Guibor's Missouri Battery

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From: http://www.pricecamp.org/units/guiborbattery.htm

Guibor's Missouri Battery

Battery "A", 1st MO Lt. Artillery, CSA

Organized June 25, 1861

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This silk battle flag of Guibor's Battery, sewn by Southern ladies of St. Louis, Mo. Presented to the battery in January 1863 at Vicksburg. When the battery surrendered at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, Chaplain Father Bannon gave the flag to a Catholic merchant for safe keeping. It was retrieved by Capt. Guibor after the war. (Note: On the original flag the crescent moon is actually white with "Guibor's Battery" scripted in gold lettering)

Engagements:

Carthage
Oak Hills
Dry Wood
Lexington
Elkhorn
Iuka
Corinth
Grand Gulf
Bayou Pierre
Baker's Creek
Big Black

Vicksburg
Resaca
Adairsville
Cassville
New Hope Church
Lost Mt.
Kennesaw Mt.
Smyrna Church
Peach Tree Creek
Franklin
Nashville


History:
This battery first served as a Missouri Volunteer Militia unit and was present at the capture of Camp Jackson (St. Louis, Mo.) on May 10, 1861. Later it served in the Missouri State Guard as part of the 6th Division. After the State of Missouri became the 12th State of the Confederacy, Guibor's Battery entered Confederate service in early 1862. It was soon combined with Montgomery Brown's Louisiana Battery on June 30, 1862. Guibor's Battery was armed with four 6-lb smoothbores that were surrendered at Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863. After parole, it became rearmed with four 12-1b Napoleons and served under Gen. Joseph Johnston until his command surrendered at Greensboro, NC on April 26, 1865.

Roster (incomplete)
Commander: Capt. Henry M. Guibor
Chaplain: Father John Bannon
Lieutenants: William P. Barlow, Montgomery Brown, Cornelius C. Heffernan, John M. Hennessey, Aaron W. Harris, Samuel Kennard, William Keller, Lawrence Murphy, Edward D. McBride
Sergeants: Lewis Allen, John Q. Baker, Raymond Burke, Wm. Ward Childs, John J. Corkery, Wm. Corkery, Maurice Daniels, Frank Froter, William Hays, Michael MacMahon, Ferdinand K. Michaud, William H. Robinson, Hunt P. Wilson, Edward T. Woods.
Corporals: William H. Douglas, J. Foley, Wallace H. Hartley, J. Layer, Daniel Noonan, William Perks.
Privates: O.N. Blakely, William Blessington, Richard James Brown, James Bybee, Frank A. Cafferata, John P. Cole, Edward C. Campbell, Timothy G. Callaghan, Price W. Campster, George Capott, Joseph Cott, Hohn P. Cole, J.P. Crumpecker, Patrick Coggins, Michael Collins, George H. Davis, Frank E. Dey, Peter Dolan, Edmond Dickerson, O.V. Dickerson, Thomas Dugan, Robert Caldwell Dunlop, Louis C. Duval, John Fell, James Fanning, Claiborne D. Ferguson, William Farmer, Malcolm Findley, John Wise, Fred Garlisch, Lawrence Gillespie, William Hicks, John Harney, William Hughes, John Hays, Monroe Joplin, Sam Lutzen, F.N. LaBruyere, William Lindsey, Thomas B. McIntire, Lewis Murphy, J.R. O'Reilly, Joseph C. Piggott, J.O. Pierce, Patrick Quinn, O.F. Simms, Frank Shields, James Shockley, Thomas Stubbs, F.G. Stoddart, James Terry, Ezekiel Taylor, J.J. Thompson, George W. Taylor, John Underwood, J.D. Trumbell, John Wharton, Robert Welsh, John Young.
 
Guibor's Battery fought alongside Cockrell's 1st Missouri Brigade throughout much of the war. After the surrender at Vicksburg, parole and exchange, the remnants of Guibor's, Wade's, and Landis' Missouri batteries were consolidated to form the 1st Missouri Light Artillery under Capt. Guibor, though the consolidated battery still often went by the commander's name.
 
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http://moconfederacy.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/D8605F4F-4489-4AC1-A450-762786024706


Here's the history in Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865 by James E. McGhee:
Doubtless the most noted of all Missouri Confederate artillery units, this battery had strong roots in the prewar Missouri Volunteer Militia, as well as the Missouri State Guard. Captain Henry Guibor organized a battery for service in the 6th Division, Missouri State Guard, in June 1861, which did stellar service at Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Dry Wood, and Lexington.

