Organization and the Camden Expedition The origins of Harris's Battery date to early 1864, when the 13th Missouri Light Battery underwent a reorganization that may not have been officially sanctioned.
Captain Daniel B. Griswold was replaced as commander of the battery by Captain Samuel Stanhope Harris when the battery was reorganized; the reasons for the change in command are unknown.
General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the department in which the battery served, questioned the change in command and reorganization, but Harris retained command of the battery. After the reorganization, the battery served in the brigade of
Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke and was armed with four
6-pounder smoothbore cannons. When
Major General Frederick Steele of the
Union Army began the
Camden Expedition in the spring of 1864 to support the
Red River Campaign, Harris's Battery was part of the Confederate force sent to confront Steele. On April 10, during the
Battle of Prairie D'Ane, Harris's Battery, along with
Collins' Missouri Battery, participated in an artillery duel with three Union batteries: the
Springfield Illinois Light Artillery,
Battery E, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery, and
Voegele's Wisconsin Battery. The firefight began around 5:00 p.m. and continued until after sunset. The Confederate artillery fire was not very effective, as the Confederate cannons were of "old and inferior pattern" according to historian Michael J. Forsyth. On April 15, the battery was involved in a skirmish near Gallups; it next fought at the
Battle of Poison Spring on the 18th. At Poison Spring, Harris's Battery was part of the brigade of
Colonel Colton Greene. The battery was position on the right
flank on the Confederate line and provided artillery support for a Confederate charge against a Union wagon train. On April 29, the battery accompanied Greene's brigade as it harassed Steele's retreating column, and saw some fighting. However, the battery was not engaged at the
Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on the 30th. During June 1864, the battery operated against
Union Navy vessels serving on the
Mississippi River and inflicted damage on several gunboats and transports. On June 6, the battery was present at the
Battle of Ditch Bayou, where it guarded
Lake Village, Arkansas.
Price's Raid in October 1864 The battery accompanied Major General
Sterling Price during his
raid into Missouri in late 1864. During the campaign, the battery only had three cannons, and was commanded by
Lieutenant Thomas J. Williams. On September 27, at the
Battle of Pilot Knob, Harris's Battery fired the opening shots of the fight, but was quickly silenced by Union
counter-battery fire. The battery then participated in small fights at
Union, Missouri on October 1, and at
California, Missouri on October 9. On October 15, during the
Battle of Glasgow, the battery participated in shelling the Union garrison. On October 21, the battery helped repulse a Union attack at the
Battle of Little Blue River, and it also saw action at the
Battle of the Big Blue River on October 23. On October 25, at the
Battle of Mine Creek, Harris's Battery was positioned near the center of the Confederate line. A Union
cavalry charge hit the Confederate line near where Harris's Battery was positioned, and the battery was left isolated. Two of the battery's cannons were captured as a result; although two were dragged some distance. However, even those two cannons were later captured. The battery suffered 35 casualties at Mine Creek. After the end of Price's Raid, the battery was transferred to
Grand Ecore, Louisiana, where it was used to operate heavy artillery guarding the
Red River. On November 19, the battery was officially designated the 4th Missouri Field Battery by Smith, although the moniker of Harris's Battery was still used to refer to the unit. On May 26, 1865, the battery surrendered; the men of the battery were
paroled. When the paroles were issued, there were found to be 136 men in the battery. Historian James McGhee has speculated that many of the men were recruited during Price's Raid. ==See also==