As an enthusiast of orders of battle, does anybody know where the newly-formed Missouri and Arkansas cavalry units went after the raid? I hear some went to join M. Jeff Thompson and surrendered with him, but no idea of his unit organization or structure.
Btw, some of these units include Coleman's Arkansas Cavalry, Slayback's Missouri Cavalry, Freeman's Missouri Cavalry, and Schnable's Missouri Cavalry. Any ideas?
I have attempted to extract from my personal notes references to the units you mentioned by name. The result is somewhat helter skelter, but is the best I could do in unraveling so many of my notes.
Nov 10, 1864 (Camp No. 67).—Order for Cabell's & Slemons' Bgdes approved. Slemons' command, under Col Crawford, furloughed to 12/10, to rendezvous at Miller's Bluff. Cabell's Bgde, under Lt-Col Reiff, to rendezvous 12/10 at Spring Hill, Ark.
Col Wright says-Dobbins, Freeman & McRae were ordered to NE Ark gather those who had deserted & stragglers & make their way to S Ark as soon as possible-so far as I know, none of these commands ever rejoined us
Shelby at his request was left in the Indian nations to recruit & afterwards rejoined us with his old command in fine condition
He sent Col's Schnabel, Hunter, Nichols, & Slayback with their commands into N Ark to recruit & live on the enemy but this was the last of their service as organized commands
Cabell's & Slemon's Bgdes were furloughed
[60 days] to report for duty at Champagnolle in Union county
10/30/64 after the army retreated into Ark; Freeman's Bgde was furloughed at Maysville to proceed to northeast Ark for the purpose of rounding up stragglers & deserters. The Regt, numbering only 250 was ordered to report to Camden by 12/15. However, the Regt never again left northeast Ark
Col Freeman, with his command, started for Northern Ark. Col McCray ordered to go on the 3d & Col Dobbin on the 4th, to report south of Ark River on Dec 15, 20, & 25; raining hard.
10/30 Camp Number 56, S O #56 for Col Thos. Freeman to go to Northeast Ark to find stragglers & deserters
10/30 after the army reached relative safety in Ark, Hunter's Regt was furloughed. The Regt numbered only about 325 troopers at the time. Neither Jackman nor Hunter reported Regimental losses for the Missouri campaign. Hunter's Regt eventually regrouped & moved to Bonham.
Gen Price furloughed many units after the expedition. The balance of the 7th Mo Regt, about 70 men, stayed with the army, & were formed into two Co's, & attached to the 8th Cav Regt prior to 2/28/65
Price then headed for Texas with only Clark's Bgde & the recruits. Eighteen days & 200 miles later, during which time Shelby joined them, the remnants of the Army of Mo reached Clarksville, Tex.
OR Vol 41 Part 1
Price's report-…Col's Freeman, Dobbin, & McCray were ordered to return such of their men as still remained with their colors, to the place where they had raised their commands in order to collect the absentees together & bring them within our lines during the month of Dec, if possible, & on the
11/4/64 I took up my line of march with the balance of my command through the Indian Territory in the direction of Boggy Depot.
On the 13th I arrived at Perryville, in the Indian Nation, a distance of 119 [miles], where I met with three wagons with supplies, & encamped, remaining over one day to rest & recruit my men. I had marched carefully & slowly, stopping to graze my stock whenever an opportunity offered.
On Nov 14th Gen Shelby, at his own request, was left behind on the Canadian to recruit.
All of Jackman's Bgde & one Regt [Slayback's] of Thompson's were allowed to leave the army to visit friends in Northern Ark. After these dispersions the army was reduced to Shelby's old Bgde, Clark's Bgde, Cabell's & another Ark Bgde, & Tyler's recruits.
On the 10th Cabell's Bgde was furloughed, as also - the Bgde formerly commanded by Col Slemons, who was captured.
On 11/21 I arrived at Clarksville, where I received an order from Gen Magruder to march to Laynesport & there establish my Hqs.
I arrived there on 12/2/64
Nov 11 (Camp No. 68).—Shelby left behind on Canadian to recruit. Tyler & Wood gone ahead.
