| Second Light Artillery. — Col., Thomas S. Mather;
Lieut.-Col., William L. Duff; Majs., Charles J. Stolbrand, Frederick A.
Starring, Adolph Schwartz, Edwin H. Smith, Rolla Madison, Peter
Davidson, John W. Powell, William H. Bolton.
Battery A was organized at Peoria and was mustered into the state
service May 23, 1861. It moved to Alton in July, thence to St. Charles,
Mo., with Gen. Pope, and thence to Mexico, Mo. From that place sections
were sent to different parts of north Missouri, being again united at
Jefferson barracks, at which place the battery was mustered into the U.
S. service, Aug. 17, 1861. It was engaged in the battle of Pea ridge,
where it did faithful and brilliant service, and a section of the
battery did good service at Neosho and Fayetteville. The battery had 17
men wounded at the battle of Pea ridge and was given honorable mention
in the reports, all the officers and men displaying the utmost firmness
and efficiency. One section of the battery also participated in the
battle of Prairie Grove, firing 320 rounds during the engagement. The
battery was prominently identified with the campaign leading up to the
siege of Vicksburg, took part in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion's
hill, and Black River bridge, losing 1 man killed at Port Gibson, and
twice silencing the enemy's guns at Champion's hill. At Black River
bridge it did good service and was then engaged throughout the entire
siege of Vicksburg. It then marched with Sherman's forces and
participated in the siege of Jackson, Miss., after which it returned to
its camp in the rear of Vicksburg. In the fall of 1863 it was
transferred to the Department of the Gulf and was for a time stationed
at New Orleans, where a major portion of the battery reenlisted as
veterans in Jan., 1864. Returning to the field, it served in Louisiana
until after the close of hostilities, being mustered out of service at
Camp Butler July 27, 1865.
Battery B was organized in the summer of 1861 and was generally known
as "Chapman's battery." The records in the adjutant-general's office do
not give the exact dates of its muster, nor when it was finally
discharged from service. At the battle of Corinth in Oct., 1862, it
manned Battery Chapman and played an important part in repelling the
assaults of the enemy. With Hurlbut's (16th) corps it took part in the
operations against Vicksburg and was then stationed at Fort Pickering,
Memphis, Tenn., until the early part of 1864. In June of that year it
accompanied Sturgis' expedition into Mississippi and later was ordered
to Paducah, where it remained until the spring of 1865.
Battery C was organized in Aug., 1861, though the exact date of its
muster can not be obtained from the records on file in the
adjutant-general's office. It was for a time under Gen. Strong in the
District of Cairo, and was then attached to Quinby's division, operating
about Fort Donelson, Tenn. It was next with Granger's division in the
middle Tennessee campaign; took part in the operations about
Chickamauga; and in Jan., 1864, was ordered to Fort Pickering at
Memphis. In April, 1864, it became part of Mower's division of the 16th
corps and remained with it the remainder of the year, taking part in
most of the actions in which the division was engaged. It was generally
known as Flood's battery.
Battery D was organized at Cairo and was mustered into the U. S.
service in Dec, 1861, equipped with 6 James' brass rifled cannon. The
first active service for this battery was in Feb., 1862, at the battle
of Fort Donelson, where it served in the division under Gen. J. A.
McClernand; went through the entire siege, doing effective work and
suffering severely from exposure to the weather and the enemy's fire. It
then proceeded up the Tennessee river to Pittsburg landing and took an
active part in the battle of Shiloh, losing 18 men killed, 28 wounded,
49 horses killed, 4 cannon and 4 caissons with some ammunition captured,
all occurring inside of 30 minutes from time of going into battle.
During the second day's fight the battery recaptured the guns that had
been taken from it the day previous. It participated in the movement on
Corinth, after which it was engaged in a skirmish at Davis' mill, Miss.,
and a fight at Fayette, Tenn., with Gen. Forrest's command. It was on
post duty at Grand Junction until Jan., 1864, and for several months
following was a part of Sherman's command. It participated in the fight
at Decatur, Ala., with Gen. Hood, when the latter attacked the place
with a force of 40,000, and remained at Decatur until ordered to
Louisville, Ky., where it was mustered out on Nov. 21, 1864.
