With Good’s Texas Battery at Pea Ridge

Although the battle at Pea Ridge did not result in a victory for the Confederate Army of the West, First Lieutenant James P. Douglas of Good’s Texas Battery felt confident “we have taught the Federals a lesson they won’t forget soon.” Engaged at both Leetown on March 7th and near Elkhorn Tavern the following day, Douglas and his battery experienced some of the hottest artillery fighting of the entire engagement.

The artillery duel with the Federals on the morning of March 8th he considered most impressive. “At sunrise, we opened on the enemy’s batteries to our front at a distance of 600 yards. Our fire was answered with great spirit and soon the roar became ceaseless and sublime. The six-piece battery to our left fired a few rounds and fell back. The one to our right fired slowly while the enemy with eight batteries poured a torrent of shot, shell, and canister upon our little band. Our boys manned the guns with coolness and great rapidity. Soon many of them were wounded and finally Charlie Erwin, the brave boy, fell nobly by his gun.” Eventually, Douglas and the other lieutenants with the battery took their place as gunners until the ammunition gave out and the battery fell back.

          The following letter, originally published in the Tyler Reporter in Douglas’s home state of Texas, was republished by the New Orleans Sunday Delta in their April 13, 1862, edition.

 

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Pea Ridge battlefield which is one of the most complete and best preserved fields in the country. The battle occurred in two phases on March 7th with fighting both at Leetown and Elkhorn Tavern; the fighting of the second day occurred closer to Elkhorn Tavern and ended disastrously for Van Dorn's army. 

Van Buren, Arkansas

March 15, 1862

          Within the last ten days much of interest has transpired in this region, accounts of which you have doubtless had before this. On the morning of the 3rd of March, General [Earl] Van Dorn ordered us on a forced march to the vicinity of Curtis’s army in Benton County, Arkansas. Accordingly, we moved and on the 6th our cavalry encountered 3,000 Federals near Bentonville and surprised them, capturing their foragers and engaging the main body while killing 30-40 and losing four or five. We were in hearing of Sigel’s cannons as he fired retreating but did not reach the scene until he was gone. Greer’s regiment [3rd Texas Cavalry] did good service in the engagement.

          On the 7th after marching all night, we attacked the main body of the enemy in his rear and on his right, thus cutting off his retreat, Price moving on him from the north and McCulloch from the west. At 9:30 a.m., Price opened his cannons to which the enemy responded to and at 10:30 McCulloch commenced his attack; I fired the first gun which struck well in the midst of the [enemy] battery which was promptly charged and captured by our cavalry. Our infantry was ordered forward on the left and our battery planted in the center.

We opened on a fine battery in front at a distance of 400 yards and for an hour I paid but little attention to the progress of the battle generally as the belching mouths of the enemy’s guns refused to be silent. But at the end of that time, with my entire approbation, our antagonists limbered to the rear and hurried away, leaving the field to us together with 17 dead Federals, the captain among the number. Our loss was four men wounded and three or four horses killed. It seems to me that no more damage was done us in this deal as the shot and shell fell in showers around us; besides, the enemy had two rifled guns whose fire was so accurate as to compel us several times to move our guns out of their range.

General Benjamin McCulloch

During our engagement, General McCulloch had led the infantry forward on our left and inch by inch had driven back the enemy around the slope of a mountain nearly half a mile. The general rode up to our battery after we ceased firing with the glow of victory in his face and asked our success. He paused but a moment and rode away.

Soon I heard a tremendous roar of musketry to our left, of which I learned that General. McCulloch had led the old 3rd Louisiana and some other regiments in person to a charge which proved to be a very dangerous one. The enemy being driven back several hundred yards, concentrated on the right wing, and resisted him with a threefold force, also opening on him with a masked battery. The infantry promptly drove back the superior numbers and took the battery but in the moment of victory the noble patriot McCulloch was killed. About simultaneously was killed the gallant General McIntosh. Colonel Hebert, commanding the Second Brigade, was about the same time cut off and captured along with Major Tunnard commanding the 3rd Louisiana.

Our troops, not aware of the misfortunes of their leaders, fell back, formed, and awaited orders. The battle ceased; our troops awaited orders and at about 3 p.m. General [Albert] Pike ordered us to move by the road to Price’s rear which we accordingly did, reaching him after dark. We found that the work had gone bravely with Price, General Van Dorn commanding in person. He had surmounted hill after hill until he had reached and driven the enemy from the commanding summit where the Elkhorn Tavern is situated. He had captured one fine battery and in the enemy’s commissary and quartermaster stores with extensive supplies. The day seemed our without a doubt; all rests on their oars during the night. A complete capture of the enemy seemed to be the aim of our general.

