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Trigg's Arkansas Battery

May 05, 2024

Trigg's Arkansas Battery (1861–1862) was a Confederate Army artillery battery during the American Civil War. the unit is also known as the Austin Artillery, Auston's Artillery, Austin's Artillery, and Company B, of Shoup's Artillery Battalion.[1] This battery is distinguished from a later organization, the 9th Arkansas Field Battery, which was also commanded by Captain John T. Trigg.

Trigg's Arkansas Battery
Active1861–1862
DisbandedJuly 23, 1862
Country Confederate States of America
Allegiance Arkansas
Branch Confederate States Army
RoleArtillery
Sizebattery
Nickname(s)Austin Artillery
EngagementsBattle of Shiloh
Commanders
1861-1862Captain John T. Trigg
1862Captain Thomas M. Austin

Organization edit

John T. Trigg was an attorney, railroad agent and politician. His sister Frances married Edmund Burgevin, who became the Adjutant General of Arkansas in 1861. His half-brother was Arkansas Governor Henry Rector.[2] He first entered service as an enlisted member of the Pulaski Light Artillery, a military battery from Little Rock. He was paid for service in the battery, April 20–30,[3] 1861 when the battery was sent as part of a militia battalion led by Colonel Solon Borland to seize the Federal post at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The unit returned to Little Rock in time to fire the salute celebrating Arkansas's secession from the Union on May 6, 1861. Trigg received a Militia Commission as captain of a volunteer artillery company of the 13th Militia Regiment of Pulaski County on May 22, 1861. The other officers listed in the battery are:[4]

  • Hart Baswell 1st LT
  • E. J. Thurston 2nd LT
  • A. B. Trigg, 3rd LT.

Trigg's Battery first moved to Pittman's Ferry, near Pocahontas, in northeast Arkansas.[5] On July 14, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General William J. Hardee arrived in Little Rock to assume unified Confederate command in the state. The following day the state Military Board signed an "Article of Transfer", which provided that all state forces would be transferred on a voluntary basis to the command of the Confederate States of America. The Articles of Transfer included Major Francis A. Shoup's battalion of artillery;[6]

Company A, Captain A. W. Clarkson's Helena Light Artillery,[7]
Company B, Captain John T. Trigg's battery; and
Company C, Captain George T. Hubbard's Jackson Light Artillery.

Many Confederate artillery units seem to have begun the war named for the city or county that sponsored their organization. In the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, artillery units are most often referred to by the name of their battery commander. During the war, efforts were made to organize artillery units into battalions and regiments, but the battalions seldom functioned as a consolidated organization, in fact batteries were often broken out and fought as one or two gun sections. Shoup's battalion would be an exception to this rule.[8]

Service edit

The battery, as part of Shoup's Battalion moved to central Kentucky with Hardee's forces.[9][10] Major Shoup's battalion was associated with Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne's brigade when it moved into Kentucky and remained so until after the battle of Shiloh. The Battalion was in the retreat from Bowling Green to Corinth, Mississippi, following the fall of Forts Donelson and Henry.[11]

 
Ruggles' Battery, specifically the position occupied by Shoup's Arkansas Artillery Battalion at Shiloh National Military Park

