Helena Artillery
Encyclopedia
The Helena Artillery was a Confederate Army artillery
battery
during the American Civil War
. The unit was known by several other designations during the war including; Key's Battery, Arkansas Light Artillery The unit was occasionally assigned to artillery battalions from other states, so the Arkansas unit was at various times designated as Company C, 20th Alabama Light Artillery Battalion and later as Company H, 28th Georgia Artillery Battalion.
On September 1, 1864 all but 12 men of the battery were captured, along with the Battery's flag at Jonesboro, GA (siege of Atlanta) by the 3rd Ohio Volunteers (1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Company E). Following this, the remainder of Key’s Battery followed General John B. Hood into Tennessee and fought in the Battle of Nashville
. After the defeat at Nashville and the retreat from Tennessee, the battery was split. Captain Key, with half of the battery was assigned to protect the city of Macon, GA and to recruit more soldiers. They were captured when the city fell. The remaining portion went on to fight at Selma, where they were captured.
The Helena Artillery was involved in the following battles:
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battery
Battery
Battery may refer to:*Artillery battery, an organized group of artillery pieces; also gun battery with similar groupings on warships*Battery , contact with another in a manner likely to cause bodily harm...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The unit was known by several other designations during the war including; Key's Battery, Arkansas Light Artillery The unit was occasionally assigned to artillery battalions from other states, so the Arkansas unit was at various times designated as Company C, 20th Alabama Light Artillery Battalion and later as Company H, 28th Georgia Artillery Battalion.
Organization
The Helena Artillery was organized at Helena, Phillips County, Arkansas, on April 27, 1861. The battery was enrolled in State service for three months on April 29, 1861. Captain A. W. Clarkson was the first commander of the battery, which was initially composed primarily of Phillips County men. On July 6, 1861, the battery was mustered into Confederate service for twelve months (later extended for the duration of the war) at Memphis, Tennessee. A number of men declined to enter Confederate service, and were discharged on July 23, 1861, at Pitman’s Ferry, Arkansas. The Helena Artillery was closely associated with Colonel Patrick R. Cleburne’s 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (later redesignated 15th Arkansas Infantry), and a number of transfers took place between the two units. Later, the Helena Artillery was augmented by transfers from various Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee regiments, and by conscripts recruited in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Note: The Helena Artillery was variously referred to as Clarkson’s Battery, Calvert’s Battery, and Key’s Battery. The Compiled Service Records are filed under Key’s Battery, on NARA microfilm roll #39.Battles
The Helena Artillery crossed the Mississippi River with Hardee’s Brigade in the fall of 1861, and never returned to Arkansas. Captain Clarkson resigned and was succeeded by Captain John H. Calvert on July 2, 1862. Later that year, charges were preferred against Captain Calvert that he got drunk and exposed himself to the citizens of Nashville, Tennessee, and was put in jail by the guard. He promised not to drink anymore during the war. If he did, he was to tender his resignation. Captain Calvert was showed up drunk on the battlefield at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 31, 1862. He tendered his resignation on February 6, 1863. He was succeeded in command by Captain Thomas J. Key, who had transferred from the 15th Arkansas Infantry the previous summer. Key’s Battery fought in the Kentucky Campaign of 1862, as well as the battles of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga, and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. The battery was mentioned for conspicuous gallantry and professionalism at Chickamauga. Two members of Key’s Battery, Privates James McCourtney and George McMillon, were awarded the Confederate equivalent of the Medal of Honor for heroism at Chickamauga. Captain Key had a reputation as an audacious battery commander, often running his guns up close to the enemy, in advance of the infantry, pouring rapid and accurate fire into the enemy. Many reports and correspondence mention the incredibly fast loading and firing that characterized the Helena Artillery.On September 1, 1864 all but 12 men of the battery were captured, along with the Battery's flag at Jonesboro, GA (siege of Atlanta) by the 3rd Ohio Volunteers (1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Company E). Following this, the remainder of Key’s Battery followed General John B. Hood into Tennessee and fought in the Battle of Nashville
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
. After the defeat at Nashville and the retreat from Tennessee, the battery was split. Captain Key, with half of the battery was assigned to protect the city of Macon, GA and to recruit more soldiers. They were captured when the city fell. The remaining portion went on to fight at Selma, where they were captured.
The Helena Artillery was involved in the following battles:
- Battle of ShilohBattle of ShilohThe Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, Tennessee, April 6-7, 1862. - Siege of CorinthSiege of CorinthThe Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
, April to June 1862. - Battle of PerryvilleBattle of PerryvilleThe Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
, Kentucky, October 8, 1862. - Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 31, 1862 to January 3, 1863.
- Tullahoma CampaignTullahoma CampaignThe Tullahoma Campaign or Middle Tennessee Campaign was fought between June 24 and July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Union Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Maj. Gen. William S...
, June 24 - July 3, 1863. - Battle of Liberty Gap, Tennessee, June 24-26, 1863.
- Battle of ChickamaugaBattle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
, Georgia, September 19-20, 1863. - Siege of ChattanoogaChattanooga CampaignThe Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen...
, September to November 1863. - Atlanta CampaignAtlanta CampaignThe Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
, May to September 1864. - Battle of Pickett's MillBattle of Pickett's MillThe Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought on May 27, 1864, in Paulding County, Georgia during the American Civil War between Union and Confederate forces. Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman attempted an attack on the right flank of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.After the Union defeat at...
, Georgia, May 27, 1864. - Battle of Kennesaw MountainBattle of Kennesaw MountainThe Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
, Georgia, June 27, 1864. - Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864.
- Battle of NashvilleBattle of NashvilleThe Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
, Tennessee, December 15-16, 1864.
Surrender
At the end of the war, the Helen'a Artillery appears to have been divided into two sections. One group, under Captain Key, surrendered at Macon, Georgia, on April 20, 1865. The other group, under First Sergeant D. G. Johnson, surrendered at Selma, Alabama, on May 4, 1865.External Links
- Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
- The Encylopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
- The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
- The Arkansas History Commission, State Archives, Civil War in Arkansas
See also
- List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
- Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State
- Confederate Units by State
- Arkansas in the American Civil WarArkansas in the American Civil WarThe state of Arkansas was a part of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, and provided a source of troops, supplies, and military and political leaders for the fledgling country. Arkansas had become the 25th state of the United States, on June 15, 1836, entering as a...
- Arkansas Militia in the Civil WarArkansas Militia in the Civil WarThe units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War included militia organizations to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection: the militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia...