After Cpt. Clark's death at
Elkhorn Tavern, Captains William Clark Kennerly,
Houston King, and
James L. Farris commanded the battery. On March 17, 1862, the 1st Division of Gen. Price's Army of the West was reorganized, temporarily assigning Clark's battery to the Third Missouri Brigade under
Brig. Gen. Alexander E. Steen. The battery, in April 1862, accompanied the Army of the West across the Mississippi River to
Memphis, Tennessee. While in Memphis,
First Lieutenant Houston King was elected captain on April 26, 1862, and the battery was afterwards known as "King's Battery". In May, the Army of the West was transferred to
Corinth, Mississippi on the state line with Tennessee where the battery mostly served on
outpost duty. With Cpt. Houston King assuming command of the battery, he led it through the various campaigns in areas east of the river, including
Corinth and
Iuka. King's battery engaged with Union forces at the
Battle of Iuka on September 19, 1862.
Battle of Corinth On September 28, Van Dorn's
Army of West Tennessee was formed from elements of the Army of the West including the light artillery battery. The battery participated with the cavalry in the
Battle of Corinth with minimal engagement, and subsequently aided in covering the Confederate retreat in October 1862. Following their defeat in Corinth, the men evaded capture by a detachment of Ulysses S. Grant's
Army of the Tennessee at the
Battle of Hatchie's Bridge. Van Dorn's Army of West Tennessee and Price's Corps were merged on December 9, 1862, forming the
Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, known as the
Army of Mississippi under the leadership of Lt. Gen.
John C. Pemberton. Following its initial service in the
Army of the West, Jackson's cavalry division was assigned to Maj. Gen.
Earl Van Dorn's
cavalry corps. Ordered to report to Gen. Van Dorn at
Okolona, Mississippi, the battery received two
12-pounder howitzers and two captured
3-inch ordnance rifles. With eight horses drawing each
field carriage, the mounted cannoneers were trained to move in coordination with the cavalry.
Battle of Thompson's Station After being reassigned to the
Army of Tennessee, the battery began frequently fighting in
Middle Tennessee between
Franklin and
Columbia. King's battery engaged in combat at the
Battle of Thompson's Station close to
Spring Hill in March 1863. By March 5, Cpt. King had positioned four field guns as a defensive line facing the depot, south of
Thompson's Station. The battery repulsed two charges of the Union Army. Under enemy fire, the Confederate artillery, bolstered by Van Dorn's main force, forced Col.
John Coburn's infantry brigade to retreat, resulting in a Confederate victory. Two days after the murder of Van Dorn on May 7, 1863, the Missouri battery was assigned to the brigade of newly promoted Brig. Gen.
John W. Whitfield under the cavalry corps of Lt. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest. Whitfield's brigade was one of three within Brig. Gen.
William Hicks Jackson's cavalry division under Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston, the commander of the Army of Relief. After Pemberton's surrender on July 4, 1863, Johnston's Confederate forces fell back toward Jackson and engaged the enemy until leaving for
Enterprise on the 16th of the month. By February 1864, Cosby's brigade was reassigned to the
Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia, but the battery remained in the
Army of Mississippi.
Battle of Yazoo City The section rejoined Clark's Missouri Battery, led by Cpt. Houston King, who remained with the Texas Cavalry Brigade once commanded by Whitfield and now under Brig. Gen.
Sul Ross. The brigade was composed of the
3rd Texas,
6th Texas,
9th Texas,
27th Texas Cavalry regiments, and the 2nd Missouri Light Artillery Battery. Together with Brig. Gen.
Robert V. Richardson's brigade, they battled Union forces along the
Yazoo River in February and fought in the
Battle of Yazoo City on March 5, 1864. After intense combat between Col.
James Henry Coates' forces and the
Texas and Tennessee Brigades, the Confederates defeated Col. Coates.
Atlanta Campaign During the
Atlanta campaign, the horse artillery battery, supported "Sul" Ross and other cavalry brigades under Brig. Gen. William H. Jackson's cavalry division assigned to Lt. Gen.
Leonidas Polk's
Army of Mississippi. Engaging in skirmishes throughout the summer of 1864, they faced the Union cavalry of
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick in August, which was targeting
Macon and Western Railroad.
Battle of Meridan After its involvement in the Atlanta Campaign, the unit was dismounted and transferred to
Meridian, Mississippi to oppose Union Maj. Gen.
William Tecumseh Sherman's
Meridian campaign in May 1864. During Sherman's march to the city of Meridian, Cpt. King operated on Sherman's
flank and rear until retreating on May 17, 1864, when the Army of Mississippi reunited with the
Army of Tennessee near
Adairsville, Georgia. On June 10, 1864, an artillery battalion composed of the Missouri battery, Croft's Georgia Battery and Waties' South Carolina Battery served in the Cavalry division of the
Third Corps, Army of Tennessee, formerly known as the Army of Mississippi under Lt. Gen. Polk. Following Polk's death on June 14, 1864, the leadership was transferred multiple times.
William Loring first assumed temporary command of the Third Corps then
Alexander P. Stewart. Jackson's cavalry division was soon reassigned under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee by June 30, 1864. On July 10, the battery formed one section of Waties' Artillery Battalion with Croft's and Waties' batteries under the Third Corps of Stewart. Gen. Johnston was replaced by John B. Hood on July 9, 1864. On July 31, 1864, King's Missouri battery was placed under command of Col.
Robert Franklin Beckham's horse artillery in Jackson's Cavalry Division of Maj. Gen.
Wheeler's Cavalry Corps in Gen. Hood's Army of Tennessee, where it remained until the end of August. By September, they accompanied Hood's Army of Tennessee, launching the
Franklin–Nashville campaign back into central Tennessee. Hood ordered the corps of Lt. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest to replace the cavalry corps of
Joseph Wheeler. After Forrest united with the Confederate Army of Tennessee on November 18, 1864, William H. Jackson's cavalry division was integrated into
Forrest's Cavalry Corps along with the horse artillery battalion. ==Farris' Battery==