During the Battle of Shiloh, a.k.a. Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, Sunday, April 6, 1862 – Monday, April 7, 1862, the battery, armed with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers was assigned with the rest of Shoup's battalion to General Patrick Cleburne's 2nd Brigade of Major General William J. Hardee Corps. Major Shoup was serving and Major General Hardee's Chief of Artillery.[12] By the afternoon of Sunday, April 6, 1862, men of Brig. Gens. Benjamin M. Prentiss's and W. H. L. Wallace's Union divisions had established and held a position nicknamed the Hornet's Nest.[13] The Confederates assaulted the position for several hours rather than simply bypassing it, and they suffered heavy casualties during these assaults.[14] The Confederates, led by Brig. Gen. Daniel Ruggles, assembled a 'grand battery' of over 50 cannons, including Trigg's Arkansas Battery[15] into a position known as "Ruggles' Battery".[16] Some controversy exists as to who exactly gave the order to concentrate artillery at this point. It has gone down in history as "Ruggle's Battery" but Major Shoup also claimed the credit. Other sources indicate that Brig. Genl. James Trudeau began the concentration after orders from Beauregard. National Park Service tablets at the Shiloh National Military Park use the "Ruggle's Battery" designation. This concentration originated about 3:00 pm when General Beauregard was informed of the death of General Albert S. Johnston thereby making Beauregard the army commander. He immediately moved to push the stalled rebel attack by assigning General Braxton Bragg to command in the eastern sector of the battlefield and General Ruggles to command in the center of the battlefield, the Duncan field sector. Ruggles issued orders to gather the artillery into a group which historians now believe totaled 55 guns. Major Francis Shoup also claims a portion of the credit for this grouping which came about because Shoup and Ruggles were unaware of the other being present. There were actually two groups of guns in Ruggle's Grand Battery, the northern group and the southern group. The northern group contained the batteries located by aides of General Ruggles and brought to the field. This group is the group formed by Ruggles. The southern group was commanded by Major Shoup and contained a group of batteries who had been under Shoup"s supervision and had been resting following the morning fight near the main Corinth Road. The northern group, commanded by Captain Bankhead included a section of Ketchum's Alabama battery 2 guns, Hodgson's Louisiana battery 6 guns, Bankhead's Tennessee battery 6 guns, Stanford's Mississippi battery 6 guns, Robertson's Alabama battery, 4 guns for a total of 30 guns. The southern group of guns, commanded by Major Shoup included Roberts Arkansas battery 4 guns, Triggs Arkansas battery 4 guns, Sweet's Mississippi battery 6 guns, a section of Hubbard's Arkansas battery (Lt Thrall commanding) 2 guns, Brynes Kentucky battery, 7 guns and a section of Cobb's Kentucky Battery, 2 guns, for a total of 25 guns. The guns of these two groups came from different areas of the battlefield. It appears that Shoup was not initially aware of the presence of the northern group of guns or Ruggles' orders to gather the guns. The resulting artillery concentration of 55 guns was, up to that time, the largest concentration of artillery ever on the North American continent and was itself a historical event. This status did not last long as it was quickly surpassed by even larger artillery concentrations in the Eastern Theater of the war. The grand battery enabled Confederates to surround the position, and the Hornet's Nest fell after holding out for seven hours.[17]

In early May 1862, Confederate forces underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1862.[18] All twelve-month units had to re-muster and enlist for two additional years or the duration of the war; a new election of officers was ordered; and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home. Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas units in and around Corinth, Mississippi, following the Battle of Shiloh.[19][20] Several Arkansas Officers, such as Colonel Robert G. Shaver and Colonel Dandridge McCrae chose not to stand for re-election and instead choose to return to Arkansas and raise new units. Some of these officers choose to follow Major General Thomas C. Hindman, who was appointed in May 1862 to assume command of the new Department of the Trans-Mississippi. It is not clear if Captain John Trigg chose to resign at this point or if he was defeated in the re-organization, but he drops out of sight in the Army of Mississippi at about the time of the reorganization.

Trigg's Arkansas Battery is listed in General P.G.T Beauregard's report of the Confederate Army of the Mississippi on May 26, 1862. The unit is assigned to Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne's 2nd Brigade of General Hardee's 3rd Army Corps.[21] By June 30, 1862, Trigg's Battery, now under the command of Thomas M. Austin and listed as Austin's Arkansas Artillery is assigned to a brigade commanded by Colonel Alexander T. Hawthorn. Hawthorn's Brigade had been created from units regiments drawn from the other brigades of the Hardee's Corps and included Austin's Battery.[22] Hawthorn's Brigade was short lived as he departed to serve in the Trans-Mississippi and the brigade was broken up at the end of July 1862, Austin's Battery being disbanded at the same time.

Disbanded edit

The exact date and reasons for the disbanding of Trigg's/Austin's battery is unclear. It is clear that Captain Thomas M. Austin signed a receipt on July 23, 1862 delivering the battery's guns and equipment to Darden's Jefferson Mississippi Battery.[23] It appears that approximately thirty of the unit's personnel were reassigned either to Darden's Battery, with others, including several officers, being reassigned to Robert's Arkansas Battery, also known as Wiggin's battery or the 2nd Arkansas Light Artillery.[24] Captain Austin returned to the ranks in Key's Helena Artillery, eventually rising back to the rank of Second Lieutenant.[25] Captain Trigg does not appear to have immediately returned to service in Arkansas. Unlike other senior Arkansas leaders of the Army of Mississippi who returned to Arkansas in the summer of 1862 helping General Hindman organize a new Army, Trigg is not mentioned again in military service until a September 1863 order that directs him and his company to joint General Sterling Price's Division. The reason for this disappearance may have been bad relations with General Hindman. There was a great deal of animosity between General Hindman and Arkansas Governor Rector relating to events surrounding the mobilization of Arkansas forces in the summer of 1862. General Hindman arrived back in Little Rock in late May 1862 and found that Governor Rector had fled with the state government to Hot Springs. Hindman would implement martial law in Arkansas, which resulted in complaints from Governor Rector to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Trigg, who was a half brother to and former law partner of Governor Rector would have ample reason to lie low until Hindman was transferred back east of the Mississippi River in Spring of 1863.

