1st Arkansas Light Artillery
Encyclopedia
The 1st Arkansas Light Artillery, originally known as the Fort Smith Artillery (1861), was a Confederate artillery
battery
that served during the American Civil War
. The unit was actually a pre-war volunteer militia company which was activated as part of the Arkansas State Troops and mustered out of state service following the Battle of Wilson's Creek
. The unit immediately re-organized and re-enlisted for Confederate service. The unit spent the majority of the war in the western theater
, fighting as part of the Confederate Army of Tennessee
.
's 1st Division (brigade), Army of Arkansas, in June 1861. The battery officers were:
The Fort Smith Battery was well drilled. Captain William E. Woodruff, Jr., who commanded the Pulaski Light Artillery
, is said to have watched the drill of Captain Reid's Battery in order to recall the correct procedures for artillery drill. In keeping with the practice in the Confederate Army of referring to an artillery battery by the name of its current commander, the First Arkansas Light Artillery was variously known as Provence's Battery, Humphreys' Battery and Rivers' Battery. The Compiled Service Records of the men are filed under "Rivers' Battery" on Microfilm Roll #41.
Captain David Provence was elected commander of the re-organized battery. Most of the men originally assigned to the Fort Smith Artillery subsequently reenlisted in Confederate service in Provence's Arkansas Battery (1st Arkansas Light Artillery). The battery retained the name and battery colors of the Fort Smith Artillery, but it was officially referred to as Provence's, and later Rivers', Battery Arkansas Light Artillery. A comparison of enlistment documents between the two units indicates that about three fourths of the original Fort Smith Artillery Battery continued to serve with the battery in Confederate service. The officers elected when the battery reorganized were:
Captain David Provence resigned to accept an appointment as colonel, 16th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. His resignation was formally approved on June 10, 1862, at which time Lieutenant John T. Humphreys was promoted to captain. Captain Humphreys resigned on October 15, 1863. Lieutenant John W. Rivers, who had risen from the ranks, was promoted captain, effective October 15, 1863, and commanded the battery to the end of the war.
The 1st Arkansas Light Artillery was involved in the following battles:
The 1st Arkansas Light Artillery was merged with Green's Kentucky Battery, Co. B, 2nd Alabama Light Artillery Battalion and Cobb's Kentucky Battery in January, 1864. The Battery was surrendered by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, Commanding the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4, 1865.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battery
Battery
Battery may refer to:*Artillery battery, an organized group of artillery pieces; also gun battery with similar groupings on warships*Battery , contact with another in a manner likely to cause bodily harm...
that served during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The unit was actually a pre-war volunteer militia company which was activated as part of the Arkansas State Troops and mustered out of state service following the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
. The unit immediately re-organized and re-enlisted for Confederate service. The unit spent the majority of the war in the western theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
, fighting as part of the Confederate Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
.
Organization
Captain John G. Reid was commissioned as the commander of a volunteer militia company of the 51st Militia Regiment, Sebastian County, Arkansas, on September 27, 1860. The battery was originally identified simply as the "Independent Artillery" but was later styled the "Fort Smith Battery" or the "Fort Smith Artillery". The unit was inducted into state service for 90 days' service as part of Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett PearceNicholas Bartlett Pearce
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce was a brigadier general in the Arkansas state militia during the American Civil War...
's 1st Division (brigade), Army of Arkansas, in June 1861. The battery officers were:
- Captain Jack G. Reid
- 1st Lt. [unknown]
- 2nd Lt. Marcus S. Wilcox
- 3rd Lt. James H. Reed.
The Fort Smith Battery was well drilled. Captain William E. Woodruff, Jr., who commanded the Pulaski Light Artillery
Pulaski Light Artillery
The Pulaski Light Artillery was a Confederate Army artillery battery from Pulaski County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War...