Battery E was organized at St. Louis, Mo., and was mustered into
service Aug. 20, 1861, at the St. Louis arsenal. One section of the
battery moved, on Sept. 6, to north Missouri, had an engagement with the
enemy at Liberty, and then moved to Cairo. The battery participated in
the battle of Fort Donelson and was engaged during the battle of Shiloh,
taking six different positions. It was in the siege of Corinth, and in
June marched to Purdy, Bethel and Jackson, Tenn. On July 28, 1862,
Lieut. Dengel's section marched from Bolivar with Col. Lawler's brigade,
and had an engagement at Britton's Lane, in which the section was
captured, together with Lieut. Dengel and 10 men. During the engagement
the artillery was recaptured. The battery participated in the siege of
Vicksburg and after the capitulation of that stronghold was in the siege
of Jackson. It was then transferred to the Department of the Gulf and in
Jan., 1864, a portion of the battery reenlisted as veterans. In March,
through general orders, it was authorized to have inscribed on its
colors the battle names of Liberty, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Siege of
Corinth, Britton's Lane, Vicksburg and Jackson. In May, while on a
reconnaissance, it had a slight skirmish with the enemy near Baton
Rouge, La., and on Aug. 3, 1864, it was consolidated with Battery A.
Battery F was organized at Cape Girardeau, Mo., and was mustered in
Dec. 11, 1861. On April 6, 1862, it went into the battle of Shiloh and
fired its last shot in the battle at 6 p. m., having lost 2 guns and 27
horses. It was engaged in the siege of Corinth, and in October one
section was engaged in the battle of the same name. The battery was
engaged in the siege of Vicksburg; in a scout from Natchez to Liberty,
La.; in the Meridian campaign; and one section was in the fight on the
Hatchie. It fought at Kennesaw mountain in the Atlanta campaign, and was
heavily engaged on July 22 before Atlanta, losing 1 lieutenant and 32
men, killed, wounded and missing. It took part in the siege of Atlanta,
and was in the battles at Jonesboro and at Nashville, Tenn. It was
ordered to Springfield on July 9, 1865, and was mustered out on the
27th.
Battery G, commanded successively by Capts. Stolbrand, Sparrestrom
and Lowell, was organized in the fall of 1861, though the records do not
give the date when it was mustered into the U. S. service. It was
engaged in the reduction of Island No. 10 and New Madrid; served later
in the year 1862 in Quinby's division, and in November was assigned to
Gen. Hurlbut's command in the District of Columbus, Ky. In the beginning
of the Vicksburg campaign 2 men and most of its equipments were lost by
the sinking of the steamboat Horizon. The battery was refitted and
attached to Logan's division of the 17th corps, with which it took part
in the siege of Vicksburg. In Dec, 1863, it was sent to Union City,
Tenn., and operated in that vicinity until the following spring, being
engaged in repelling Forrest's raid. It accompanied Gen. A. J. Smith's
expedition to Tupelo, Miss., in July, 1864, and was with the expedition
to Oxford in August. With Garrard's division of Smith's detachment of
the 16th corps it participated in the campaign in north Alabama and
middle Tennessee, was then stationed for a time at Fort Donelson, and
was actively engaged in the battle of Nashville, which was its last
important battle.
Battery H was organized at Camp Butler and was mustered in Dec. 31,
1861. On Feb. 6, 1862, it moved to Cairo and was stationed at Fort Holt.
One section was engaged in the siege of Fort Donelson and one section
moved to the siege of Fort Pillow, returning to Columbus, Ky. One
section moved to Smithland, Ky., Sept. 4, one to Clarksville, where it
engaged the enemy under Woodward, and returned to Fort Heiman. On Jan.
1, 1864, 65 men reenlisted as veterans and were furloughed. In August
the battery was in action at Canton and Rockcastle ford, Ky., and
subsequently was in garrison at Clarksville until July 15, 1865. It was
mustered out at Springfield, July 29, 1865.
Battery I was recruited in Will county and was mustered into the U.