Confusion over naming edit

Larry Daniels, in Cannoneers in Gray: The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee, 1861–1865. (Tuscaloosa, AL: Fire Ant Books, 2005)., lists Trigg's Battery as the Clark County Light Artillery.[26] This confusion was apparently caused by the transfer of several former members of Trigg's Arkansas Battery to Roberts' Clark County Artillery following the break up of Trigg's Battery. Other histories have identified Trigg's unit as "The Austin Artillery" or "Auston's Artillery". It does not appear that Trigg's battery was ever referred to as "the Austin Artillery" while Captain Trigg was in command. This confusion is apparently caused by the short tour of command by Captain Thomas M. Austin. Additional confusion was caused by the fact that when members of Trigg's/Austin's Battery were transferred to Darden's Mississippi Battery, the compiliers of the Compiled Service Records recorded Austin's name as Auston.[27] The unit is also confused by some as being the same battery that became the 9th Arkansas Field Battery, because Captain John Trigg also commanded that organization. It appears that John Trigg himself is the only connection between these two units.

See also edit

  • List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
  • Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State
  • Confederate Units by State
  • Arkansas in the American Civil War
  • Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
  •   This article incorporates public domain material from Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. National Park Service.

Notes edit

  1. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154613/m1/391/?q=Trigg Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  2. ^ Allardice, Bruce. "Re: Trigg's Battery 1864- Bruce Allardice", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 2/17/2013, Accessed 18 February 2013, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?page=1;md=read;id=27893
  3. ^ Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page , Borlands Regiment, accessed October 1, 2010, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/borlands.html
  4. ^ Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers in State Militia 1827–1862, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 258
  5. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 3., Book, 1881; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154606/m1/697/?q=Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  6. ^ Confederate military history: a library of Confederate States history, Volume 10, Page 327, Accessed 21 February 2013, https://books.google.com/books?id=VZ9YAAAAMAAJ&dq=Shoup%27s+Arkansas+Artillery+Battalion&pg=RA1-PA327
  7. ^ The National Archives Publication Number: M317, Publication Title: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Arkansas, Content Source: NARA, National Archives Catalog ID: 586957, National Archives Catalog Title: Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865, Record Group: 109, Roll: 0039, Military Unit: Hart's Battery, Light Artillery AND Key's Battery, Light Artillery, Accessed 21 February 2013, http://www.fold3.com/image/#20%7C219834366
  8. ^ Confederate military history: a library of Confederate States history, Volume 10, Page 334, Accessed 21 February 2013, https://books.google.com/books?id=VZ9YAAAAMAAJ&dq=Shoup%27s+Arkansas+Artillery+Battalion&pg=RA1-PA327
  9. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 7., Book, 1882; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154610/m1/858/?q=Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas
  10. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 7., Book, 1882; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154610/m1/910/?q=shoup : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  11. ^ Confederate military history: a library of Confederate States history, Volume 10, Page 328, Accessed 21 February 2013, https://books.google.com/books?id=VZ9YAAAAMAAJ&dq=Shoup%27s+Arkansas+Artillery+Battalion&pg=RA1-PA327
  12. ^ 1913 Report of the Shiloh National Military Part Commission, Detailed movements of the Organizations, Second Brigade - Third Corps - Army of the Mississippi, Brigadier General Patrick R. Cleburne, Accessed 21 February 2013, http://www.shilohbattlefield.org/commission/Pages/Mississippi/Hardee/cleburne.htm
  13. ^ Cunningham, O. Edward. Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862. Edited by Gary Joiner and Timothy Smith. New York: Savas Beatie, 2007. ISBN 978-1-932714-27-2, pp. 241–42.
  14. ^ Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-684-84944-5. p. 227, cites 12. See Also, Daniel, Larry J. Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-80375-5 p. 214,
  15. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154613/m1/487/?q=Trigg Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  16. ^ Historians disagree on the number of artillery pieces the Confederates massed against the Hornets' Nest. Cunningham, p. 290, can account for 51. Daniel, p. 229, argues for 53. Eicher, p. 228 and Sword, Wiley. Shiloh: Bloody April. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992. ISBN 0-7006-0650-5. First published 1974 by Morrow. p. 326, report the traditional count of 62, which was originally established by battlefield historian D.W. Reed.
  17. ^ Nevin, David, and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The Road to Shiloh: Early Battles in the West. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1983. ISBN 0-8094-4716-9. pp. 121–29, 136–39; See also Esposito, Vincent J. West Point Atlas of American Wars. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1959. OCLC 5890637, map 36; Daniel, pp. 207–14; See Also Woodworth, Steven E. Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861–1865. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 0-375-41218-2. pp. 179–85; See Also Eicher, p. 227. Sword, p. 306, lists 2,320 captured; Eicher, p. 228, 2,200; Daniel, p. 214, 2,400.
  18. ^ UPTON, EMORY, Bvt. Maj. Gen., United States Army; "THE MILITARY POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES" WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1912, Page 471, Congressional edition, Volume 6164, Google Books, Accessed 4 November 2011, https://books.google.com/books?id=2-tGAQAAIAAJ&dq=Confederate+conscription+law+reorganization+regiment&pg=PA471
  19. ^ Howerton, Bryan, "14th Arkansas Regiment, No. 1", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Accessed 29 July 2011, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=14705
  20. ^ Hale, D. (1993). The Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Page 112, Accessed at Google Books on 24 September 2013, https://books.google.com/books?id=8tbiTNskS1wC&dq=confederate+conscription+act+%28april+1862%29+reorganization+Corinth&pg=PA112
  21. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 2, Correspondence, etc., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154614/m1/550/?q=Trigg Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  22. ^ United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154613/m1/796/?q=Trigg Arkansas Battery : accessed February 13, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  23. ^ Mississippi State University, Digital Collections, Invoice of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores, Accessed 13 February 2013, http://digital.library.msstate.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/charm/id/14948/rec/1
  24. ^ Osborne, Phil "In addition.." Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted , Accessed 13 February 2013, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?page=1;md=read;id=27851
  25. ^ NARA M317. Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Arkansas units, Publication Number: M317Roll: 0039, Military Unit: Hart's Battery, Light Artillery AND Key's Battery, Light Artillery, National Archives Catalog ID: 586957
  26. ^ Larry Daniels, in Cannoneers in Gray: The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee, 1861-1865. (Tuscaloosa, AL: Fire Ant Books, 2005)
  27. ^ The National Archives Publication Number: M269, Publication Title: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi, Content Source: NARA, National Archives Catalog ID: 586957, National Archives Catalog Title: Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865, Record Group: 109, State: Mississippi, Roll: 0095, Military Unit: Capt. Darden's CO., Light Artillery (Jefferson Artillery), M-W AND Capt. English's Co., Light Artillery AND Capt. Graves' Co., Light Artillery (Issaquena Artillery) AND Capt. Hoole's Co., Light Artillery Accessed 21 February 2013, http://www.fold3.com/image/#67757943

