Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865

INTRODUCTION

C O N T E N T S List of Illustrations viii Series Editors’ Preface ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii I. Artillery  II. Cavalry  III. Infantry  Supplemental Bibliography  Index  vii 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page vii I L L U S T R AT I O N S (after page ) Major General Sterling Price Major General John S. Bowen Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson Major James Harding Sergeant Robert E. Young Colonel Solomon G. Kitchen Colonel William L. Jeffers Colonel David Shanks Major James M. Parrott Lieutenant Washington L. Watkins Men of the th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Men of the th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Colonel John B. Clark Jr. Lieutenant William H. Dunnica Lieutenant John E. Wright Private Henry Clay Luckett Lieutenant William H. Mansur Lieutenant Colonel Lebbeus A. Pindall Captain Elbert Feaster Captain David Thompson Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost viii ILLUSTRATIONS 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page viii S E R I E S E D I T O R S ’ P R E F A C E The Civil War in the West has a single goal: to promote historical writing about the war in the western states and territories. It focuses most particularly on the Trans-Mississippi theater, which consisted of Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, most of Louisiana (west of the Mississippi River), Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma), and Arizona Territory (two-fifths of modern-day Arizona and New Mexico) but encompasses adjacent states, such as Kansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, that directly influenced the Trans-Mississippi war. It is a wide swath, to be sure, but one too often ignored by historians and, consequently, too little understood and appreciated. Topically, the series embraces all aspects of the wartime story. Military history in its many guises, from the strategies of generals to the daily lives of common soldiers, forms an important part of that story, but so, too, do the numerous and complex political, economic, social, and diplomatic dimensions of the war.The series also provides a variety of perspectives on these topics. Most important, it offers the best in modern scholarship, with thoughtful, challenging monographs. Second, it presents new editions of important books that have gone out of print. And third, it premieres expertly edited correspondence, diaries, reminiscences, and other writings by participants in the war. It is a formidable challenge, but by focusing on some of the least familiar dimensions of the conflict, The CivilWar in theWest significantly broadens our understanding of the nation’s most pivotal and dramatic story. Anyone engaged in Civil War research appreciates a good reference work. Not surprisingly, there are as many different types of guides as there are possible topics. Equally unsurprisingly, genuinely useful reference works are rare. It is especially hard to find reliable and comprehensive guides to Civil War military units. Both reliable and comprehensive should be emphasized . A variety of guides for Union and Confederate units exists, but few satisfy all of a researcher’s needs. Most merely list commanding officers, ix 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page ix engagements, mustering dates, and when units disbanded.They rarely provide information below the battalion or regimental level for cavalry and infantry, and far too many are slapdash affairs riddled with errors and contradictions. James E. McGhee’s book on Missouri Confederate military units avoids these usual pitfalls while realizing all of the benefits of a model guide. He is a highly respected and widely published authority on the Civil War in Missouri, and his expertise is evident on every page of this book. The scope of the work is startling, the depth of detail gratifying, its reliability undeniable, and the unit narratives highly readable. While a departure from the usual format of the volumes in this series, it fits the purpose of the series extremely well. It is a signal contribution to our knowledge of the War in the West. T. Michael Parrish Daniel E. Sutherland SERIES EDITORS x SERIES EDITORS’ PREFACE 1McGHEE_pages_i-176.qxd 2/13/08 10:30 AM Page x ...