Battery F, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment was an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

unit from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

that served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The battery participated in operations in December 1861. Battery F fought at the battles of Prairie Grove and Van Buren in December 1862. The battery fought at Vicksburg, Brownsville,

Mustang Island Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast–southwest, with the Gu ...

, and Fort Esperanza in 1863. The unit fought at Spanish Fort, and Fort Blakely in 1865. Battery F was mustered out on 11 August 1865.

Formation

The battery's parent unit was created on 10–12 June 1861 in

St Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

as the 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment. On 1 September 1861, the unit was re-designated the 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment. At that time, Battery L and Battery M were transferred into the regiment from United States regular army units. Adding these two batteries increased the regiment from 10 to 12 companies, with batteries named A through M, excluding J. Battery C was disbanded in September 1861. Battery I and Battery L were disbanded in January 1862 and Battery B was disbanded in February 1862. Battery F's officers were

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

David Murphy,

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

s James Marr, John L. Matthaei, and Frank A. Howard, and Second Lieutenants George Meyers, Siegmund Sallman, and Edward S. Rowland. Meyers resigned on 3 September 1861. Byron M. Callendar was promoted first lieutenant and

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

on 1 January 1862. Howard was discharged on 2 April 1862. Marr was promoted to captain of Battery M on 22 November 1862. Murphy was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 1 April 1863; he was replaced as captain by Joseph Foust from Battery E on 26 May 1863. Rowland transferred to Battery E on 30 May 1863. Adolphus Stauber was promoted first lieutenant on 1 May 1863 and Louis Dorman was promoted second lieutenant on 1 July 1863. First Lieutenant William Arthur was promoted to captain of Battery G, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery on 2 January 1864. Matthaei was promoted to captain of the reorganized Battery C on 17 January 1864. First Lieutenant John H. Hogan was promoted captain in

1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union) The 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment recruited from Southern Unionists that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was the only predominantly-white Union regiment from Alabama. Of the 2,678 white Alabamians ...

on 6 August 1864.

Organization

District of Central Missouri to June, 1862. District of Southwest Missouri, Dept. Missouri, to October, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. Missouri, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, Herron's Division, 13th Army Corps, Army Tennessee, to July, 1863. Artillery, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, to August, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to September, 1863. Artillery, 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. Gulf, to February, 1864. Artillery, 4th Division, 13th Army Corps, to June, 1864. Defenses New Orleans, La., to August, 1864. Reserve Artillery, Dept. Gulf, to December, 1864. District Southern Alabama, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 13th Army Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to August, 1865.

History

SERVICE.--Duty at St. Louis and Clinton, Mo., until March, 1862, and in Central District of Missouri until June. Expedition to Milford, Mo., December 15–18, 1861. Shawnee Mound, Milford, December 18. Ordered to Springfield, Mo., June 3, 1862. Moved to Jefferson City August 16, to Sedalia August 18, and to Springfield August 26. Action at Lone Jack August 16. Schofield's Campaign in Southwest Missouri October, 1862, to January, 1863. Occupation of Newtonia October 4, 1862. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren, Ark., December 27–29. Duty at Springfield, Rolla, and other points in Southwest Missouri until April, 1863. Moved to St. Louis, Mo., and duty there until June. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., June 3–16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., June 16-July 4. Expedition to Yazoo City July 12–22. Capture of Yazoo City July 14. Moved to Port Hudson, La., July 24, thence to Carrollton August 16. Expedition to the Rio Grande, Texas, October 24-December 2. Capture of Mustang Island November 17. Fort Esperanza November 27–30. Reconnaissance on Mattagorda Island January 21, 1864. Duty at Mattagorda Island until June, 1864. Moved to New Orleans, La., and duty there until December. Duty in District of Southern Alabama until March, 1865. Campaign against Mobile and its defenses March 17-April 12. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Fort Blakely April 9. Capture of Mobile April 12. Duty at Mobile and in District of Alabama until August. Mustered out August 11, 1865.

Armament

At the Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862, Battery F was commanded by David Murphy. Its equipment consisted of four

3-inch Ordnance rifle The 3-inch ordnance rifle, model 1861 was a wrought iron muzzleloading rifled cannon that was adopted by the United States Army in 1861 and widely used in field artillery units during the American Civil War. It fired a projectile to a distance o ...

s and two 14-pounder James rifles (3.8-inch caliber) according to one source. The 1st quarter 1863 report stated that the battery was commanded by Joseph Foust and stationed at

Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in and the county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States. Its population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. It is approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. Its micropolitan sta ...

. The unit had four 3.5-inch English

Blakely rifle Blakely rifle or Blakely gun is a series of rifled muzzle-loading cannon designed by British army officer Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely in the 1850s and 1860s.Hazlett, James C., Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks. ''Field Artillery Weapons ...

s (manufactured by Fawcett & Preston of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

) and two 3.8-inch James rifles. In September 1863, Battery F was at

Carrollton, Louisiana Carrollton is a historic neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, which includes the Carrollton Historic District, recognized by the Historic District Landmark Commission. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest upriver while s ...

and in December 1863 it was at

on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

coast, in each place with the same armament as the 1st quarter 1863 report. The 4th quarter report from Pass Cavallo, Texas stated that there were four 3.5-inch

Whitworth rifle The Whitworth rifle was an English-made percussion cap rifled musket used in the latter half of the 19th century. A single-shot muzzleloader with excellent long-range accuracy for its era, especially when used with a telescopic sight, the Whitw ...

s (a possible error) and two 3.8-inch James rifles.

Notes

References

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