References edit

  • Cunningham, O. Edward. Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862. Edited by Gary Joiner and Timothy Smith. New York: Savas Beatie, 2007. ISBN 978-1-932714-27-2.
  • Daniel, L. J. (1989). Cannoneers in gray: The field artillery of the Army of Tennessee, 1861–1865. University, Ala: University of Alabama Press.
  • Daniel, Larry J. Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-80375-5.
  • Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
  • Esposito, Vincent J. West Point Atlas of American Wars. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1959. OCLC 5890637. The collection of maps (without explanatory text) is available online at the West Point website.
  • Evans, C. A. (1962). Confederate military history: A library of Confederate States history, in twelve volumes. New York: Thomas Yoseloff.
  • Grimsley, Mark, and Steven E. Woodworth. Shiloh: A Battlefield Guide. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8032-7100-X.
  • Hale, D. (1993). The Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
  • Hanson, Victor Davis. Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 2003. ISBN 0-385-50400-4.
  • McDonough, James L. "Battle of Shiloh." In Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
  • Nevin, David, and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The Road to Shiloh: Early Battles in the West. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1983. ISBN 0-8094-4716-9.
  • Sifakis, Stewart (1988). Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
  • Sword, Wiley. Shiloh: Bloody April. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992. ISBN 0-7006-0650-5. First published 1974 by Morrow.
  • 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 of the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
  • Woodworth, Steven E. Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861–1865. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 0-375-41218-2.

