Bankhead’s Tennessee Battery

Ole Miss

Major
Forum Host
Silver Patron
Regtl. Staff Shiloh 2020
Asst. Regtl. QM Stones River / Franklin 2022
Joined
Dec 9, 2017
Location
North Mississippi
Bankhead’s Tennessee Battery was an integral part of the Army of Mississippi's artillery force at the Battle of Shiloh and its commander,
Captain Smith P. Bankhead was an extremely busy man during the battle. Bankhead in addition to commanding his battery was also placed in charge of all the artillery of the 1st Corps. Unfortunately, Bankhead lamentable death was not in the line of duty or natural. Here below is the Shiloh National Military Park's facebook entry for Bankhead's Tennessee Batery*.
Regards
David

Confederate Artillery at Shiloh: Bankhead’s Tennessee Battery

In April of 1861, although Tennessee had not seceded from the Union, Governor Isham Harris was calling for an Army to defend the state. In response, Smith P. Bankhead, a 37-year-old Memphis lawyer, began forming an artillery company on May 13, 1861. The unit intended to become battery B of the 1st Tennessee Artillery Corps, became known as Bankhead’s Battery. It could well have been called the lawyers battery, since Bankhead was joined by fellow lawyers, W.Y.C. Humes, who was made 1st Lieutenant and J. C. McDavitt , 2nd Lieutenant.

Two days later on May 15, 1861, a young 20-year-old lawyer William B. Greenlaw joined Bankhead as 2nd Lieutenant. Fifty-two additional men were recruited throughout the month of May. On June 4, 1861, Tennessee seceded from the Union and William L. Scott, another lawyer from Memphis, joined Bankhead’s Battery as a 2nd Lieutenant. These officers and the 54 men made up the nucleus of the Battery and moved to Fort Pillow for artillery training although they had no cannon of their own.

Smith Pyne Bankhead was born on August 20, 1823, at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina. His father, General James Bankhead was a career army officer from Virginia. During the Mexican War, Smith P. Bankhead was a Captain of the Virginia Volunteers and served under his father who was commanded American troops stationed at Vera Cruz, Mexico. After the Mexican war, Bankhead was presented a sword by his country for “Gallant Service.” He went to California during the gold rush, and then settled at Memphis in 1851.

In Memphis, Bankhead became involved in politics and was known as a Mexican War hero. He founded and edited the Memphis Whig, a party newspaper. He was elected the City Attorney of Memphis in 1852 and started a private law practice in the 1850’s. One of his brothers, Henry Clay Bankhead, graduated from West Point in 1850 and remained in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. Another brother, John P. Bankhead entered the U.S. Navy at age 17 and remained with the Union. He commanded the U.S.S. Monitor when it sank on December 31, 1862. He survived the sinking and was the last man to abandon the ship. His cousin was Confederate Gen. John Bankhead Magruder.

In July 1861, Bankhead’s Battery received six artillery pieces (6 pounders and 12 pound howitzers) made at the Quinby and Robinson foundry in Memphis. The battery was moved from Fort Pillow to New Madrid, Missouri where they recruited enough men to fill up the battery. In October 1861 they moved to Columbus, Kentucky where they became part of Gen. Leonidas Polk’s Corp. In March 1862, they joined the Confederate forces gathering at Corinth, Mississippi, and Bankhead was promoted to Chief of Artillery for Polk’s Corp. During the Battle of Shiloh, Bankhead would remain with his battery during the battle, despite this promotion.

As the battle of Shiloh started on April 6, 1862, Bankhead’s Battery joined batteries from other Corps on a ridge south of Sherman’s camps at 10:00 AM. Gen. Patrick Cleburne had ordered the Confederate artillery to wake up the Union camps from that positon earlier in the morning. After Sherman was outflanked and retreated with Gen. John McClernand’s Division to Jones Field, the battery moved north to a location near McClerands former headquarters. That afternoon their six guns contributed to the mass of Confederate artillery known as Ruggle’s Battery, after Gen. Daniel Ruggles, which bombarded the Union center contributing to Confederate victory on April 6th. On April 7, 1862, the battle would turn against the Confederates as Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s army arrived to reinforce Grant. Among those arrivals was Smith Bankhead’s brother, Captain Henry Bankhead, on Buell’s staff as inspector of infantry. On the afternoon of April 7, Bankhead’s Battery would form near Shiloh Church as part of the last Confederate defense line, before retreating to Corinth. The battery suffered two killed and 18 wounded. Although they lost 37 of their 82 horses they were able to retreat with all six of their guns and caissons.

After Shiloh, Bankhead was promoted to Major and transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department and later became Colonel of Artillery, serving under his cousin Gen. Magruder. Capt. William Scott took command of the battery which served with the Army of Tennessee until over run and captured on November 25, 1863, at the Battle of Missionary Ridge.

Smith Bankhead returned to Memphis in March 1865 after deciding there was no point in continuing the war. He was appointed Deputy City Attorney and Trustee of the Navy Yard in the Reconstruction Government, and was considered a turncoat by former Confederates. In what may be the city of Memphis oldest cold case, Smith Bankhead was assassinated. He was struck down from behind and beaten to death by persons never identified on a main street in the downtown section of the city. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.

*https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/...atteryin-april-of-1861-alth/1352433701513279/
 
Listed below is Captain Bankhead's Official Report* for his unit's participation at the Battle of Shiloh.
Regards
David

Jackson, Miss., December 16, 1862.
Captain: In reply to your communication of the 8th instant, making inquiry “as to the part your (my) battery took in the bombardment of Prentiss’ division, late Sunday evening, at the battle of Shiloh,” and further, “ by whose order the batteries were ordered up to their respective positions, and how many there were and by whom commanded,” I have the honor to state, for the information of Brigadier-General Ruggles, that at about 2 p. m. of April 6 I had been compelled to fall back from a position on the extreme left of our lines, opposite a field near where Prentiss’ camp was afterward discovered to be, and under orders from Maj. Gen. L. Polk retired my battery about 200 yards through the woods skirting the field.
As I retired I was informed that a general attack was contemplated and then being organized by our troops on the enemy to the right of my position, and it was conjectured that the enemy had made his last stand before being driven to the banks of the river.
In a short time the musketry firing on my right opened briskly and increased in volume until it was evident that all our troops were engaged, and that the enemy was making a most determined stand with a force sufficient to hold our people in check and occasionally to stagger them. At this juncture my battery was ordered by a staff* officer to the edge of the field near Prentiss’ camp, and to a position sweeping his rear approaches, and from which I had previously retired. As I went into action Captain Stanford formed on my right. I found the Washington Artillery already in position on my left and firing rapidly. Captain Robertson’s 12-pounder battery formed on the right of Stanford, with Captain (now Major) Rutledge on his right and some one or two other batteries still farther to the right, but by whom commanded I am unable to state.


The effect of this tremendous concentrated fire was very evident. The reserves, which could be plainly seen going up to Prentiss’ relief, fell back in confusion under the shower of shot, shell, and canister that was poured upon them, while our infantry, encouraged by such heavy artillery support, rushed forward with a shout and carried the position.
I regret that I cannot state the name of the staff officer ordering me up or to whose staff he was attached. All I have been able to ascertain, upon consultation with battery commanders touching this remarkable concentration of artillery, is that it was not the result of accident, but under and by the direction of one controlling mind, as batteries were brought up from various portions of the field and directed to this particular position. I have made repeated inquiry of officers of the artillery and staff officers to ascertain by whose order this movement was executed, and the only reliable information I have received was communicated to me by Lieuts. A. H. Polk and William B. Richmond, aides to Major-General Polk, who state that they felt assured it was executed under the direction of Brigadier-General Buggies, as they saw him at that time on our extreme left engaged in ordering up batteries for some position along the lines.
I have the honor to remain, captain, your obedient servant,
SMITH P. BANKHEAD,
Colonel of Artillery, Provisional Army, Confederate States.
Capt. Boy Mason Hooe,
Assistant Adjutant-General, Jackson, Miss

(Pages 475-476)
*https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730160;view=1up;seq=493
 
Listed below is Captain Bankhead's Official Report* as Chief of Artillery for the 1st Corps of the Army of Mississippi.
Regards
David

Report of Capt. Smith P. Bankhead, G. S. Army, Chief of Artillery.
Hdqrs. Arty., First Corps, Army of the Mississippi,
Corinth, Miss., April 17, 1862.
Major: I have the honor to inclose, for the information of the major-general commanding this corps, a report, in tabular form, showing the condition of the artillery attached to his command on the 6th and 7th instant and the casualties attending its operations. The large loss of caissons is attributable to the extraordinary mortality of (139 out of 347) horses; the disabling of six on the field; using teams of some to haul off captured guns, and the abandonment of others on the road. Many of these last, however, have been recovered and turned over to the ordnance department at this place. I conclude, from all the information before me, that not more than six or eight of these caissons were left on the field, and that the ammunition in all of them had been expended before they were abandoned.
The guns reported as lost by Captain Smith were left on the field by order of the major-general in lieu of three James rifled cannon.
Captain Stanford lost four guns and six caissons on the 7th instant. Coming upon the scene of this disaster shortly after its occurrence, with Bankhead’s battery, the enemy was driven back and these guns recaptured, and orders were immediately sent by me to Captain Stanford to haul off his guns. His failure to obey this order resulted, as he reports, from an inability to get horses enough to execute it, as most of his own horses were killed or disabled.
Believing that I could render more efficient service with my own battery than on the staff of the general, I obtained his consent to my absence during the 6th and 7th, and hence can only refer to the reports of the commanders of other battalions for a more detailed account of their respective operations.
I have the honor to be, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SMITH P. BANKHEAD,
Capt. and Chief of Arty., First Corps, Army of the Mississippi.
Maj. George Williamson,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Page 413)
*https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730160;view=1up;seq=431

1557249278147.png

C. S.
BANKHEAD'S TENNESSEE BATTERY,
Russell's (1st) Brig., Clark's (1st) Div., Polk's Corps,
ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI.


This battery, of 6 guns, was in action here from 9
a.m. to 10 a.m. April 6, 1862.
Its next position was at northwest corner of Re-
view Field.
 
This photo was taken in November of 2019, just one month since a tornado struck Shiloh National Military Park, shows Bankhead's position just West of the Corinth Road south of Peabody Road. Trees had blown down on the position snapping the plaque into several pieces.
Regards
David
1618191508685.png


1618191848149.png
 
Back
Top