The Shoup's Mountain Battery was a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It was also known as Shoup's Battery. At least two of the battery officers later served in the 8th Arkansas Field Battery.

Organization

After the battle of Pea Ridge, General

Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) was an American Major General who started his military career as a United States Army officer and became famous for successfully leading two defenses of a Native American settlement from the Comanch ...

was ordered to move his Army of the West across the Mississippi and cooperate with Confederate forces in Northern Mississippi. Van Dorn stripped the state of military hardware of all types, including almost all the serviceable artillery. When General

Thomas C. Hindman Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. (January 28, 1828September 28, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he later moved to Mississip ...

arrived to assume command of the new Trans-Mississippi District, he found almost nothing to command. He quickly began organizing new regiments, but his most pressing need was for arms for the new forces he was organizing, including the artillery. With Hindman's first order, dated May 31, 1862 at Little Rock, he announced his staff, including the appointment of Major Francis A. Shoup, Chief of Artillery. Shoup had served as chief of artillery under General William J. Hardee. He was involved in the formation of the artillery position known as "Ruggle's Battery" during the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

. Shoup, and his son, James C. Shoup came west across the Mississippi with General Hindman in May 1862. Hindman ordered guns, which the United States Arsenal had decommissioned and buried as property markers around the Arsenal in Little Rock, to be dug up and refurbished as best possible as serviceable weapons.Taylor, Doyle, "Re: Arms availability in the Trans-Mississippi", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 31 January 2004, Accessed 15 December 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/arch_config.pl?read=6467 Hindman was almost totally destitute of military quality weapons and could hardly arm or issue ammunition to the few troops that he had in June 1862. Until the shipments of arms in August 1862, General Hindman struggled to arm his conscripts. Hindman sent numerous requests for arms back across the Mississippi River. In one report he requested that he be sent twelve Model 1841 12 Pound Mountain Howitzers. These guns were considered useless in other theaters because of their short range. Most of the weapons transferred to the Trans Mississippi District from Vicksburg in the "Fairplay Affair" were the castoffs and unusable weapons from the various state armories which had been returned to those armories after the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi had been re-equipped from the "Battlefield Quartermaster" of 7 Days, 2nd Manassas and Harper Ferry.Edward, "Re: Artillery Transfers" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 16 May 2004, Accessed 17 December 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/arch_config.pl?read=7391 Hindman also drew on ordnance from Fort Washita in Oklahoma where General

Albert Pike Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate States Army general who served as an List of justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court, associate justice of the Arkansas Supr ...

complained that he had ten fine Parrott Guns which could not be used for lack of

limbers A limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, or the stock of a field carriage such as a caisson or traveling forge, allowing it to be towed. The Gun carriage#Modern gun carriages, trail is the hinder end of ...

and harnesses. The muster rolls of the 24th Arkansas contain notes regarding a detachment being sent on detach assignment to Oklahoma to bring artillery to Camp White Sulphur Springs, near Pine Bluff. When Gen M.M. Parson's Brigade returned to Arkansas from Van Dorn's Army in Mississippi in August 1862, he brought with him a wagon train of quartermaster supplies and twenty five pieces of unattached artillery and supplies. At the same time a shipment of 11,000 arms arrived at Pine Bluff from Vicksburg by way of Monroe, La. out of a shipment of 18,000 that were originally sent. 5,000 of those 18,000 were captured on the steamer "Fair Play" by the Union and 2,500 of them went to General Richard Taylor's army in Louisiana. These weapons had come from the arsenal of eastern Confederate states that had been returned to the state arsenals as the Confederates had re-equipped themselves with the better captured Union arms. It is reported in the Official Records of the "Fair Play" that some of those weapons had come from captured Union weapons at the Battle of 2nd Manassas. The movement of the twenty-five pieces of artillery to Arkansas by Parson's Brigade was reported in Bull's "Missouri Brothers in Gray" and the Hindman Telegraphs about "secret" moves of wagons and a wagon train with Parson's Brigade being sent to Little Rock when it reached Pine Bluff in early August 1862. The quantity of guns supplied by Parson's led to the sudden organization and reorganization of several Artillery batteries in August and September 1862 in Arkansas. M1841MtnHow

