Ole Miss
Major
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Regtl. Staff Shiloh 2020
Asst. Regtl. QM Stones River / Franklin 2022
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2017
- Location
- North Mississippi
Trigg's Arkansa Battery, under the command of John Triggs, was established in May of 1861 in Little Rock, AR armed with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers leftovers from the Mexican War. The unit was formed into Major Francis A. Shoup's Arkansas Artillery Battalion.
I have posted the Shiloh National Military Park Facebook's page about Trigg's Arkansas Battery below.
Regards
David
Trigg's Arkansas Battery Wakes Up the Union Camp
Trigg's Arkansas Battery, served at the Battle of Shiloh as part of Major Francis A. Shoup's Arkansas Artillery Battalion. It was another unit that served briefly and then was consolidated with another artillery battery. The Battery was organized by Captain John T. Trigg at Little Rock, Arkansas in May 1861. Trigg, the brother-in-law of Arkansas Governor Henry Rector, had previously served in the Pulaski Light Artillery, which had assisted in securing the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock and the post at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The new battery was armed with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers of Mexican War vintage. Trigg's Battery first moved to Pittman's Ferry, Arkansas, where they were transferred to Confederate service under Gen. William Hardee, who had been sent to Arkansas to organize newly recruited Arkansas units. There, they became part of Major Francis Shoup's Battalion of Arkansas Artillery, which consisted of three batteries. Shoup, who was an 1855 West Point graduate from Indiana, had moved to Florida in 1860, and decided to join the Confederacy. He was Gen. Hardee's Chief or Artillery and took charge of the Arkansas batteries.
In the fall Hardee's units were transferred to The Army of Central Kentucky at Bowling Green, Kentucky, under the immediate command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. After the fall of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862, the battery fell back with the rest of the army to Nashville and then to Corinth, Mississippi. As they entered the Battle of Shiloh on the morning of April 6, 1862, Trigg's Battery was with Shoup's Artillery Battalion, attached to Gen. Patrick Cleburne's Brigade. That morning at 7:10 AM. Cleburne ordered Capt. Trigg to "wake him (the Union camp) up with a few shells. The first round hit a treetop that went crashing down. Many of the rounds went wild, hampered by the excitement of their first action and poor visibility in the wooded terrain. The Confederate artillery of Shoup's Battalion, posted on a rise south of Shiloh branch soon came under counter battery fire from Gen. William T. Sherman's Batteries on high ground on either side of Shiloh Church. Cleburne noted the terrain hampering the artillery: "So thick were the leaves, he could only see in one direction, while the enemy were playing on him from several." The Federal Artillery was forced to retreat with some loss by Confederate infantry, who outflanked Gen. Sherman's line of battle.
That afternoon, Major Shoup and his staff rounded up artillery batteries near Duncan Field to counter Union artillery and put pressure on the Union center. Trigg's Battery was placed in line between Swett's Mississippi Battery and Robert's Arkansas Battery as part of what became known as "Ruggles' Battery". At about 4:30 PM Confederate staff officers had organized 53 cannons along this line which began to fire at the Union center, which was also outflanked by Confederate infantry. A large number of these Union forces surrendered while attempting to escape the position known as "The Hornet's Nest". Since no report was written for Trigg's Battery, the complete record of their actions at Shiloh is unknown.
After retreating to Corinth the battery was still under Capt. Trigg's command in May, when he was requisitioning friction primers. Apparently, when the unit was reorganized later in May, Trigg either chose not to continue in command or was not re-elected, and returned to Arkansas. By June 30, 1862, Trigg's Battery, now under the command of Thomas M. Austin, detailed from Key's Arkansas Battery, was listed as Austin's Arkansas Artillery assigned to a brigade commanded by Colonel Alexander T. Hawthorn. In July, the battery was disbanded and its guns and some of its personnel were assigned to Darden's Mississippi Battery which fought to the end of the war.
https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/posts/1434329536657028
I have posted the Shiloh National Military Park Facebook's page about Trigg's Arkansas Battery below.
Regards
David
Trigg's Arkansas Battery Wakes Up the Union Camp
Trigg's Arkansas Battery, served at the Battle of Shiloh as part of Major Francis A. Shoup's Arkansas Artillery Battalion. It was another unit that served briefly and then was consolidated with another artillery battery. The Battery was organized by Captain John T. Trigg at Little Rock, Arkansas in May 1861. Trigg, the brother-in-law of Arkansas Governor Henry Rector, had previously served in the Pulaski Light Artillery, which had assisted in securing the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock and the post at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The new battery was armed with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers of Mexican War vintage. Trigg's Battery first moved to Pittman's Ferry, Arkansas, where they were transferred to Confederate service under Gen. William Hardee, who had been sent to Arkansas to organize newly recruited Arkansas units. There, they became part of Major Francis Shoup's Battalion of Arkansas Artillery, which consisted of three batteries. Shoup, who was an 1855 West Point graduate from Indiana, had moved to Florida in 1860, and decided to join the Confederacy. He was Gen. Hardee's Chief or Artillery and took charge of the Arkansas batteries.
In the fall Hardee's units were transferred to The Army of Central Kentucky at Bowling Green, Kentucky, under the immediate command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. After the fall of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862, the battery fell back with the rest of the army to Nashville and then to Corinth, Mississippi. As they entered the Battle of Shiloh on the morning of April 6, 1862, Trigg's Battery was with Shoup's Artillery Battalion, attached to Gen. Patrick Cleburne's Brigade. That morning at 7:10 AM. Cleburne ordered Capt. Trigg to "wake him (the Union camp) up with a few shells. The first round hit a treetop that went crashing down. Many of the rounds went wild, hampered by the excitement of their first action and poor visibility in the wooded terrain. The Confederate artillery of Shoup's Battalion, posted on a rise south of Shiloh branch soon came under counter battery fire from Gen. William T. Sherman's Batteries on high ground on either side of Shiloh Church. Cleburne noted the terrain hampering the artillery: "So thick were the leaves, he could only see in one direction, while the enemy were playing on him from several." The Federal Artillery was forced to retreat with some loss by Confederate infantry, who outflanked Gen. Sherman's line of battle.
That afternoon, Major Shoup and his staff rounded up artillery batteries near Duncan Field to counter Union artillery and put pressure on the Union center. Trigg's Battery was placed in line between Swett's Mississippi Battery and Robert's Arkansas Battery as part of what became known as "Ruggles' Battery". At about 4:30 PM Confederate staff officers had organized 53 cannons along this line which began to fire at the Union center, which was also outflanked by Confederate infantry. A large number of these Union forces surrendered while attempting to escape the position known as "The Hornet's Nest". Since no report was written for Trigg's Battery, the complete record of their actions at Shiloh is unknown.
After retreating to Corinth the battery was still under Capt. Trigg's command in May, when he was requisitioning friction primers. Apparently, when the unit was reorganized later in May, Trigg either chose not to continue in command or was not re-elected, and returned to Arkansas. By June 30, 1862, Trigg's Battery, now under the command of Thomas M. Austin, detailed from Key's Arkansas Battery, was listed as Austin's Arkansas Artillery assigned to a brigade commanded by Colonel Alexander T. Hawthorn. In July, the battery was disbanded and its guns and some of its personnel were assigned to Darden's Mississippi Battery which fought to the end of the war.
https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/posts/1434329536657028
Bringing the