Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865

I. Artillery

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S No one undertakes a project of this magnitude without the assistance of others. Certainly I did not, for many individuals helped bring this history of the Missouri Confederate units to fruition. Danny Odom, Southaven, Mississippi, who has conducted extensive research on the Confederate units of the Trans-Mississippi and Western Departments, initially urged me to undertake the project. He then made his voluminous notes available to me without my asking, read the manuscript with a critical eye, offered useful suggestions, and encouraged me to continue when I tired of the undertaking. In many respects this book is as much his as it is mine. Billy J. Gurley, Little Rock, Arkansas, an authority on the war in the Trans-Mississippi, provided invaluable assistance. He generously shared his research and made many manuscripts available for my use. He noted mistakes in the first draft of the manuscript that saved me from myself in several instances. Bill also insisted that the manuscript merited publication when I had doubts in that regard. His interest in the project has been most gratifying, and I offer him my sincere appreciation. John F. Bradbury Jr., an old friend, is widely known for his many fine historical endeavors regarding the war in Missouri, including articles, books, and maps. He always provides encouragement, constructive criticism , and wise counsel regarding my historical efforts. He helped with this one as well by reading the manuscript and making images from his collection available. I thank him for his continued support, and I value his friendship. Many other individuals generously provided information and images for the project, including Bruce Allardice, Des Plaines, Illinois; Greg Biggs, Clarksville, Tennessee; Walter E. Busch, Site Director, Fort Davidson Historic Site, Pilot Knob, Missouri; John E. Fayant, Camdenton, Missouri; Janae Fuller, Site Director, Battle of Lexington Historic Site, Lexington, Missouri; Margaret Harmon, Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Bryan Howerton, xi 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page xi Searcy, Arkansas; John Livingston, Basalt, Colorado; Charles Machon, Director, Missouri National Guard Museum, Jefferson, Missouri; James R. Mayo, Bloomfield, Missouri; Mark Meatte, Jacksonville, Florida; Kay White Miles, Clinton, Missouri; Alinda M. Miller, President, Friends of Historic Lone Jack, Inc., Lone Jack, Missouri; Bruce Nichols, St. Louis, Missouri; Ray Nichols, Arnold, Missouri; Richard C. Peterson, Memphis, Tennessee; Bob Schmidt, French Village, Missouri; Wayne Schnetzer, Independence, Missouri; Mark and Deborah Schreiber, Jefferson City, Missouri; Joe F. Webb, Gulf Shores, Alabama; J. Dale West, Longview, Texas; Ronald K. Wright, rural South Carolina; and Edward Ziehmer, St. Louis. I thank them all for the help they provided. The good people at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri, merit special recognition. During my numerous research visits , Patricia Luebbert and her excellent staff invariably offered a warm welcome and cheerful assistance. They went the extra mile to locate needed documents, suggested sources, and exhibited remarkable patience with an often demanding patron. Likewise, Lynn Morrow, director of the local records program, deserves the gratitude of all for constantly expanding the Civil War holdings at the archives. Other repositories that answered my numerous requests for documents include the Arkansas History Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas; the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri; the Missouri National Guard Museum, Jefferson City, Missouri; and the State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. Finally, my wife Kathy demonstrated remarkable patience while I spent countless hours researching and writing. She cares little for history but understands my love for it, and I appreciate her more than she knows. While many people obviously helped along the way, I bear the ultimate responsibility for the end result. Any errors or omissions discovered in the pages that follow are mine alone. xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page xii I N T R O D U C T I O N Tracing the origins and history of Missouri Confederate military units that served during the American Civil War is nearly as difficult as comprehending the divisive politics that produced them. Deeply torn by the issues that caused the conflict, some Missourians chose sides with enthusiasm , others with reluctance, and a number from sheer necessity, for fence straddling held no sway in the state after the fighting began. Those that sided with the Confederacy, several thousands in number, formed a variety of military organizations, some of which earned reputations for hard fighting exceeded...