{⋆★⋆} BG Tappen, James C.

James Camp Tappan​

Born: September 9, 1825

Birthplace: Franklin, Tennessee

Father: Benjamin S. Tappan 1799 – 1866

(Buried: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Mississippi)​

Mother: Margaret Bell Camp

Wife: Mary Elizabeth Anderson 1835 – 1900

(Buried: Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, Arkansas)​

Education:

1845: Graduated from Yale University​

Occupation before War:

Attorney in Vicksburg, Mississippi​

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Attorney in Helena, Arkansas​

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Arkansas State Representative​

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Circuit Court Judge in Arkansas​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Colonel of 13th​ Arkansas Infantry Regiment​

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1861: Participated in the Battle of Belmont, Missouri​

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1862: Participated in the Kentucky Campaign​

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1862: Participated in the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky​

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1862: Participated in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky​

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1862 – 1865: Brigadier General of Confederate Army Infantry​

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1864: Brigade Commander during Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana​

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1864: Participated in the Red River Campaign​

Occupation after War:

Attorney in Helena, Arkansas​

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Arkansas State Representative​

Died: March 19, 1906

Place of Death: Helena, Arkansas

Age at time of Death: 80 years old

Burial Place: Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, Arkansas

 

[Pollaco]

He also participated at Shiloh.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday (September 9th) week to Brig. General James C. Tappan! Salutes remembering General Tappan on his birthday week.

 

[danny]

Minutiae

10/1/62 Little Rock, G O #21-…Col's Charles C Adams & James Tappan of Ark are apptd volunteer ADC's to the cdg Gen

10/20 Gen Hindman recommends Tappan as Brig Gen

10/21 Richmond-President to Holmes-Col Tappan [formerly of 13th​ Ark] has given me very gratifying information as to your progress in collecting & organizing troops. Arms have been sent & will, I hope, soon reach you in sufficient number to equip both the troops you have & those you may receive from Mo.

11/15/62 Little Rock, Holmes to Sec of War- (Rec'd Dec 15, 1862) Your letter by Col Tappan has just been received, & I greatly fear that it is my painful duty to disappoint your expectations relative to my ability to co-operate with the army east of the Miss.

1/26/63 Richmond, Gen Tappan to Gen Cooper-asking for commissions for the appointments he has made on his staff:

3/1/63 Little Rock A S Morgan to My Dear Wife, Gen Tappan has just arrived [to take Col Shaver's Bgde] & brings his own Adjt. As he is to take that Bgde [Shaver's] I do not know what will be the result, if John will be released or remain.

6/5/63 K Smith to Holmes-.Maj-Gen Taylor, with the greater part of his forces, was ordered to advance to a position opposite Vicksburg, with the view of co-operating with Lt-Gen Pemberton, by breaking the enemy's communication & destroying his depots & magazines west of the Miss. I gave Maj-Gen Taylor his orders to move to that position because I considered the great battle for the Trans-Miss Dept was to be fought with Gen Grant.

The Bgde of Brig-Gen Tappan was ordered to be moved from Camden to Monroe, to be used as the necessities of Maj-Gen Taylor might require. There is no intention of incorporating it permanently in his army, & as soon as it has accomplished the object of his orders, I shall direct a return to Camden or some suitable point in your District.

If the rumors of the defeat & probable capture of Gen Grant's army, which have come to this point so repeatedly within the last week, are true, you need feel no apprehension about an invasion of Ark in force. Gen Banks is also reported to have been severely repulsed at Port Hudson. If these reports are confirmed, it is probable the enemy will be obliged to mass his forces east of the Miss. Should this occur, we may be able to concentrate our forces in sufficient strength to strike an effective blow for the recovery of Missouri.

You will observe that Maj-Gen Taylor's operations are temporary. He has been ordered to return to Alexandria when he has affected all he can, & also to send back to Monroe Brig-Gen Tappan's Bgde.

7/4/63 Tappan's Bgde was not at Helena. Tappan was ordered to move his Bgde to La to support Gen Taylor's operations against Gen Grant's forces laying siege to Vicksburg. They spent the month of July 1863 in the vicinity of Delhi, La where they conducted raids on Federal interests between Delhi & the Ms River. Tappan's Bgde was ordered to return to Ark, via Pine Bluff, in Aug 1863.

8/1/63 Shreveport, K Smith to Gen Tappan % Gen Hebert, Monroe, La.-K Smith directs you to proceed without delay with your Bgde to Pine Bluff where you will report by letter to the cdr of the Dist. of Ark

9/1/64 Princeton, Ark-Churchill's Div, Tappan cdg [temporarily], Tappan to AG Dist of Ark-I would respectfully call the attention of the Maj-Gen cdg the Dist to the unarmed condition of this Div. In Thompson's & Hardy's Regts, of Tappan's Bgde, there are present for duty 787 men & they have only 373 guns, not one gun for every two men. Asking that steps may be taken no furnish the unarmed men with guns

 

[Pollaco]

Most biographys start his Civil war accomplishments as Colonel of the 13th Arkansas, and he was the original colonel of the 13th. But before that he was a captain in the 12th Militia, Company A , the "Tappan Guards". Col. Tappan and the 13th. Arkansas were already in camp on the west bank before the battle of Belmont.

 

[Pollaco]

He also participated at Shiloh.

Apparently Tappan missed the first day of battle due to illness. The 13th was commanded at Shiloh on that first day by Lt. Col. A.D. Grayson, who was killed in action leading a charge . Command then fell to Major James A. McNeely.

 

[Luke Freet]

Tappan served in the Western Theater, fighting in A. P. Stewart's Brigade at Belmont and Shiloh, then, as commander of the consolidated 13th/15th Arkansas under Cleburne at Richmond and Perryville. I've seen him still in command of the 13th at Murfreesboro, but it can't be because he was nominated Brigadier November 5th of 1862, meaning he couldn't be in command of his regiment and was already tranferred west.
In 1863, during the Vicksburg Campaign, his Arkansas Brigade was attached to Richard Taylor's Command, supporting the Texas Greyhounds in their campaign. In 1864, he commanded I believe a "division" of two Arkansas brigades under Churchill, though in reality it was a small division.