11/17 Kirby Smith says to Magruder-An entire reorganization of Price's command will probably be necessary. Whatever may be its strength, the cdg Gen proposes to organize from it:
2 Bgdes of Mo & 1 Bgde of Ark Cav-These should be Marmaduke's, Shelby's, & Cabell's, as the oldest & most efficient before the expedition
11/18 Boggy Depot, to Major-Gen Maxey: I am directed by Major-Gen Price to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 14th & 15th & to express to you his grateful acknowledgments for supplying the wants of his troops as well as your invitation to himself A portion only of the command will go by Doaksville, Major-Gen Fagan & escort amid Col C. H. Tyler with his Bgde of recruits.
11/20 Maxey [Indian Territory] to K. Smith reporting what he has heard:
Freeman's, Dobbin's, McCray's, & part of Jackman's Bgdes & Coffee's Regt, went down White River.
Fagan's Div (with exception of McCray's & Dobbin's Bgdes), &
Clark's Div (except Freeman's Bgde), Shelby's Div, & Col Tyler's Bgde are in this district. Wood's Mo Bn has just arrived
Memoirs of Col John C. Wright
I held my Regt together for several days for mutual safety as the enemy was still near at Ft Smith & Gray back guerrillas infested the area
…& there we turned south east towards Ark
On reaching the line at Polk County I turned the boys loose to make their ways home
We reached El Dorado on 11/20-men & horses totally worn out
A remnant of Slemon's Bgde under Crawford of probably 300 & probably that number of Cabell's under Monroe reported for duty at Champagnolle during Jan 1865
11/26 Magruder to Boggs-As soon as I heard that Gen Price was crossing the Ark River between Forts Smith & Gibson, I sent him orders to report to me the number of his troops, their organization, arms, &c., directing him to march to the neighborhood of Laynesport, his left flank resting on that point, & his right flank down the Red River facing the enemy. These orders it appears from his letters to Dept Hqs have either not been received, or if received, have been disobeyed. As I sent them through Gen Maxey I presume they were received, & that Gen Price not having been then placed by instructions from Dept Hqs under my orders, thought himself justified in disregarding them. However, it is certain from his letter to Dept Hqs, which was referred to me, that he has gone into Texas with most of his troops, & that it will be a long time before the organization ordered from Dept Hqs can be practically effected.
The cdg Gen may, however, rest assured that not a moment has been or will be lost by me in accomplishing this important purpose. I hoped to have met Gen Price at Washington within a day or two, as nothing could be done properly without ascertaining the present number of his troops, their organization, & condition.
Gen Fagan, I learned, has furloughed his men until 12/10, & I meet them on every road, & I have not seen one of them armed, & am told that most of Price's troops have thrown away their arms. I think it certain that they brought out fewer arms than they took in, & I fear that they have not returned with one-half of them. All this must be known to the enemy, for I am informed that many of his men have gone to the Federal army.
I hear of one Regt, a Col Hunter's, that came by Caddo Gap well mounted & each man loaded down with arms, & I am informed that he expressed openly his intention to avoid the cdr of the Dist. & go into Texas at all hazards, & I fear he has already crossed at Fulton & gone beyond my reach.
I fear that such arms as remain will be sold to the citizens, which has been done to a very great extent in Texas by troops leaving Ark for Tex. I think there is a law by Congress against this…
Under these circumstances it is obvious many thousand arms will be required at once in this Dist.; some few may yet be obtained from Selma if $15,000 or $20,000 could be at once sent from Dept Hqs to Major Burton, Chief QM Dist. of Ark, to pay the cost of transportation.
It will be seen by the above statement that the Texas Cav ought not to be withdrawn, as it would leave but one Bgde (Steele's), which is fully occupied in protecting cotton & preventing raids in the river counties, & I have, therefore, only the Ark & Mo Infy, numbering about 4,000 men, & no other Cav except the Texas Cav & Logan's Regt, which is now at Walnut Hill broken down & recruiting & a few Co's of State Cav, under Newton, recently turned over. I am as anxious as anyone can be to save the corn of Red River, but do not see how I can dispense with this Cav until Price is fit for duty.
