Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Regiment


Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The unit consisted of men recruited in Missouri by Alonzo W. Slayback during Price's Raid in 1864. The regiment's first action was at the Battle of Pilot Knob on September 27; it later participated in actions at Sedalia, Lexington, and the Little Blue River. On October 22, the unit, then at battalion size, was used to find an alternate river crossing during the Battle of the Big Blue River. Slayback's unit then saw action at the Battle of Westport on October 23, the Battle of Marmiton River on October 25, and the Second Battle of Newtonia on October 28. The battalion was briefly furloughed in Arkansas before rejoining Major General Sterling Price in Texas in December. At an unknown date, the battalion reached official regimental strength after some additional recruits were added to the unit. In June, the regiment surrendered, although the men of the regiment were stationed at different points in Louisiana and Arkansas, leading historian James McGhee to believe that the regiment disbanded before the surrender.

Background

At the outset of the American Civil War in 1861, the state of Missouri was a slave state. Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson supported secession, and activated pro-secession state militia. The militia were sent to the vicinity of St. Louis, Missouri, where Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon dispersed the group using Union Army troops in the Camp Jackson affair on May 10. A riot in St. Louis followed, in which several military personnel and civilians were killed or wounded. On May 12, Jackson formed a pro-secession militia unit known as the Missouri State Guard and placed Major General Sterling Price in charge of the unit. In June, Lyon moved against the state capital of Jefferson City and evicted Jackson and the pro-secession group of legislators. Jackson's party moved to Boonville, although Lyon captured that city after the Battle of Boonville on June 17.
In July, anti-secession state legislators held a vote rejecting secession. Brigadier General Ben McCulloch of the Confederate States Army joined Price's militia forces; the combined group defeated Lyon at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in southwestern Missouri on August 10. After Wilson's Creek, Price drove northwards, capturing the city of Lexington. However, the Missouri State Guard retreated in the face of Union reinforcements, falling back to southwestern Missouri. In November, while at Neosho, Jackson and the pro-secession legislators voted to secede, and joined the Confederate States of America as a government-in-exile. In February 1862, Price abandoned Missouri in the face of Union pressure for Arkansas, where he joined forces commanded by Major General Earl Van Dorn. In March, Price officially joined the Confederate States Army, receiving a commission as a major general. That same month, Van Dorn was defeated at the Battle of Pea Ridge, giving the Union general control of Missouri. By July 1862, most of the men of the Missouri State Guard had left to join Confederate States Army units. Missouri was then plagued by guerrilla warfare throughout 1862 and 1863. In September 1864, Price reentered the state, hoping to create a pro-Confederate popular uprising.

Organization

The origins of the Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Regiment began when Alonzo W. Slayback, a veteran of the Missouri State Guard, was authorized by Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby to recruit a regiment for the Confederate States Army on August 14, 1864. In September, now-Lieutenant Colonel Slayback entered Missouri and began recruiting as part of Price's Raid. Accompanying the brigade of Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke, Slayback was able to recruit a small group of men, which became part of Marmaduke's forces on September 23, while the men were at Zalma, Missouri. The unit grew in strength over the course of Price's Raid, reaching battalion strength in October 1864 and full regimental strength around February 1865. By this point, Slayback served as the regiment's colonel, Caleb W. Dorsey was lieutenant colonel,, and John H. Guthrie was the regiment's major.
At full strength, the regiment contained ten companies, all Missouri-raised, designated with the letters AI and K.

Service history

On September 27, 1864, Slayback's unit made a minor assault against the defenses of Fort Davidson during the Battle of Pilot Knob; the unit suffered light casualties. That night, Slayback sent a note to the Union garrison commander Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr. suggesting that Ewing's African American soldiers would be massacred in events similar to the Fort Pillow Massacre if the fort fell. Slayback's unit was then positioned north of the fort in order to detect any potential Union movement. That night, the Union garrison retreated without being detected by Slayback's force and blew up the fort's magazine. On October 2, while stationed at Union, Missouri, Slayback's unit, now known as Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, was assigned to Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson's brigade of Shelby's division. While the Confederates were moving through Missouri, a Union force was reported to have issued from Jefferson City; Slayback's battalion was detached on October 13 to scout the approach of this force. By the next day, Slayback's battalion had reached Longwood, where it was joined by other Confederate units.
On October 15, Slayback's battalion, along with Collin's Missouri Battery, the 5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, and Elliott's Missouri Cavalry Regiment, raided the town of Sedalia under the command of Thompson. A Union garrison defended small fortifications, but a cavalry charge quickly overran the positions. After Collin's artillery opened fired, the remaining defenders were completely dispersed; the town was then looted. Slayback's unit performed guard duty after the fighting, as it was in a better state of organization than the other regiments that had participated in the skirmish. The battalion next served at the Second Battle of Lexington on October 19, where the unit attacked and defeated a Union force. On October 21, the battalion was part of a Confederate force that forced a crossing of the Little Blue River. On October 22, during the Battle of the Big Blue River, Shelby ordered the 5th Missouri Cavalry and Slayback's battalion to search for a secondary crossing of the river, as Byram's Ford, the primary crossing, was strongly defended. Slayback's battalion quickly found an alternate ford, and crossed the river, hitting Colonel Charles R. Jennison's brigade in the flank. Jennison's brigade scattered, but the Union line was able to reform. Later that day, the Confederates again moved against the Union position, with Slayback in the lead. However, the Union forces withdrew before any action occurred.
At the Battle of Westport on October 23, Slayback's battalion was pressed by a Union attack. Shelby then ordered Thompson's brigade to charge, and the cavalrymen, including Slayback's battalion, were soon engaged in a melee. However, the Confederate forces were forced to fall back in a state that Shelby described as "weak and staggering". Slayback's battalion then retreated to a stone fence, where it rallied. The defense held, and Union forces fell back, allowing Shelby to retreat from the field. The unit next fought at the Battle of Marmiton River on October 25. An initial Confederate stand was successful, but another Union charge was made. After 15 minutes of fighting, the Confederate line, including Slayback's unit, "melted away". Shelby reported that fatigue was an element in the defeat. At the Second Battle of Newtonia on October 28, Slayback's battalion fought dismounted as was positioned to the left of the rest of Thompson's brigade while on detached duty. Thompson then attacked and gained some ground, but was halted by fire from Union mountain howitzers. After a repositioning of the Union line, the Confederates pressed the attack farther, gaining more ground. However, Union reinforcements commanded by Brigadier General John B. Sanborn stabilized the line and then charged. Shelby withdrew due to the arrival of the fresh Union troops.
After the defeat at Newtonia, Price's Army of Missouri retreated to Arkansas, where Slayback's unit was furloughed. The unit, by then 300 men strong, rejoined Price in Texas in December. At an unknown date, Slayback's command was combined with a group of recruits commanded by Dorsey, creating a full regiment of ten companies. On June 2, General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department. When the men of the regiment were paroled on June 14, 1865, part of the unit was located at Shreveport, Louisiana, while another part was at Wittsburg, Arkansas. Historian James McGhee interpreted this arrangement as suggesting that the regiment was disbanded before surrendering. Any specific casualties suffered by the unit are unknown, as Slayback did not issue casualty reports. One source claimed that the regiment was issued lances instead of firearms, although that claim is likely inaccurate.