External links edit

  • Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
  • The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
  • The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
  • The Arkansas History Commission, State Archives, Civil War in Arkansas

May 05, 2024
trigg, arkansas, battery, 1861, 1862, confederate, army, artillery, battery, during, american, civil, unit, also, known, austin, artillery, auston, artillery, austin, artillery, company, shoup, artillery, battalion, this, battery, distinguished, from, later, o. Trigg s Arkansas Battery 1861 1862 was a Confederate Army artillery battery during the American Civil War the unit is also known as the Austin Artillery Auston s Artillery Austin s Artillery and Company B of Shoup s Artillery Battalion 1 This battery is distinguished from a later organization the 9th Arkansas Field Battery which was also commanded by Captain John T Trigg Trigg s Arkansas BatteryActive1861 1862DisbandedJuly 23 1862Country Confederate States of AmericaAllegiance ArkansasBranch Confederate States ArmyRoleArtillerySizebatteryNickname s Austin ArtilleryEngagementsBattle of ShilohCommanders1861 1862Captain John T Trigg1862Captain Thomas M Austin Contents 1 Organization 2 Service 3 Disbanded 4 Confusion over naming 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksOrganization editJohn T Trigg was an attorney railroad agent and politician His sister Frances married Edmund Burgevin who became the Adjutant General of Arkansas in 1861 His half brother was Arkansas Governor Henry Rector 2 He first entered service as an enlisted member of the Pulaski Light Artillery a military battery from Little Rock He was paid for service in the battery April 20 30 3 1861 when the battery was sent as part of a militia battalion led by Colonel Solon Borland to seize the Federal post at Fort Smith Arkansas The unit returned to Little Rock in time to fire the salute celebrating Arkansas s secession from the Union on May 6 1861 Trigg received a Militia Commission as captain of a volunteer artillery company of the 13th Militia Regiment of Pulaski County on May 22 1861 The other officers listed in the battery are 4 Hart Baswell 1st LT E J Thurston 2nd LT A B Trigg 3rd LT Trigg s Battery first moved to Pittman s Ferry near Pocahontas in northeast Arkansas 5 On July 14 1861 Confederate Brigadier General William J Hardee arrived in Little Rock to assume unified Confederate command in the state The following day the state Military Board signed an Article of Transfer which provided that all state forces would be transferred on a voluntary basis to the command of the Confederate States of America The Articles of Transfer included Major Francis A Shoup s battalion of artillery 6 Company A Captain A W Clarkson s Helena Light Artillery 7 Company B Captain John T Trigg s battery and Company C Captain George T Hubbard s Jackson Light Artillery Many Confederate artillery units seem to have begun the war named for the city or county that sponsored their organization In the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies artillery units are most often referred to by the name of their battery commander During the war efforts were made to organize artillery units into battalions and regiments but the battalions seldom functioned as a consolidated organization in fact batteries were often broken out and fought as one or two gun sections Shoup s battalion would be an exception to this rule 8 Service editThe battery as part of Shoup s Battalion moved to central Kentucky with Hardee s forces 9 10 Major Shoup s battalion was associated with Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne s brigade when it moved into Kentucky and remained so until after the battle of Shiloh The Battalion was in the retreat from Bowling Green to Corinth Mississippi following the fall of Forts Donelson and Henry 11 nbsp Ruggles Battery specifically the position occupied by Shoup s Arkansas Artillery Battalion at Shiloh National Military ParkDuring the Battle of Shiloh a k a Pittsburg Landing Tennessee Sunday April 6 1862 Monday April 7 1862 the battery armed with two 6 pounder smoothbores and two 12 pounder howitzers was assigned with the rest of Shoup s battalion to General Patrick Cleburne s 2nd Brigade of Major General William J Hardee Corps Major Shoup was serving and Major General Hardee s Chief of Artillery 12 By the afternoon of Sunday April 6 1862 men of Brig Gens Benjamin M Prentiss s and W H L Wallace s Union divisions had established and held a position nicknamed the Hornet s Nest 13 The Confederates assaulted the position for several hours rather than simply bypassing it and they suffered heavy casualties during these assaults 14 The Confederates led by Brig Gen Daniel Ruggles assembled a grand battery of over 50 cannons including Trigg s Arkansas Battery 15 into a position known as Ruggles Battery 16 Some controversy exists as to who exactly gave the order to concentrate artillery at this point It has gone down in history as Ruggle s Battery but Major Shoup also claimed the credit Other sources indicate that Brig Genl James Trudeau began the concentration after orders from Beauregard National Park Service tablets at the Shiloh National Military Park use the Ruggle s Battery designation This concentration originated about 3 00 pm when General Beauregard was informed of the death of General Albert S Johnston thereby making Beauregard the army commander He immediately moved to push the stalled rebel attack by assigning General Braxton Bragg to command in the eastern sector of the battlefield and General Ruggles to