11/29 S O #40-Shelby will order Capt D A Williams to Ark to collect such men as are there & then report to his command at Laynesport within 10 days.
11/29/64 Price's AAG Maclean to Maj Gen M Parsons-Rec'd your kind letter of 11/16/64 & in reply regarding the augmentation of your Div that he not only approves it but will strongly urge it at the proper time-but at present 4 of his Ark Bgdes are north of the Ark River & will not cross it before 12/24 or 12/25-who, did they learn that the Cav were being dismounted, might & many of them would hesitate to rejoin the army-so that until that time it would be better for the service to say little about it
11/30 Price to Gen Clark in command of Marmaduke's Div, & Gen Thompson in command of Shelby's, were ordered to Laynesport; & Gurley's Texas Cav in that direction to cooperate with Gen Maxey. By direction of Gen Smith the Ouachita & Little Mo were made "the true line of defense." Col's McCray & Dobbin were sent into northeast Ark.
11/30 Clarksville, Texas-Price's Special Orders-This command will march to Laynesport, Ark. Gen Clark, with Marmaduke's Div, starting tomorrow morning & Gen Thompson, with Shelby's Div, on the following morning.
11/30 Report of Sidney P. Jackman, Mo Cav cdg Bgde Hqs. Jackman's Bgde Shelby's Div., Army of Mo Clarksville, Texas
Jackman's Bgde:
Coffee's Mo Cav Regt, Col John T. Coffee [transferred to Tyler's Bgde]
Hunter's Mo Cav Regt, Col DeWitt C. Hunter
Jackman's Mo Cav Regt, Lt Col Charles H. Nichols
Schnable's Mo Cav Bn, Lt Col John A. Schnable
Williams Mo Cav Bn, Lt Col David A. Williams [added during raid]
[Shaw's Mo Cav Bn, Major W. M. Shaw, attached during raid]
Collin's Mo Btry [section] (2 guns), Lt Jacob D. Connor
12/6/64 [after the raid] Magruder to Boggs-…The whole of the Cav should be dismtd. 3 Regts from Mo likely to be the best of the Cav to be assigned to Shelby-These should be marched to him & those for the Infy marched to Gen Parsons. The same course should be followed for Marmaduke's & Cabell's Bgdes.
Wright's Memoirs Wright Ark Cav [12th Ark Cav]
From KC on there were many desertions from the Mo recruits & new organizations from Ark- Clark now leading Marmaduke's Div
Dobbins, Freeman & McRae were ordered to NE Ark gather those who had deserted & stragglers & make their way to S Ark asap-so far as I know, none of these commands ever rejoined us
Shelby at his request was left in the Indian nations to recruit & afterwards rejoined us with his old command in fine condition
He sent Col's Schnabel, Hunter, Nichols, & Slayback with their commands into N Ark to recruit & live on the enemy but this was the last of their service as org commands
Cabell's & Slemon's Bgdes were furloughed for 60 days [I think] to report for duty at Champagnolle in Union county
I held my Regt together for several days for mutual safety as enemy was still near at Ft Smith & Gray back guerillas infested area
& there we turned SE towards Ark
On reaching the Ark line at Polk County, I turned the boys loose to make their ways home
Jan 65-A remnant of Slemon's Bgde under Crawford of probably 300 & probably that number of Cabell's under Monroe reported for duty at Champagnolle during Jan
I used several sources, primarily the Official Records along with the following:
Behind enemy lines: the memoirs and writings of Brigadier General Sidney Drake Jackman
Sidney Drake Jackman history of the Civil War in Missouri, 1861-1865
Collection Number: 01566
Collection Title: Meriwether Jeff Thompson Papers, 1860-1940
Meriwether Jeff Thompson was a Confederate officer and mayor of Saint Joseph, Mo. Papers of Meriwether Jeff Thompson include about 70 Confederate rosters and muster rolls, chiefly of the Army of the Northern Sub-District of Arkansas
Memoirs of Col John C. Wright
copyright a l scallion 1982
E 605 .W7 1982
[inner library loan]
Bringing the