Guibor resigned his commission in late October 1861 and proceeded to Memphis, Tennessee, where he recruited elements of a provisional battery for the Guard from among the parolees of the Camp Jackson affair of May 10, 1861. Guibor acquired six guns, a mix of 6-pounder smoothbores and 12-pounder howitzers, and moved his recruits to Jacksonport, Arkansas, with other troops commanded by Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost. Guibor drilled his men at Jacksonport for six weeks and then marched to Springfield, Missouri, arriving there on February 11, 1862. The following day the Missouri army, pressed by advancing Union troops, moved south to form a juncture with Confederate forces near Cove Creek, Arkansas. During the retreat, Guibor's Battery participated in a skirmish with the enemy at Crane Creek on February 14.

At the battle of Pea Ridge on March 7-8, Guibor's unit became heavily engaged near Elkhorn Tavern, although it employed only four of its pieces owing to a shortage of crews. On the first day of the battle, Guibor's cannoneers succeeded in driving Welfley's Missouri Battery (Union) from the field with loss; the next day they assisted in delaying the final Federal advance long enough to permit the army to withdraw relatively unmolested. The battery retreated to Frog Bayou near Van Buren, Arkansas, having lost 2 men killed and an unknown number wounded in the fight.

At Frog Bayou the battery mustered into Confederate service on March 25 and shortly thereafter accompanied the Army of the West to Memphis, Tennessee. After a short stay in Memphis, the battery transferred to Corinth, Mississippi, where it mustered 69 men on May 5, and then moved on to Baldwyn when the Confederates abandoned Corinth. On June 17, members of the Missouri State Guard still attached to the battery left, and in turn, Confederate volunteers of Captain James C. Gorham's State Guard battery joined Guibor. Also, on June 30, while stationed at Priceville, Gibson's Louisiana Battery (Miles Artillery) consolidated into Guibor's Battery. The battery deployed at Iuka on September 19 but never discharged its guns. Guibor's men fought hard at the battle of Corinth on October 3-4, supporting the 1st Missouri Brigade, and suffered casualties of 5 wounded. The battery received favorable comment for its service at the battle.

When spring arrived in 1863, Guibor's unit, armed with four 6-pounder smoothbores, held a position at Grand Gulf on the Mississippi River and engaged Federal gunboats on March 19 and 31.

On the latter date, while manning pieces in the lower battery, called Fort Wade, a 20-pounder Parrott burst, killing two of Guibor's men and wounding two others, including Guibor. In early April, a section of the battery in the charge of Lieutenant William C. Corkery joined a reconnaissance force sent to Louisiana. The battery engaged the enemy at James's Plantation on April 8 but apparently fought no more before returning to Grand Gulf on April 17.

A long, fierce battle with the gunboats occurred again at Grand Gulf on April 29, which resulted in the gunboats withdrawing after repeated hits from the Confederate gunners. At Port Gibson, on May 1, Guibor's cannoneers arrived on the field in time to help cover the Confederate withdrawal. The battery won praise at Champion Hill on May 16 for preventing the 1st Missouri Brigade from being flanked in the most pivotal battle of the Vicksburg Campaign. When the Federals broke the defensive line at the Big Black River on May 17, the artillerymen of Guibor's Battery offered some resistance before abandoning their pieces and retreating into Vicksburg. During the Vicksburg siege Guibor's unit manned heavy ordnance pieces. It helped repel the Federal offensives of May 19 and 22, inflicting heavy casualties on the Federal attackers. The prolonged siege cost the battery 1 killed and 4 wounded. At the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, about 53 members of Guibor's Battery received paroles and then reported to the exchange camp established at Demopolis, Alabama.

On October 3, the unit permanently consolidated with Landis's and Wade's batteries under the designation of the 1st Missouri Light Artillery, although it continued to be known as Guibor's Battery. The battery acquired new guns on October 27, consisting of four 12-pounder Napoleons. In the spring of 1864, Guibor's Battery, about no in number, and a part of Major George W. Storrs's artillery battalion, began an extended period of combat as Major General William T Sherman initiated the Atlanta Campaign. The battery fought at New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, and Latimer House, losing in the latter engagement 4 killed and 12 wounded. At Kennesaw Mountain, artillerymen dragged the battery's guns uphill 400 feet to the top of Little Kennesaw and rained down shot and shell on the nearby Federal troops. In an attempt to silence Guibor's guns, the enemy massed its artillery and tremendous exchanges of fire followed, but the battery remained a serious threat to Federal movements.

On June 27, the battery played an important role in defeating Sherman's assault on Kennesaw, inflicting many casualties on the enemy, especially punishing the Federals on Pigeon Hill. When the Confederate commander General Joseph E. Johnston moved to the outskirts of Atlanta, the Federals began a siege operation. Guibor's cannoneers endured another two months of combat before the key city fell on September 2. The entire Atlanta Campaign (May—September) exacted a heavy toll on the battery, with total losses of 12 killed and 39 wounded, the latter including Captain Guibor, disabling him for further service. Lieutenant Aaron W. Harris, formerly of the Landis Battery, assumed command of the company.

