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Re: Texas Artillery
In Response To: Re: Texas Artillery ()

Seven Texas batteries were present during the Red River Campaign:
Captain William Edgar's
Lamar Artillery, Captain James M. Daniel
Captain Horace Haldeman's
Valverde Battery, Captain Thomas D. Nettles
Captain Martin Van Buren McMahan's
Captain William G. Moseley's
Captain William E. Gibson's

Of these, Gibson's battery was present but did not participate in any of the engagements. Edgar's battery was captured on March 21, 1864, at Henderson's Hill and thus removed from the order of battle. Most, if not all, of these batteries had at least six cannon when they entered Confederate service. By the time of the Red River Campaign, however, all of them had been reduced to only four cannon due to shortages of horses or other difficulties. The following information is not definitive but is based upon more than twenty years of researching light and heavy artillery batteries in the Trans-Mississippi Department (with an emphasis on the District of West Louisiana).

Captain William Edgar's Battery consisted of two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers. After the campaign had ended, the battery was given four 6-pounder bronze rifles that had belonged to the 2nd Massachusetts Battery and had been captured at Mansfield.

Lamar Artillery (Captain James M. Daniel) had one 12-pounder howitzer, one 6-pounder smoothbore, and one 3-inch rifle. The battery lost its 6-pounder and and its howitzer at Pleasant Hill. It received two more 12-pounder howitzers and another 3-inch rifle.

Captain Horace Haldeman's battery appears to have entered the campaign with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers. The battery had turned in two 6-pounders, which were assigned to Captain Moseley's battery when it arrived from Texas on April 6. Following the Battle of Mansfield, the battery appears to have exchanged its 6-pounders for two 12-pounder Napoleons captured in that battle.

Valverde Battery (Captain Thomas D. Nettles) began the campaign with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers. Following the Battle of Mansfield, the battery exchanged its howitzers for two 3-inch ordnance rifles captured in that battle.

Captain Martin Van Buren McMahan's. I do not have complete information on the cannon this battery had when the campaign began. Two of the cannon appear to have been a 12-pounder bronze howitzer and a 3-inch rifle. After the Battle of Mansfield, it received two 6-pounder bronze rifles captured from the 2nd Massachusetts Battery at that battle.

Captain William G. Moseley's. Again, the armament of this battery when it reached Louisiana about April 6 is unclear. It had two guns that Moseley called 7 1/2-pounders, but which were 6-pounders bored out to increase their caliber. They were replaced with two bronze 6-pounders that had belonged to Haldeman's battery. It appears the battery had one 12-pounder bronze howitzer at that time. After the Battle of Mansfield, it received two 3-inch steel rifles, Dyer pattern, that had been captured in that battle. It apparently gave up one of the 6-pounders when it received these rifles and ended the campaign with the two rifles, the howitzer, and the 6-pounder.

Captain William E. Gibson's. This battery consisted of four cannon, types unknown, when the campaign started. By the end of the campaign, it had two 6-pounder bronze smoothbores, one 12-pounder howitzer, and one 3-inch rifle.

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