command in the center of the battlefield the Duncan field sector Ruggles issued orders to gather the artillery into a group which historians now believe totaled 55 guns Major Francis Shoup also claims a portion of the credit for this grouping which came about because Shoup and Ruggles were unaware of the other being present There were actually two groups of guns in Ruggle s Grand Battery the northern group and the southern group The northern group contained the batteries located by aides of General Ruggles and brought to the field This group is the group formed by Ruggles The southern group was commanded by Major Shoup and contained a group of batteries who had been under Shoup s supervision and had been resting following the morning fight near the main Corinth Road The northern group commanded by Captain Bankhead included a section of Ketchum s Alabama battery 2 guns Hodgson s Louisiana battery 6 guns Bankhead s Tennessee battery 6 guns Stanford s Mississippi battery 6 guns Robertson s Alabama battery 4 guns for a total of 30 guns The southern group of guns commanded by Major Shoup included Roberts Arkansas battery 4 guns Triggs Arkansas battery 4 guns Sweet s Mississippi battery 6 guns a section of Hubbard s Arkansas battery Lt Thrall commanding 2 guns Brynes Kentucky battery 7 guns and a section of Cobb s Kentucky Battery 2 guns for a total of 25 guns The guns of these two groups came from different areas of the battlefield It appears that Shoup was not initially aware of the presence of the northern group of guns or Ruggles orders to gather the guns The resulting artillery concentration of 55 guns was up to that time the largest concentration of artillery ever on the North American continent and was itself a historical event This status did not last long as it was quickly surpassed by even larger artillery concentrations in the Eastern Theater of the war The grand battery enabled Confederates to surround the position and the Hornet s Nest fell after holding out for seven hours 17 In early May 1862 Confederate forces underwent an army wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1862 18 All twelve month units had to re muster and enlist for two additional years or the duration of the war a new election of officers was ordered and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home Officers who did not choose to stand for re election were also offered a discharge The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas units in and around Corinth Mississippi following the Battle of Shiloh 19 20 Several Arkansas Officers such as Colonel Robert G Shaver and Colonel Dandridge McCrae chose not to stand for re election and instead choose to return to Arkansas and raise new units Some of these officers choose to follow Major General Thomas C Hindman who was appointed in May 1862 to assume command of the new Department of the Trans Mississippi It is not clear if Captain John Trigg chose to resign at this point or if he was defeated in the re organization but he drops out of sight in the Army of Mississippi at about the time of the reorganization Trigg s Arkansas Battery is listed in General P G T Beauregard s report of the Confederate Army of the Mississippi on May 26 1862 The unit is assigned to Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne s 2nd Brigade of General Hardee s 3rd Army Corps 21 By June 30 1862 Trigg s Battery now under the command of Thomas M Austin and listed as Austin s Arkansas Artillery is assigned to a brigade commanded by Colonel Alexander T Hawthorn Hawthorn s Brigade had been created from units regiments drawn from the other brigades of the Hardee s Corps and included Austin s Battery 22 Hawthorn s Brigade was short lived as he departed to serve in the Trans Mississippi and the brigade was broken up at the end of July 1862 Austin s Battery being disbanded at the same time Disbanded editThe exact date and reasons for the disbanding of Trigg s Austin s battery is unclear It is clear that Captain Thomas M Austin signed a receipt on July 23 1862 delivering the battery s guns and equipment to Darden s Jefferson Mississippi Battery 23 It appears that approximately thirty of the unit s personnel were reassigned either to Darden s Battery with others including several officers being reassigned to Robert s Arkansas Battery also known as Wiggin s battery or the 2nd Arkansas Light Artillery 24 Captain Austin returned to the ranks in Key s Helena Artillery eventually rising back to the rank of Second Lieutenant 25 Captain Trigg does not appear to have immediately returned to service in Arkansas Unlike other senior Arkansas leaders of the Army of Mississippi who returned to Arkansas in the summer of 1862 helping General Hindman organize a new Army Trigg is not mentioned again in military service until a September 1863 order that directs him and his company to joint General Sterling Price s Division The reason for this disappearance may have been bad relations with General Hindman There was a great deal of animosity between General Hindman and Arkansas Governor Rector relating to events surrounding the mobilization of Arkansas forces in the summer of 1862 General Hindman arrived back in Little Rock in late May 1862 and found that Governor Rector had fled with the state government to Hot Springs Hindman would implement martial law in Arkansas which resulted in complaints from Governor Rector to Confederate President Jefferson Davis Trigg who was a half brother to and former law partner of Governor Rector would have ample reason to lie low until Hindman was transferred back east of the Mississippi River in