The battery accompanied the army when General John Bell Hood invaded Tennessee. On November 30, the men of Guibor's artillery participated in the battle at Franklin. One of only two Confederate batteries present on the field, the Missouri unit divided into three sections for the fight. The first fire of the Missourians signaled the advance of General Alexander P. Stewart's corps, which included the 1st Missouri Brigade. After firing a few rounds, Guibor's guns fell silent as the infantry moved toward the enemy's strong position. A section of the battery advanced behind the infantry, the cannoneers eventually pulling the guns by hand after enemy fire killed all of the battery horses. At least part of the battery moved close to the Federal front line and remained there until the slaughter mercifully ended. Surprisingly, the unit lost only 1 killed and wounded in the horrific combat that day.

The battery advanced with the army to Nashville but never engaged in combat there. The unit left Nashville on December 6 and participated in the action at Murfreesboro the day following. Guibor's Battery retreated with the army to Columbus, Mississippi, and stayed there several months. The battery eventually moved to North Carolina and remained there until General Joseph E. Johnston's surrender on April 26,1865. Most of the men received paroles at Greensboro on May 2. Guibor's Battery had about 160 men on its rolls during three years of service. The unit suffered 18 battle deaths, while 6 men died of disease. A flag of this battery is located at the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barlow, W. P. "Guibor's Battery as Heavy Artillery." Daily Missouri Republican, St. Louis, Missouri, July 17, 1886.

"Guibor's Battery in Georgia." Kennesaw Gazette, Kennesaw, Georgia, May 15, 1889.

Lehr, Suzanne Staker, ed. As the Mockingbird Sang: The Diary of Private Robert Caldwell Dunlap. St. Joseph: Platte Purchase, 2005.

Fishing on Deep River: Civil War Memoir of Private Samuel Baldwin Dunlap, C.S.A. St. Joseph: Platte Purchase, 2006.

McMahon, Michael. "Guibor's Battle Flag." Daily Missouri Republican, St. Louis, Missouri, July 3, 1886.

Storrs, George. "The Artillery on Kennesaw." Kennesaw Gazette, Kennesaw, Georgia, June 15, 1889.

"The Story of Guibor's Battery, C.S.A." St. Louis Republic, St. Louis, Missouri, April 21, 1895.

Tucker, Phillip Thomas. "Cannons on Little Kennesaw: The Role of the First Missouri Confederate Artillery Battery." Atlanta History 33 (Summer 1989): 36-45.

"The Roar of Western Guns: Captain Henry Guibor's First Missouri Light Artillery, C.S.A." Confederate Veteran (May—June 1989): 24-33.

Wilson, Hunt P. "The Battle of Elkhorn." Daily Missouri Republican, St. Louis, Missouri , July 4 and 11, 1885.

"Guibor's Battery at Corinth." Daily Missouri Republican, St. Louis, Missouri, June 19, 1886.
 
Photo of Captain Henry M. Guibor, possibly postwar.

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Here's a description of his journey to join the Missouri State Guard in southwest Missouri at the outset of the war, following his capture and parole from Camp Jackson. From Wilson's Creek by Piston and Hatcher, pp. 85-6:

Henry Guibor 1.jpg

Henry Guibor 2.jpg
 
The Battery did not see action at Champion Hill?
 
They are well featured in "The Battle of Carthage" by David C. Hinze and Karen Farnham. It was the first I'd ever read of them. I drive by Carthage a couple of times each year and always think of the battle and of Guibor's battery when I do.
 
The Battery did not see action at Champion Hill?
Baker's Creek is another name (usually the Southern name) for Champion Hill. They were attached to Cockrell's Missouri Brigade throughout the Vicksburg Campaign, along with Wade's and Landis' Missouri batteries.
 
Baker's Creek is another name (usually the Southern name) for Champion Hill. They were attached to Cockrell's Missouri Brigade throughout the Vicksburg Campaign, along with Wade's and Landis' Missouri batteries.
Thx. Forgot about "Baker's Creek".
 
I know they were able to get their two 24 pounders off the field at Big Black (the two pieces were on the West Bank) and took them to Vicksburg. The above battery history states they surrendered 6-pounders after Vicksburg. I guess the 24s were transferred? Anybody know?
 
The OP mentions that they were surrendered at Greensboro. I thought most of the AOT artillery went down to Mobile after Nashville although I do remember reading that a few batteries were at Salisbury, NC to fend of Stoneman's Cavalry. Can anyone fill in the missing bit here?
 