, is said to have watched the drill of Captain Reid's Battery in order to recall the correct procedures for artillery drill. In keeping with the practice in the Confederate Army of referring to an artillery battery by the name of its current commander, the First Arkansas Light Artillery was variously known as Provence's Battery, Humphreys' Battery and Rivers' Battery. The Compiled Service Records of the men are filed under "Rivers' Battery" on Microfilm Roll #41.
Wilson's Creek
The Fort Smith Artillery fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Reid's battery was reportedly armed with 2 6lb. smoothbores at Prairie Grove. Brigadier-General Nicholas B. Pearce, commanding First (Northwest) Division, Provisional Army of Arkansas mustered his regiments out of service after the Battle of Wilson's Creek. The battery was mustered out of State service on September 17, 1861, and all of its members were discharged.Reorganized
The battery reorganized after Wilson's Creek, but Captain Reid did not stand for reelection, having accepted a staff position. The battery elected David Provence as captain on September 17, 1861. The Fort Smith Battery was sent east of the Mississippi River and served there for the rest of the war. Captain Reid would later command yet another battery during the Battle of Prairie Grove, but that organization bore no relation to the Fort Smith Battery.Captain David Provence was elected commander of the re-organized battery. Most of the men originally assigned to the Fort Smith Artillery subsequently reenlisted in Confederate service in Provence's Arkansas Battery (1st Arkansas Light Artillery). The battery retained the name and battery colors of the Fort Smith Artillery, but it was officially referred to as Provence's, and later Rivers', Battery Arkansas Light Artillery. A comparison of enlistment documents between the two units indicates that about three fourths of the original Fort Smith Artillery Battery continued to serve with the battery in Confederate service. The officers elected when the battery reorganized were:
- Captain David Provence,
- First Lieutenant Stephen D. McDonald,
- Second Lieutenant John T. Humphreys, and
- Third Lieutenant William H. Gore.
Battle of Pea Ridge and beyond
The battery fought at the battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Arkansas, in March 1862, before being ordered east of the Mississippi River, where they spent the remainder of the war. On November 18, 1862, the battery received a large number of transfers and details from the Arkansas regiments and battalions of McNair's Brigade. Many of these men are later listed on the battery's rolls as deserters; however, many, if not most of them simply returned to their original regiments.Captain David Provence resigned to accept an appointment as colonel, 16th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. His resignation was formally approved on June 10, 1862, at which time Lieutenant John T. Humphreys was promoted to captain. Captain Humphreys resigned on October 15, 1863. Lieutenant John W. Rivers, who had risen from the ranks, was promoted captain, effective October 15, 1863, and commanded the battery to the end of the war.
The 1st Arkansas Light Artillery was involved in the following battles:
- Battle of Pea RidgeBattle of Pea RidgeThe Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
, Arkansas, March 7, 1862. - Siege of CorinthSiege of CorinthThe Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
, April to June 1862. - Battle of FarmingtonBattle of FarmingtonThe Battle of Farmington is a name given to two different battles during the American Civil War − one in Tennessee, the other in Mississippi.The Battle at Farmington, Tennessee was fought October 7, 1863 in Farmington, Marshall County, Tennessee. It ended in a Confederate victory...
, May 9, 1862. - Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, August 29–30, 1862.
- Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 31, 1862 to January 3, 1863.
- Battle of ChickamaugaBattle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
, Georgia, September 19–20, 1863. - Siege of ChattanoogaChattanooga CampaignThe Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen...
, September to November 1863.
The 1st Arkansas Light Artillery was merged with Green's Kentucky Battery, Co. B, 2nd Alabama Light Artillery Battalion and Cobb's Kentucky Battery in January, 1864. The Battery was surrendered by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, Commanding the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4, 1865.
See also
- List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
- Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State
- Confederate Units by State
- Arkansas in the American Civil WarArkansas in the American Civil WarThe state of Arkansas was a part of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, and provided a source of troops, supplies, and military and political leaders for the fledgling country. Arkansas had become the 25th state of the United States, on June 15, 1836, entering as a...
- Arkansas Militia in the Civil WarArkansas Militia in the Civil WarThe units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War included militia organizations to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection: the militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia...