Army of the West (1862) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Army of the WestTrans-Mississippi District |
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| Active | March 4, 1862–September 28, 1862 |
| Country |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch |  Confederate States Army |
| Engagements | Battle of Pea Ridge Battle of Iuka Second Battle of Corinth Battle of Hatchie's Bridge |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Earl Van Dorn John P. McCown Sterling Price |
The Army of the West was a group of soldiers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Trans-Mississippi District. This army was part of the larger Army of Mississippi.
It fought in important battles like the Battle of Pea Ridge, the Battle of Corinth, and the Battle of Iuka. At its largest, the Army of the West had about 20,000 soldiers.
Contents
History of the Army of the West
The Pea Ridge Campaign
In 1861, Confederate forces in Missouri and Arkansas were split. Major General Sterling Price led the Missouri State Guard. Major General Benjamin McCulloch led Confederate volunteers. Price and McCulloch often argued about how to fight the war. They only worked together once, at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in August 1861.
In February 1862, the Union Army of the Southwest pushed Price's Missouri State Guard into Arkansas. There, Price joined McCulloch's forces. They set up camp for the winter in the Boston Mountains. Price and McCulloch started arguing again. Price also began signing up his State Guard soldiers into the regular Confederate army. This process was slow.
To fix the problem of two arguing commanders, Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Major General Earl Van Dorn. Van Dorn was put in charge of the District of the Trans-Mississippi. This area included Missouri, Arkansas, the Indian Territory, and northern Louisiana.
Van Dorn started his attack on March 5. He found the Union army behind strong defenses. Van Dorn decided to march around the Union army and attack from behind. This flanking march began on the night of March 6–7.
There was a delay because the Confederates had to build a bridge. By morning, Price's soldiers reached the Telegraph Road. McCulloch's men were behind him. A rocky ridge called Big Mountain was between them and the Union army.
McCulloch got permission to go around Big Mountain. He planned to meet Price near Elkhorn Tavern. However, a part of the Union army stopped McCulloch's men. McCulloch was killed while scouting. Another officer, James McIntosh, was also killed. Union soldiers then defeated McCulloch's infantry.
Meanwhile, Price's force, with Van Dorn, reached Elkhorn Tavern. They found Union soldiers defending the area. Price ordered a charge after an artillery attack. The Confederates pushed the Union line back. They even captured a cannon. But they could not completely defeat the Union soldiers. Price was wounded twice but stayed in the fight.
During the night, the rest of McCulloch's soldiers arrived. But no supplies came. The supply wagons were miles away. This meant the Confederates were low on ammunition.
The Union army gathered around the Confederate positions. At dawn, they started a two-hour artillery attack. The Confederates quickly ran out of artillery shells. They could not get more for hours. Van Dorn ordered his army to retreat. The retreat was chaotic, with units leaving in disorder.
After the battle, the army went to Van Buren. Van Dorn reorganized it into one large group under Price. At this time, General P. G. T. Beauregard ordered Van Dorn to bring his army to Corinth, Mississippi. They were to join another Confederate force for an attack on the Union army at Shiloh.
However, Van Dorn's army faced bad roads. They did not reach Corinth until a week after the Battle of Shiloh. Van Dorn also brought many supplies with him. This left few men and supplies behind in Arkansas.
The Iuka-Corinth Campaign
After the Army of the West moved to Corinth, some of its soldiers joined the Army of Mississippi. The remaining units were reorganized by Price. They formed two divisions and a cavalry group.
General Braxton Bragg was the new commander of the area. He divided Mississippi into several commands. Van Dorn was put in charge of the District of the Mississippi. Price was given the District of the Tennessee. Price's field army was the Army of the West.
Price was told to hold the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He also had to stop Union forces from reinforcing the Union army in Kentucky. Van Dorn was supposed to help Price. At first, Van Dorn did not want to join Price. He focused on trying to recapture Baton Rouge. When that attack failed, Van Dorn changed his mind.
Meanwhile, Price started an attack without waiting for Van Dorn. He captured the town of Iuka on September 14. He also took many supplies left by the Union soldiers. Union Generals U. S. Grant and William S. Rosecrans planned to trap Price. Grant would attack from the northwest. Rosecrans would attack from the south and southwest.
The two Union columns reached Iuka on September 19. But due to poor communication, Grant did not attack as planned. This allowed Price to focus on Rosecrans. This led to the Battle of Iuka. The Confederates pushed back the Union line. Price decided to retreat to avoid being surrounded. The Confederates lost 652 soldiers.
Price joined Van Dorn at Ripley, Mississippi, on September 28. Price then placed himself under Van Dorn's command. The Army of the West was renamed Price's Corps. This corps, along with another division, formed Van Dorn's Army of West Tennessee.
Van Dorn told Price his plan to capture Corinth. First, they would march northwest to confuse the Union command. Then, they would turn around and attack Corinth from the north. Price did not like the plan, but he went along with it.
During the two-day Battle of Corinth, Price's corps did most of the fighting. On the first day, Price's soldiers pushed the Union troops back. On the second day, his divisions broke through parts of the Union line. They briefly entered Corinth. But they had to fall back because they lacked support.
Van Dorn ordered a retreat. The army first went towards Pocahontas. Van Dorn suggested attacking Corinth again from the south. But Price and another officer talked him out of it. The retreat continued westward.
On October 6, Van Dorn learned that another Union force was approaching. He sent a division to hold the Davis Bridge over the Hatchie River. This would allow the army to reach another crossing. The Confederate line at the bridge was overrun. The Confederates lost 300 prisoners. Once a temporary bridge was built, the Confederate army retreated to Holly Springs.
Price's force lost 35 percent of its strength. Most of these losses were in one division. Both Price's and Van Dorn's commands were combined into a new department. Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton took command of the Army of West Tennessee. Price was moved to a different department in February 1863. However, his Missouri regiments did not go with him.
Commanders
- Earl Van Dorn (January–March 1862)
- John P. McCown (March–July 1862)
- Sterling Price (July–September 1862)