I know they were able to get their two 24 pounders off the field at Big Black (the two pieces were on the West Bank) and took them to Vicksburg. The above battery history states they surrendered 6-pounders after Vicksburg. I guess the 24s were transferred? Anybody know?
I don't believe Guibor's Battery was ever equipped 24-pounder howitzers. According to the following report they were equipped with two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers. I think the 8-inch shell gun and 32-pounder gun listed were temporarily served in the defenses at Grand Gulf.

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The OP mentions that they were surrendered at Greensboro. I thought most of the AOT artillery went down to Mobile after Nashville although I do remember reading that a few batteries were at Salisbury, NC to fend of Stoneman's Cavalry. Can anyone fill in the missing bit here?
According to Cannoneers and Gray by Larry J. Daniel that was Maj. John W. Johnston's artillery battalion that was sent to Salisbury, however Guibor's Battery was not part of that battalion. Daniel doesn't mention what happened to Guibor's Battery.
 
I don't believe Guibor's Battery was ever equipped 24-pounder howitzers. According to the fallowing report they were equipped with two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers. I think the 8-inch shell gun and 32-pounder gun listed were temporarily served in the defenses at Grand Gulf.

View attachment 134840


According to Cannoneers and Gray by Larry J. Daniel that was Maj. John W. Johnston's artillery battalion that was sent to Salisbury, however Guibor's Battery was not part of that battalion. Daniel doesn't mention what happened to Guibor's Battery.

My apologies. That's what I get for hastily posting without thinking properly through it. You are correct, I was thinking of Landis' battery, not Guibor's.
 
My apologies. That's what I get for hastily posting without thinking properly through it. You are correct, I was thinking of Landis' battery, not Guibor's.
I wonder if the two 6-pounders Guibor's Battery carried into the Vicksburg Campaign were two of the original four (some sources say three) Mexican War guns that had originally been taken from the Missouri Depot. The Missouri Depot/Liberty Arsenal was a small Federal arsenal just outside of Liberty, Mo., that was seized in April 1861. It contained the 16 or 17 artillery pieces and about 1,500 small arms which were later used to arm the Missouri State Guard.

According to Shea and Hess's book on Pea Ridge, Guibor's Battery was already armed with two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers by then. I'm guessing their armament changed when they transferred to Confederate service in early 1862.
 
I wonder if the two 6-pounders Guibor's Battery carried into the Vicksburg Campaign were two of the original four (some sources say three) Mexican War guns that had originally been taken from the Missouri Depot. The Missouri Depot/Liberty Arsenal was a small Federal arsenal just outside of Liberty, Mo., that was seized in April 1861. It contained the 16 or 17 artillery pieces and about 1,500 small arms which were later used to arm the Missouri State Guard.

According to Shea and Hess's book on Pea Ridge, Guibor's Battery was already armed with two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers by then. I'm guessing their armament changed when they transferred to Confederate service in early 1862.
Interesting. Do you know if the 2 Mexican War 6-pounders you reference were bronze?
 
Interesting. Do you know if the 2 Mexican War 6-pounders you reference were bronze?
Yes, according to The Battle of Carthage, Missouri by Kenneth E. Burchett, the Liberty Arsenal contained 16 field guns including three bronze Model 1841 6-pounders, twelve iron 6-pounders, and one iron 3-pounder. The three bronze 6-pounders were assigned to Guibor's Battery. According to Burchett, General James Harding, Quartermaster-General of the Missouri State Guard, accidentally assigned four guns to Guibor's Battery when in fact they were really only armed with three initially. They didn't acquire a fourth until after Wilson's Creek.
 
Okay. Well, of the 18 Confederate guns captured and inventoried by the Federals after Big Black, only three were 6-pounders and all 3 are listed as being bronze guns. Since all of Bowen's guns (minus a few from Landis') were captured, these very well might represent Guibor's. Could those 3 bronze guns be the Mexican War guns you mention? It certainly would be neat to know!
 
Okay. Well, of the 18 Confederate guns captured and inventoried by the Federals after Big Black, only three were 6-pounders and all 3 are listed as being bronze guns. Since all of Bowen's guns (minus a few from Landis') were captured, these very well might represent Guibor's. Could those 3 bronze guns be the Mexican War guns you mention? It certainly would be neat to know!
Guibor's Battery had the three Mexican War 6-pounders while in the MSG throughout 1861 but, as stated earlier, by Pea Ridge in March 1862 they were equipped with two 6-pounders and two 12-pound howitzers. That was their armament from then on into the Vicksburg Campaign until one 6-pounder and one 12-pound howitzer were lost at Big Black according to the report by Cockrell posted above (the other two 6-pounders lost at Big Black were in Dawson's Battery).

What I'm not sure of is if the two 6-pounders they carried from 1862-63 were two of the original three guns from the Liberty Arsenal/Missouri Depot. And if so then what ever happened to the third 6-pounder.
 
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