 1861, while Frémont's main army arrived two days later. Soon after, Major General
David Hunter assumed command of the army. On November 7, Hunter ordered a retreat in three columns, including one under
Brigadier General John Pope to
Sedalia. Battery E marched to Sedalia on 28 November. Later, Battery E moved first to
Otterville and then to
Lexington, Missouri where it remained on duty from 11 February to 3 June 1862. The battery participated in operations near
Waverly on 25–28 May. It was assigned to the District of Central Missouri,
Department of the Missouri from January to June 1862. Battery E was on duty at Sedalia from 3 June to 29 July 1862. The unit marched to
Rolla, Missouri on 29 July and returned to Sedalia on 18 August. The unit marched to Springfield from 29 August to 4 September. It was assigned to the District of Southwest Missouri from June to October 1862, when it was transferred to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, within the
Army of the Frontier.
Prairie Grove On 12 October 1862, the department commander Major General
Samuel Ryan Curtis formed three divisions into the Army of the Frontier with Brigadier General
John M. Schofield as its commander. Schofield's army entered northwest Arkansas on 17–18 October. On 28 October, Schofield with the 2nd and 3rd Divisions skirmished with Major General
Thomas C. Hindman's Confederate forces. Hindman withdrew from the area the next day. On 4 November, Schofield withdrew the 2nd and 3rd Divisions from northwest Arkansas and pulled back to Springfield. On 20 November, Schofield reported sick and turned over command to Brigadier General
James G. Blunt. On 3 December, Hindman launched an offensive designed to crush Blunt's isolated 1st Division. However, Blunt's intelligence service alerted him at once and he called for reinforcements. Between 3 and 7 December, the 2nd and 3rd Divisions under Brigadier General
Francis J. Herron made a remarkable
forced march to Blunt's assistance, covering respectively. During the
Battle of Prairie Grove, Battery E under Lieutenant Foust was attached to
Colonel William W. Orme's 2nd Brigade in Herron's 3rd Division. The other units in the 2nd Brigade were the
19th Iowa and
94th Illinois Infantry Regiments, and the
8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment. At 10:00 am on 7 December 1862, Herron found his two divisions blocked by Hindman's army on the Prairie Grove hill. He detached Lieutenant Edward's 2-gun section of Battery E and sent it forward with the purpose of getting the Confederate artillery to reveal its positions. After a 10-minute exchange of fire with two opposing batteries, Herron withdrew Edward's section. At 1:30 pm
Battery F, 1st Missouri Light Artillery opened fire on the Confederate positions. Under Battery F's covering fire, Herron sent the rest of his 20 guns into action, including Battery E and
Battery L, 1st Missouri Light Artillery. Battery E galloped forward, then swerved to the left to unlimber on a knoll to the east of the Fayetteville Road. Foust's gunners deployed four
10-pounder Parrott rifles and two
3-inch Ordnance rifles. Confederate counterbattery fire caused few Union casualties, though a near-miss
round shot knocked Orme off his horse. Battery E's mascot, a dog named "Old Bull", chased Confederate projectiles during the cannonade. By 2:00 pm the Confederate guns fell silent and Herron's guns pounded their adversary's positions for the next 30 minutes. Foust's battery was "particularly effective" because it obtained enfilade fire on the Confederate lines from its forward position. After the Confederates repulsed the Union 3rd Division's attack, they counterattacked and were stopped by the rallied Union infantry and fire from Batteries E and L and two Illinois guns. Foust reported that he "forced them back with
canister". Herron complimented his gunners, "Never was there more real courage and pluck displayed, and more downright hard fighting done". When the Confederates drove back the 2nd Division's attack, they counterattacked again and the result was the same. The rallied Union foot soldiers and the gunners drove back their opponents with heavy fire. Afterward, Foust withdrew Battery E from the knoll and redeployed next to Battery L. The battery left behind eight dead horses and one caisson; there were 11 horses wounded. Battery E participated in the expedition over the
Boston Mountains to
Van Buren on 27–29 December 1862. During this operation, the Union artillery bombarded the south bank of the
Arkansas River. At Van Buren, the Federals burned five steamboats and tons of supplies needed by the Confederate army. In the 31 December 1862 summary statement, Battery E reported having four 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 3.5-inch "English Guns". Frémont ordered the 3.5-inch guns early in the war. They were
Blakely rifles manufactured by Fawcett & Preston in
Liverpool. Battery E reported having the following 10-pounder ammunition: 420 Parrott
common shell, 133 Schenkl common shell, and 131 Parrott canister shot. It also reported having 85
Army revolvers and 53
cavalry sabers.
