page_title: 1st Missouri Field Battery
section_title: 1863
hierarchical_section_title: 1st Missouri Field Battery / Service history / 1863
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Northwestern Arkansas during American Civil War
context_page_description: The 1st Missouri Field Battery was a field artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. As the Confederates had lost control of the state of Missouri after the Battle of Pea Ridge in early 1862, the battery was formed by Captain Westley F. Roberts in Arkansas in September as Roberts' Missouri Battery. The unit then fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, as part of a Confederate offensive. Roberts' Battery withdrew after the battle and transferred to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Roberts resigned and was replaced by Lieutenant Samuel T. Ruffner.
  During the middle of 1863, the unit, as Ruffner's Missouri Battery, was part of a force sent to the Mississippi River under the command of Colonel John Bullock Clark Jr., with the intent of harassing Union shipping. Clark's force was eventually recalled to Little Rock, which was being threatened by the Union Army of Arkansas under Major General Frederick Steele. The Confederates abandoned Little Rock on September 10, and Ruffner's Battery saw action during the retreat as part of the rear guard.
context_section_description: By January 6, 1863, the battery had been transferred to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Roberts resigned.  Lieutenant Samuel T. Ruffner became commander of the battery, which adopted his name.  The unit remained in Little Rock until February, when it boarded a steamboat for transport to the vicinity of Pine Bluff, Arkansas; the latter point was reached on February 22.  While near Pine Bluff, the battery was stationed at a position named Fort Pleasant as part of Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost's brigade.  In June, the battery, as part of a force commanded by Colonel John Bullock Clark Jr., moved to a point along the Mississippi River with the intention of interfering with Union shipping.  Ruffner's Battery, which was armed with four 6-pounders at this point, was positioned at a point on the river named Gaines' Landing, along with the 8th and 9th Missouri Infantry Regiments.  After firing on Union Navy shipping on June 22 and 27, Ruffner's Battery, along with the two infantry regiments, fought an inconclusive skirmish against the 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, the 4th Ohio Battery, and the 5th Illinois Cavalry Regiment on June 28 at Gaines' Landing.
  In late July, Clark's force was transferred back to Little Rock, as the city was threatened by the Union Army of Arkansas under Major General Frederick Steele.  The Confederates abandoned Little Rock on September 10 without a fight.  On September 11, Ruffner's Battery was part of the Confederate rear guard.  Union cavalry were pursuing the Confederates, and encountered elements from the 11th and 12th Missouri Cavalry Regiments.  Ruffner's Battery then fired at the pursuers with the unit's four cannons, inflicting casualties.  After additional fighting between the Union cavalry and the 5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment and Elliott's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, the retreat continued without further pursuit.  After the retreat from the city, Ruffner's Battery was temporarily assigned to Marmaduke's cavalry division.
  After capturing Little Rock, Union troops occupied several points on the Arkansas River.  Pine Bluff was occupied by the 5th Kansas and 1st Indiana Cavalry Regiments; the garrison was commanded by Colonel Powell Clayton.  On October 25, Marmaduke attacked Pine Bluff.  The Union cavalrymen barricaded the town square, which was then assaulted by Marmaduke's cavalry.  Ruffner's Battery served on the right of the Confederate line.  The Confederate attacks failed to carry the makeshift defensive position, and Marmaduke's men withdrew after participating in some looting.  On December 2, the battery's assignment to Marmaduke's division ended, and the unit left Marmaduke on the 5th.  Ruffner's Battery returned to Fort Pleasant without its cannons, which were given to Joseph Bledsoe's Missouri Battery.  Once the fort was reached, Ruffner's Battery was assigned the cannons of a defunct artillery unit: two 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 12-pounder howitzers.
caption: Map of key points in Arkansas, including Van Buren, Little Rock, and Pine Bluff
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