Spring of 1863 Confusion over naming editLarry Daniels in Cannoneers in Gray The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee 1861 1865 Tuscaloosa AL Fire Ant Books 2005 lists Trigg s Battery as the Clark County Light Artillery 26 This confusion was apparently caused by the transfer of several former members of Trigg s Arkansas Battery to Roberts Clark County Artillery following the break up of Trigg s Battery Other histories have identified Trigg s unit as The Austin Artillery or Auston s Artillery It does not appear that Trigg s battery was ever referred to as the Austin Artillery while Captain Trigg was in command This confusion is apparently caused by the short tour of command by Captain Thomas M Austin Additional confusion was caused by the fact that when members of Trigg s Austin s Battery were transferred to Darden s Mississippi Battery the compiliers of the Compiled Service Records recorded Austin s name as Auston 27 The unit is also confused by some as being the same battery that became the 9th Arkansas Field Battery because Captain John Trigg also commanded that organization It appears that John Trigg himself is the only connection between these two units See also edit nbsp American Civil War portal List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State Confederate Units by State Arkansas in the American Civil War Arkansas Militia in the Civil War nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System National Park Service Notes edit United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 10 In Two Parts Part 1 Reports Book 1884 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154613 m1 391 q Trigg Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas Allardice Bruce Re Trigg s Battery 1864 Bruce Allardice Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board Posted 2 17 2013 Accessed 18 February 2013 http history sites com cgi bin bbs62x arcwmb webbbs config pl page 1 md read id 27893 Edward G Gerdes Civil War Page Borlands Regiment accessed October 1 2010 http www couchgenweb com civilwar borlands html Arkansas Military Department Records List of Commissioned Officers in State Militia 1827 1862 Microfilm Roll 00000038 8 Page 258 United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 3 Book 1881 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154606 m1 697 q Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas Confederate military history a library of Confederate States history Volume 10 Page 327 Accessed 21 February 2013 https books google com books id VZ9YAAAAMAAJ amp dq Shoup 27s Arkansas Artillery Battalion amp pg RA1 PA327 The National Archives Publication Number M317 Publication Title Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Arkansas Content Source NARA National Archives Catalog ID 586957 National Archives Catalog Title Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations compiled 1903 1927 documenting the period 1861 1865 Record Group 109 Roll 0039 Military Unit Hart s Battery Light Artillery AND Key s Battery Light Artillery Accessed 21 February 2013 http www fold3 com image 20 7C219834366 Confederate military history a library of Confederate States history Volume 10 Page 334 Accessed 21 February 2013 https books google com books id VZ9YAAAAMAAJ amp dq Shoup 27s Arkansas Artillery Battalion amp pg RA1 PA327 United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 7 Book 1882 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154610 m1 858 q Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 7 Book 1882 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154610 m1 910 q shoup accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas Confederate military history a library of Confederate States history Volume 10 Page 328 Accessed 21 February 2013 https books google com books id VZ9YAAAAMAAJ amp dq Shoup 27s Arkansas Artillery Battalion amp pg RA1 PA327 1913 Report of the Shiloh National Military Part Commission Detailed movements of the Organizations Second Brigade Third Corps Army of the Mississippi Brigadier General Patrick R Cleburne Accessed 21 February 2013 http www shilohbattlefield org commission Pages Mississippi Hardee cleburne htm Cunningham O Edward Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862 Edited by Gary Joiner and Timothy Smith New York Savas Beatie 2007 ISBN 978 1 932714 27 2 pp 241 42 Eicher David J The Longest Night A Military History of the Civil War New York Simon amp Schuster 2001 ISBN 0 684 84944 5 p 227 cites 12 See Also Daniel Larry J Shiloh The Battle That Changed the Civil War New York Simon amp Schuster 1997 ISBN 0 684 80375 5 p 214 United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 10 In Two Parts Part 1 Reports Book 1884 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154613 m1 487 q Trigg Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas Historians disagree on the number of artillery pieces the Confederates massed against the Hornets Nest Cunningham p 290 can account for 51 Daniel p 229 argues for 53 Eicher p 228 and Sword Wiley Shiloh Bloody April Lawrence University Press of Kansas 1992 ISBN 0 7006 0650 5 First published 1974 by Morrow p 326 report the traditional count of 62 which was originally established by battlefield historian D W Reed Nevin David and the Editors of Time Life Books The Road to Shiloh Early Battles in the West Alexandria VA Time Life Books 1983 ISBN 0 8094 4716 9 pp 121 29 136 39 See also Esposito Vincent J West Point Atlas of American Wars New York Frederick A Praeger 1959 OCLC 5890637 map 36 Daniel pp 207 14 See Also Woodworth Steven E Nothing but Victory The