1863–1864 Battery E marched to Springfield, reaching there 15 February 1863. It remained on duty at Springfield and Rolla until April when it took part in operations against Brigadier General
John S. Marmaduke's Confederate cavalry from 17 April to 2 May. The battery fought at the
Battle of Cape Girardeau on 26 April. The Federal troops led by Brigadier General
John McNeil drove off Marmaduke's attack. The defenders included
Welfley's Missouri Battery and another battery from the
2nd Missouri Light Artillery Regiment, plus reinforcements of two cannons from a third battery. While pursuing Marmaduke, Battery E took part in skirmishes at the
Castor River on 29 April,
Bloomfield on 30 April, and at
Chalk Bluff on 1 May. The battery moved to St Louis on 9 May. At some time in the early spring, Captain Cole resumed command of Battery E and the unit temporarily added a third 3.5-inch Blakely rifle. On 4–16 June 1863, Battery E moved from St Louis to take part in the
Siege of Vicksburg. At this time, Herron's division was re-assigned to
XIII Corps which was led by
John A. McClernand. During the Vicksburg siege, Battery E under Captain Cole was part of Brigadier General
William Vandever's 1st Brigade, Herron's division, Major General
James B. McPherson's
XVII Corps,
Army of the Tennessee according to
Battles and Leaders. The siege was successfully concluded on 4 July. Battery E participated in the expedition to
Yazoo City on 12–22 July. The unit moved to
Port Hudson, Louisiana on 24 July and
Carrollton on 16 August. After the Vicksburg siege, Battery E was part of the 2nd Division, XIII Corps. At Vicksburg, the battery reported having four 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two "Fawcett Rifled Iron Gun, Cal. 3.5" (i.e., Blakely rifles). In August 1863, Battery E transferred to the
Department of the Gulf. Batteries B, E, and F, 1st Missouri Light Artillery were assigned to Herron's 2nd Division, Major General
Cadwallader C. Washburn's XIII Corps. Battery E took part in the expedition to
Morganza on 5–12 September. There were skirmishes at the
Atchafalaya River on 9–10 September and Sterling's Plantation on 12 September. The
Battle of Stirling's Plantation occurred on 29 September. In this action, a Confederate force led by
Tom Green attacked and overwhelmed a Federal detachment, inflicting 515 casualties. Part of Battery E fought at Stirling's Plantation and suffered the following losses in enlisted men: three killed, three wounded, and 12 missing. The battery traveled to
New Orleans on 11 October. Major General
Napoleon J.T. Dana commanded the 2nd Division from 28 September 1863 to 3 January 1864. At the end of 1863, Captain Atwater was in command and Battery E reported from
Brownsville, Texas that it was armed with two 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 3.5-inch Whitworth rifled guns. All earlier reports called the latter weapons "Fawcett" or "English" guns. Battery E participated in the expedition to the
Rio Grande from 27 October to 2 December 1863. On 6 November, the
13th Maine and
94th Illinois Infantry Regiments plus a Missouri battery
occupied Brownsville. A total of 6,998 Union troops took part in the effort. The expedition's goals were to raise the U.S. flag in
Texas, to cut off the cotton trade with
Mexico, to damage the Texas economy, and to serve warning to the
French occupation force in Mexico. On 16 November, 1,100 Federal troops
seized Mustang Island and captured 98 Confederate soldiers and three heavy cannons. Soon after, the Union forces marched north on
San José Island and crossed to
Matagorda Island. At the
Battle of Fort Esperanza, a battery of 1st Missouri Light Artillery bombarded the fort, which guarded the
Pass Cavallo inlet. The fort was abandoned by the Confederate garrison on 29–30 November. Battery E performed garrison duty at Ducrow's Point and Brownsville before being mustered out in June 1864.
Reorganization On 14 September 1864, Segebarth's Battery C Pennsylvania Artillery, Mississippi Marine Brigade was renamed Battery E, 1st Missouri Light Artillery. The new Battery E was attached to the artillery post of the District of Vicksburg until November. After that it served as garrison at both Vicksburg and
Natchez. The new Battery E was mustered out of service on 1 January 1865. The officers were Captain Edmund H. Nichols, First Lieutenant Robert L. Crouch, and Second Lieutenants Hugh J. Randolph and Andrew J. Gibson. ==See also==