After the defeat at Pea Ridge, the battery accompanied the Army of the West when it was transferred across the Mississippi River into Tennessee. On April 21, while at Memphis, Bledsoe's Battery left the Missouri State Guard to join the Confederate States Army; another Missouri State Guard unit transferring to Confederate service was consolidated into Bledsoe's Battery at that time. By May 5, the battery had relocated to Corinth, Mississippi, where a muster was held; 53 men were members of the battery on that date. The Army of the West, under the command of Price, began preparing for an offensive movement and occupied Iuka, Mississippi in September. Van Dorn was in the area with another force, and Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant moved against Price in an attempt to destroy the Army of the West before it could be joined by Van Dorn. Grant's plan consisted of a two-pronged attack: Major General E. O. C. Ord was to attack Price from the northwest, and Major General William S. Rosecrans was to attack from the south. However, Price attacked Rosecrans on September 19, bringing on the Battle of Iuka. An acoustic shadow prevented Ord from hearing the sounds of the battle, and Price was able to escape from the trap. The next day, Bledsoe's Battery, which was not engaged at Iuka, was part of Price's rear guard as the Army of the West left the Iuka area.