This recreation of Elkhorn Tavern is located on the original site of the structure. In the foreground is the old roadbed of what was called the Telegraph or Wire road, which carried telegraph lines from Fort Smith to the southwest to St. Louis about 200 miles to the northeast. During the Civil War, this road was heavily traveled by both armies. The original tavern was burned by guerillas in early 1863 and this NPS structure is modeled on postwar images of the replacement building constructed shortly after the war. 

Early in the morning, General Van Dorn ordered up the best battery. Ours was carried up by his aide. We were posted on the north slope of the hill in the center nearest the enemy. Two other batteries and some infantrymen were posted near us. At sunrise, we opened on the enemy’s batteries to our front at a distance of 600 yards. Our fire was answered with great spirit and soon the roar became ceaseless and sublime.

The six-piece battery to our left fired a few rounds and fell back. The one to our right fired slowly while the enemy with eight batteries poured a torrent of shot, shell, and canister upon our little band. Our boys manned the guns with coolness and great rapidity. Soon many of them were wounded and finally Charlie Erwin, the brave boy, fell nobly by his gun. Our numbers being finally diminished to about one half the proper number of cannoneers, I took my position at gun No. 2 as gunner. Lieutenants Boren and Davis also acted as gunners.

First Lieutenant (later Captain) James Postell Douglas, Good's Texas Battery

We stood their fire for an hour and a half when the ammunition for the 12-lb guns failed; this we reported and were ordered to fall back. Captain [William] Hart’s battery [Hart’s Arkansas Battery of four 6-pdr field guns] took our place. We moved back to replenish our ammunition chests. In about 40 minutes, the enemy moved up with infantry four deep and cavalry in rear and broke our center. General Van Dorn ordered the forces to fall back to the left which they did in perfect order and were marched away to the southeast save our battery, which with 3 pieces of Price’s artillery, one regiment of infantry, and one company of cavalry along with some stragglers, failed to get the order and moved down the Springfield road.

 

Captain John Jay Good, commanding Good's Texas Battery 
(Photo courtesy of Mike Judd/Find-A-Grave)

“Captain Good of the Texas battery has immortalized himself. It seems that while a larger portion of our army was retreating southward, he was compelled to move to Missouri in the face of the enemy followed by a large portion of Price’s artillery and taking with them the pieces captured from the enemy. He kept the Telegraph Road until within a short distance of Keatsville when he turned to the right, making his way eastwards over high and rocky mountains, through deep ravines, and along roads and bypaths untraveled and unknown. He led the long train of unprotected artillery until he finally reached Huntsville. From thence he traveled westward, once more reaching our retreating column on the 12th amid loud cheers and hearty congratulations from all for his escape. There were 43 pieces of artillery under his command and Captain Good can scarcely give an explanation of his miraculous escape, losing only one caisson in this exploit.” ~Dallas Weekly Herald

 

We were pursued by the cavalry for one mile; the infantry formed once and drove them back. Our battery and Captain Tull’s [Tull’s Missouri Battery] two miles from the field took a dim road over the mountains to our right while the others marched to Keatsville and turned to the right. We marched hard all day almost without a road and the evening shades found us 15 miles away in the White River mountains. By marching all night and the next day we succeeded in outflanking the enemy and making our escape. We continued our march over an almost impassable road and on the fourth day were met by Greer’s regiment as and escort, the presence of which made us feel quite agreeable.

All the artillery got out safely; besides, we brought away 3 fine pieces of the enemy. The other captured guns were spiked and the woodwork burned. I have not time to comment or give many details which might be of interest. The battle, though protracted, was not the most destructive, being principally fought with artillery. The grandeur of the battle is indescribable as we had 60 guns and the enemy a greater number. The boys say Oak Hill was a baby in comparison with it.

The loss of our company was as follows: 

Killed- Charlie Erwin

Seriously wounded- Thomas Walker (Dallas), Joseph Barron (Smith), D. Wilson (Fayetteville), T.P. Pickett (Smith), James Long (Smith), B.B. Cork (Dallas)

Slightly wounded- W. Knott, C.P. Alexander, Sergeant Michael Gray, A.B. Keel (Dallas), Corporal James Noland, W.L. Weights, Hughes (Smith). 

We lost ten horses killed dead on the field. Our loss in the entire fight is estimated at not less than three times that number. None of our cavalry was engaged except in one charge. Sims’ regiment [9th Texas Cavalry] lost three or four men, however. Greer’s [3rd Texas Cavalry], Stone’s [6th Texas Cavalry], and Young’s [11th Texas Cavalry] lost none, I believe. The 3rd Louisiana regiment suffered considerable loss. All in all, it was a most lucky engagement on our side and although we left the field, I think we have taught the Federals a lesson they won’t forget soon. We brought away about 200 prisoners.

 Sources:

Letter from First Lieutenant James Postell Douglas, Good’s Texas Battery, New Orleans Sunday Delta (Louisiana), April 13, 1862, pg. 3 *Newspaper also listed as The Era.

“Capt. Good,” Dallas Weekly Herald (Texas), April 26, 1862, pg. 2

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