Army of the Tennessee 1861 1865 New York Alfred A Knopf 2005 ISBN 0 375 41218 2 pp 179 85 See Also Eicher p 227 Sword p 306 lists 2 320 captured Eicher p 228 2 200 Daniel p 214 2 400 UPTON EMORY Bvt Maj Gen United States Army THE MILITARY POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1912 Page 471 Congressional edition Volume 6164 Google Books Accessed 4 November 2011 https books google com books id 2 tGAQAAIAAJ amp dq Confederate conscription law reorganization regiment amp pg PA471 Howerton Bryan 14th Arkansas Regiment No 1 Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board Accessed 29 July 2011 http history sites com cgi bin bbs53x arcwmb webbbs config pl noframes read 14705 Hale D 1993 The Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War Norman University of Oklahoma Press Page 112 Accessed at Google Books on 24 September 2013 https books google com books id 8tbiTNskS1wC amp dq confederate conscription act 28april 1862 29 reorganization Corinth amp pg PA112 United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 10 In Two Parts Part 2 Correspondence etc Book 1884 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154614 m1 550 q Trigg Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas United States War Dept The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies Series 1 Volume 10 In Two Parts Part 1 Reports Book 1884 digital images http texashistory unt edu ark 67531 metapth154613 m1 796 q Trigg Arkansas Battery accessed February 13 2013 University of North Texas Libraries The Portal to Texas History http texashistory unt edu crediting UNT Libraries Denton Texas Mississippi State University Digital Collections Invoice of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores Accessed 13 February 2013 http digital library msstate edu cdm compoundobject collection charm id 14948 rec 1 Osborne Phil In addition Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board Posted Accessed 13 February 2013 http history sites com cgi bin bbs62x arcwmb webbbs config pl page 1 md read id 27851 NARA M317 Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Arkansas units Publication Number M317Roll 0039 Military Unit Hart s Battery Light Artillery AND Key s Battery Light Artillery National Archives Catalog ID 586957 Larry Daniels in Cannoneers in Gray The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee 1861 1865 Tuscaloosa AL Fire Ant Books 2005 The National Archives Publication Number M269 Publication Title Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi Content Source NARA National Archives Catalog ID 586957 National Archives Catalog Title Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations compiled 1903 1927 documenting the period 1861 1865 Record Group 109 State Mississippi Roll 0095 Military Unit Capt Darden s CO Light Artillery Jefferson Artillery M W AND Capt English s Co Light Artillery AND Capt Graves Co Light Artillery Issaquena Artillery AND Capt Hoole s Co Light Artillery Accessed 21 February 2013 http www fold3 com image 67757943References editCunningham O Edward Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862 Edited by Gary Joiner and Timothy Smith New York Savas Beatie 2007 ISBN 978 1 932714 27 2 Daniel L J 1989 Cannoneers in gray The field artillery of the Army of Tennessee 1861 1865 University Ala University of Alabama Press Daniel Larry J Shiloh The Battle That Changed the Civil War New York Simon amp Schuster 1997 ISBN 0 684 80375 5 Eicher David J The Longest Night A Military History of the Civil War New York Simon amp Schuster 2001 ISBN 0 684 84944 5 Esposito Vincent J West Point Atlas of American Wars New York Frederick A Praeger 1959 OCLC 5890637 The collection of maps without explanatory text is available online at the West Point website Evans C A 1962 Confederate military history A library of Confederate States history in twelve volumes New York Thomas Yoseloff Grimsley Mark and Steven E Woodworth Shiloh A Battlefield Guide Lincoln University of Nebraska Press 2006 ISBN 0 8032 7100 X Hale D 1993 The Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War Norman University of Oklahoma Press Hanson Victor Davis Ripples of Battle How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight How We Live and How We Think Garden City NY Doubleday 2003 ISBN 0 385 50400 4 McDonough James L Battle of Shiloh In Encyclopedia of the American Civil War A Political Social and Military History edited by David S Heidler and Jeanne T Heidler New York W W Norton amp Company 2000 ISBN 0 393 04758 X Nevin David and the Editors of Time Life Books The Road to Shiloh Early Battles in the West Alexandria VA Time Life Books 1983 ISBN 0 8094 4716 9 Sifakis Stewart 1988 Who Was Who in the Civil War New York Facts on File ISBN 978 0 8160 1055 4 Sword Wiley Shiloh Bloody April Lawrence University Press of Kansas 1992 ISBN 0 7006 0650 5 First published 1974 by Morrow 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 of the Union and Confederate Armies U S Government Printing Office 1880 1901 Woodworth Steven E Nothing but Victory The Army of the Tennessee 1861 1865 New York Alfred A Knopf 2005 ISBN 0 375 41218 2 External links editEdward G Gerdes Civil War Home Page The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture The War of the Rebellion a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies The Arkansas History Commission State Archives Civil War in Arkansas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Trigg 27s Arkansas Battery amp oldid 1206696214, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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