S. service at Camp Butler Dec. 31, 1861. It remained at Camp Butler
until Feb. 7, 1862, when it was ordered to Cairo. It took part in the
siege of Island No. 10, under Gen. Pope; was active in the advance upon
Corinth, and was in several engagements prior to the evacuation of the
place, among which was Blackland and Farmington. It went into action at
daybreak at Perryville, Ky., and was under fire until dark, having 4 men
wounded in that fight. On Sept. 13, 1863, it went into camp at
Rossville, Ga., and a week later took an active part in the battle of
Chickamauga. It also took part in the battles of Lookout mountain,
Missionary ridge and Chattanooga. On Jan. 1, 1864, all of the old
members were mustered out and remustered as veterans. They arrived at
Springfield, Ill., Jan. 16, where they were given 30 days' furlough and
ordered to report for duty at Joliet, Ill. Returning to the field, it
started in May on the Atlanta campaign, in which it took a prominent
part, the last battle being at Jonesboro. It marched from Atlanta to
Savannah, and from the latter place proceeded with Sherman's army
through South and North Carolina, being in every engagement of 14th army
corps. Upon the surrender of Gen. Johnston's army, the battery proceeded
to Washington, took part in the grand review, and from there was ordered
to Springfield, Ill., to be mustered out.
Battery K was organized at Camp Butler and was mustered in Dec. 31,
1861. On Feb. 7, 1862, it moved to Cairo and in March to Columbus, Ky.
In October it went to Clarkton, Mo., which was occupied by 300
Confederates, and attacked and destroyed the place. It took part in the
siege of Vicksburg, and in Aug., 1863, moved to Natchez, Miss., where it
remained engaged in various expeditions and raids until Dec. 11, 1864,
when it moved to Memphis and went on garrison duty. On July 9, 1865, it
was ordered to Chicago, where it arrived on the 11th, and was mustered
out on the 14th.
Battery L was organized at Camp Douglas and was mustered in Feb. 28,
1862. On March 11 it moved to Benton barracks. Mo., and on April 8 to
Pittsburg landing, Tenn. It was engaged in various movements in
Tennessee and Mississippi until the battle of the Hatchie, at which
place the battery captured a 4-gun battery and a stand of colors from
the enemy. When Holly Springs was destroyed by the enemy it returned to
Memphis, and then accompanied Grant's army to Lake Providence and
Milliken's bend. It crossed the Mississippi and was engaged in the
campaign against Vicksburg; took part in the siege and was 47 days in
the trenches. After the fall of Vicksburg it again commenced the
campaign in Louisiana, under Brig.-Gen. Leggett, and marched after Gen.
McCullough to Monroe, from where it returned to Vicksburg. In June,
1864, it fought under McArthur at Benton and Gleasonville, and in July
under Maj.-Gen. Slocum at Clinton and Jackson, Miss., which ended its
active operations in the field. From that time until its muster out it
was assigned to the defenses of Vicksburg. At the date of leaving the
service it mustered 130 men, of over 450 who had been on its rolls from
its organization. The battery was mustered out at Chicago Aug. 9, 1865.
Battery M was organized at Chicago, and was mustered in at
Springfield in June, 1862. It moved from Camp Douglas May 11, 1863, for
Covington, Ky. One section of the battery moved with an expedition to
Gladesville, Va., capturing Col. Cordell, 20 officers and 100 enlisted
men of the enemy. In September it advanced on the enemy at Jonesboro,
Tenn., where one section of the battery was engaged. On Sept. 23, it
engaged the enemy's batteries at Carter's station. The second section
had a sharp engagement with the enemy, at Blue Springs on Oct. 5, and on
the 10th the whole battery was in action all day at the same place. On
Oct. 13 it came up with the enemy at Blountsville and engaged him. On
the morning of Nov. 6 it was attacked by the Confederate Gen. Jones,
with 4,000 men, and after a sharp engagement, in which the battery lost
4 men killed and 35 captured, the guns were spiked and abandoned.
Eighty-six men and 50 horses and equipments were saved. After the siege
of Knoxville the battery was ordered to recross the Cumberland mountains
and report at Camp Nelson. It was afterwards engaged in various duties
in Kentucky and Tennessee until April 25, 1865, when it was mustered
out. |