Landis' Missouri Battery


The Landis' Missouri Battery, also known as the Landis' Company, Missouri Light Artillery, was an artillery battery that served in the Confederate States Army during the early stages of the American Civil War. The battery was formed when Captain John C. Landis recruited men from the Missouri State Guard in 1862. The battery fielded four cannons for much of its existence, and had a highest reported numerical strength of 62 men. After initially serving in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the unit was transferred east of the Mississippi River. The battery saw limited action at the Battle of Iuka before providing artillery support for Confederate infantry at the Second Battle of Corinth, both in 1862.
In 1863, the unit formed part of Confederate defenses at the battles of Port Gibson and Champion Hill. Some of the battery's cannons were captured at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge on May 17. Landis' Battery next saw action during the Siege of Vicksburg, where the unit was commanded by Lieutenant John M. Langan. The battery was captured when the Confederate garrison of Vicksburg surrendered on July 4. Although the surviving men of the battery were exchanged, the battery was not reorganized after Vicksburg; instead, it was absorbed into Guibor's Missouri Battery along with Wade's Missouri Battery.

Service history

1862

John C. Landis, formerly an officer in the Missouri State Guard, was authorized in December 1861 to recruit an artillery unit for official service in the Confederate States Army. Landis' recruiting operations were centered near Osceola, Missouri, and the men recruited were former members of the Missouri State Guard. Despite not being able to enlist enough men to bring the battery to full-strength, the unit traveled to Des Arc, Arkansas in January 1862 to be equipped with cannons. The battery was assigned two 12-pounder Napoleons and two 24-pounder howitzers; all four cannons were made of brass. The unit joined the Army of the West in March 1862 after the Battle of Pea Ridge, after which more men joined the unit. Around this time, the battery was assigned to Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost's artillery brigade and followed the rest of the Army of the West across the Mississippi River in mid-April.
On May 1, while stationed in the vicinity of Memphis, Tennessee, the battery officially elected its officers. A muster on May5 found 62 men in the battery. The muster also noted the battery was armed with four cannons. The battery fought in a skirmish near Corinth, Mississippi on May 28, and then spent several months stationed at various points in Mississippi. During the Battle of Iuka, fought on September 19, the regiment fought as part of Brigadier General Martin E. Green's brigade, assigned to Brigadier General Lewis Henry Little's division of the Army of the West. Although the battery came under hostile fire at Iuka, it did not fire its cannons.
By the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4, the battery had become part of Major General Earl Van Dorn's Army of West Tennessee. Within this formation, the battery was assigned to Green's brigade of Brigadier General Louis Hébert's division of Major General Sterling Price's corps. During the battle, Landis' Battery continued to operate two 12-pounders and two 24-pounders. On the first day at Corinth, Landis' Battery, as well as Guibor's Missouri Battery, participated in an artillery duel with two Union batteries from the 1st Missouri Light Artillery: Battery I and Battery K. After two more Confederate artillery batteries joined the fighting, the Union artillery was forced to withdraw, allowing the infantry of Green's brigade to attack the Union line. Later that day, while the Confederate infantry was still fighting along the Union main line, Union infantry approached the Confederate flank, and advanced towards Landis' and Guibor's batteries. Artillery fire from the two batteries stopped the progress of the Union advance, and the Union infantry withdrew as darkness began to fall. Landis' Battery suffered 10 casualties at Corinth.
After the Confederates withdrew from Corinth late on the 4th, the battery formed part of the Confederate rear guard, avoiding capture at the Battle of Davis Bridge. The battery's equipment had been damaged during the Corinth campaign, so the unit was detached to Jackson, Mississippi for repairs. On November 29, Landis' men rejoined the Army of the West and they spent the rest of 1862 at Grenada, Mississippi.

1863

On January 27, 1863, the battery was transferred to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, joining the defenses of the Big Black River. While stationed at Grand Gulf, the battery participated in several minor engagements with Union gunboats, although some of the artillerymen reported boredom. During the morning of May 1, the battery's two howitzers were sent from Grand Gulf to Port Gibson, Mississippi to take part in the Battle of Grand Gulf. At Port Gibson, the battery fired at men of Major General John McClernand's Union corps and engaged in an artillery duel with the 8th Michigan Light Artillery; the unit suffered three casualties during the fighting and did not disengage until the late afternoon. At one point in the battle, the battery was also subjected to Union sharpshooter fire, before dispersing their attackers with canister. After Port Gibson, the Confederates were forced to abandon their position at Grand Gulf on May 3, after which Landis' Battery once again formed part of the rear guard.
At the Battle of Champion Hill on May 16, the battery provided artillery support for the Confederate center. The infantrymen of Brigadier General John S. Bowen's division made a strong attack against the Union line, and some of the Confederate artillery, including Landis' Battery, moved forward to support the charge. When the attack was forced back, Landis' Battery provided covering fire, expending all its ammunition. At one point, Landis ordered the men to fire a shell in the path of a retreating Confederate regiment in an attempt to force the men to rally. At Champion Hill, Landis' Battery suffered nine casualties, and the two 12-pounder Napoleons were damaged and knocked out of action.
The next day, the battery was present at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge. A portion of the battery was assigned to the Confederate front line. When the Confederate line was broken by a Union assault, that portion of the battery lost its cannons, as the battery's horses had been sent to the other side of the Big Black River. The battery's remaining two cannons helped cover the Confederate retreat, and entered the fortifications of Vicksburg. During the Siege of Vicksburg, some of the artillerymen served as sharpshooters due to a shortage of cannons. Over the course of the siege, the unit suffered either 10 or 13 casualties during a 47-day span of mostly continuous fighting.
During the campaign, Lieutenant John M. Langan replaced Landis as battery commander, after the latter became divisional artillery commander within Bowen's Division. The Confederates surrendered Vicksburg on July 4, and Landis' Battery was captured at this time. The 37 men left in the battery were released on parole until they were exchanged; they were also ordered to Demopolis, Alabama. On October 1, Landis' Battery and Wade's Missouri Battery were absorbed by Guibor's Battery; Landis' Battery ceased to exist as a separate unit. About 75 men served with the battery throughout the war. The unit reported the deaths of 22 of its members. Of these, 15 were the result of battle, while six died from disease and one member of the battery was murdered.