One of the organization of Shoups Battery apparently began on September 22, 1862 when Special Order No. 2 directed Col. Jno A. Dunnington, Chief of Ordnance, to turn over to Lieutenant J. C. Shoup the eight mountain howitzers, which were the Little Rock Arsenal, along with full equipment, ammunition etc. The guns were 12-lb mountain howitzers and up to four 2.25" Confederate Mountain Rifles. Only about 24 of the Confederate Mountain Rifles were made by Tredegar Iron Works in Virginia and four of them found their way to Arkansas. By the same order, Lieutenant Shoup was directed to proceed with the battery to Fort Smith Arkansas and there await further orders.Thompson, Alan, "Re: Shoup's Arkansas Battery for Alan Thompson", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 13 June 2012, Accessed 19 December 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=26561 James C. Shoup, was the brother of Francis A. Shoup. He had originally entered Confederate service as a 2nd Sergeant of the Jackson Light Artillery, a.k.a. Thrall's Battery, a.k.a. 3rd Arkansas Light Artillery. He was enlisted September 22, 1861 at Pitman's Ferry, Arkansas by his brother, Major F. A. Shoup for 8 months 23 days. He had been appointed 2nd Lieutenant on July 18, 1861 and assigned as an Assistant Quartermaster. He tendered his resignation on July 16, 1862 as a Senior First Lieutenant of Aucton's Battery to join his brother Major F. A. Shoup in Arkansas.Martin, George, "Re: Shoup's Arkansas Battery for Alan Thompson", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 13 June 2012, Accessed 19 December 2012 http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=26562 On September 29, 1862, General Hindman issued Special Order No. 8 from Little Rock which directed F. A. Shoup, now a Colonel, to take charge of the organization of the artillery from North West Arkansas and assigning certain "suitable officers to duty in the company now unorganized, and recommend them for appointment." These suitable officers included Lieutenants Huey and Miller. On October 25 Special Order No. 22, Headquarters District of Arkansas, General Hindman Commanding directed Lieutenant J. C. Shoup to proceed to Fort Smith for alterations and repairs of the Mountain Battery. The next day, Special Order No. 23, Shoup's Arkansas Light Battery was assigned to a brigade of Cavalry commanded by Colonel Charles A. Carroll composed of Carroll's regiment of Arkansas Cavalry and Fagan's regiment of Arkansas Cavalry. The brigade Shoup's Battery were ordered to move to Huntsville and take position there, picketing the roads in cooperation with Brigadier General Marmaduke. On Nov 3, 1862, General Hindman issued orders directing Lieutenant Shoup to give four of the mountain pieces to Capt Bledso to enable Bledso to establish a four gun battery made up of Missouri troops. General Hindman also made provision for a sufficient number (120) of artillery horses for the battery to be provided from Texan commands which were being dismounted to create additional infantry units. The organization of the battery was apparently completed by November 8, 1862 when Special Order No. 35, from Camp on the Mulberry River, assigned the following officers to duty in "Shoup's Mountain Battery":Hindman's Copybook of Telegraphs, May 31st to October 9th, 1862, Army of the Southwest, Dept. of the Trans Mississippi. Peter W. Alexander papers, Columbia University Library, New York. :J. C. Shoup Captain. :W. M. Huey(sic) 1st Lieut. :W. A. Miller Jr. 1st Lieut. :G. F. Halliburton 2nd Lieut. The battery was organized by details from various Arkansas regiments – mostly the 26th and 39th Arkansas Infantry, and 4th Arkansas Cavalry; also a handful of Missouri and Texas details. There are no muster rolls in the Compiled Service Records from Hughey's Battery.

Service

Shoup's Mountain Battery apparently saw its first action on November 28, 1862, during the

Battle of Cane Hill The Battle of Cane Hill was fought between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War on November 28, 1862, in northwestern Arkansas, near the town of Cane Hill. Confederate Major General Thomas C. Hindman had made an aborti ...

, in the opening moves of the Prairie Grove Campaign. Col. Charles A. Carroll took note of the battery's performance in his report of the performance of his Cavalry Brigade during the engagement:United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 22, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1888; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154600/m1/58/?q=shoup : accessed December 29, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas. The performance of Shoup's battery at Cain Hill also caught the attention of Colonel Joseph O. Shelby: On December 2, 1862, General Hindman issued an order from Fort Smith directing that Shoup's battery along with Bledso's Battery report to Brigadier General John S. Roane's Division. Roane would command the 1st Division of the 1st Corps, Army of the Trans-Mississippi during the

Battle of Prairie Grove The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on December 7, 1862. While tactically indecisive, the battle secured the Union control of northwestern Arkansas. A division of Union troops in the Army of the Fronti ...

, Arkansas on December 7, 1862. Shoup's Battery was composed of ninety eight men, three mountain howitzers, and two (2) 2.25 Inch Rifled mountain howitzers during the Battle of Prairie Grove. Brigadier General Roane's Division was assigned on the Confederate left flank during the battle. While not hotly engaged, General Roane's force screened the left flank of Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons brigade from Union cavalry. Shoup's battery suffered 1 killed and 2 wounded during the engagement.

Disbanded

In the re-organization of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi following the defeat at Prairie Grove, Shoup's Battery was assigned first to General Carrol's Brigade of Marmaduke's Division and then to Shoup's Division per special Order No. 68, dated December 18, 1862. Ultimately a decision was made by General Hindman that the mountain howitzers of Shoup's battery were too small to provide effective artillery support. He ordered the guns to be turned over to his Ordnance Officer. As of January 16, 1863, the guns themselves were at Dardanelle awaiting transportation. The battery personnel, which had been made up of men detailed from various infantry units were disbanded, the men sent back to their original commands and the officers relieved of duty. Brigadier General Francis Shoup moved back across the Mississippi River and served at the Siege of Vicksburg and later during the Siege of Atlanta. James Shoup apparently accompanied his brother on the move back east to become his aide. By March 1863, First Lieutenant William M. Hughey and Second Lieutenant W. A. Miller would help organize a new battery, the 8th Arkansas Field Battery, which would serve in the Department of the Trans-Mississippi until the close of the war.Howerton, Bryan R. "Trans-Mississippi artillery report", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 6 September 2007, Accessed 19 December 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=16548

Notes

References

* Alexander, P. W. (1835). Peter Wellington Alexander papers. * Hewett, Janet. Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Pub. Co, 1994 * Shea, W. L. (2009). Fields of blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. * United States. (1961). Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the State of Arkansas. Washington D.C.: National Archives, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.

External links