Helena Artillery

The Helena Artillery (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army artillery battery during the American Civil War. The unit was known by several other designations during the war including; Clarkson's Battery, Company A, Shoup's Artillery Battalion, Calvert's Battery and Key's Battery. 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.

On July 14, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General William J. Hardee arrived in Little Rock to assume unified Confederate command in the state. The following day the state Military Board signed an "Article of Transfer", which provided that all state forces would be transferred on a voluntary basis to the command of the Confederate States of America. The Articles of Transfer included Major Francis A. Shoup's battalion of artillery;


 * Company A, Captain Clarkson's Helena Light Artillery,
 * Company B, Captain John T. Trigg's Arkansas Battery; and
 * Company C, Captain George T. Hubbard's Jackson Light Artillery.

Many Confederate artillery units seem to have begun the war named for the city or county that sponsored their organization. In the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, artillery units are most often referred to by the name of their battery commander. During the war, efforts were made to organize artillery units into battalions and regiments, but the battalions seldom functioned as a consolidated organization, in fact batteries were often broken out and fought as one or two gun sections. Shoup's battalion would be an exception to this rule.

Battles
The Helena Artillery crossed the Mississippi River with Hardee’s Brigade in the fall of 1861, and never returned to Arkansas. The battery, as part of Shoup's Battalion moved to central Kentucky with Hardee's forces. Major Shoup's battalion was associated with Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne's brigade when it moved into Kentucky and remained so until after the battle of Shiloh. The battalion was in the retreat from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Cornith, Mississippi, following the fall of Forts Donelson and Henry in February 1862.;

During the Battle of Shiloh, a.k.a, Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, Sunday, April 6, 1862 – Monday, April 7, 1862, the battery, armed with two 6-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder howitzers was assigned with the rest of Shoup's battalion to General Patrick Cleburne's 2nd Brigade of Major General William J. Hardee Corps. Major Shoup was serving and Major General Hardee's Chief of Artillery. By the afternoon of Sunday, April 6, 1862, men of Brig. Gens. Benjamin M. Prentiss's and W. H. L. Wallace's Union divisions had established and held a position nicknamed the Hornet's Nest. The Confederates assaulted the position for several hours rather than simply bypassing it, and they suffered heavy casualties during these assaults. The Confederates, led by Brig. Gen. Daniel Ruggles, assembled a 'grand battery' of over 50 cannons, including Trigg's Arkansas Battery into a position known as "Ruggles’ Battery". Some controversy exists as to who exactly gave the order to concentrate artillery at this point. It has gone down in history as “Ruggle’s Battery” but Major Shoup also claimed the credit. Other sources indicate that Brig. Genl. James Trudeau began the concentration after orders from Beauregard. National Park Service tablets at the Shiloh National Military Park use the “Ruggle’s Battery” designation. This concentration originated about 3:00 pm when General Beauregard was informed of the death of General Albert S. Johnston thereby making Beauregard the army commander. He immediately moved to push the stalled rebel attack by assigning General Braxton Bragg to command in the eastern sector of the battlefield and General Ruggles to command in the center of the battlefield, the Duncan field sector. Ruggles issued orders to gather the artillery into a group which historians now believe totaled 55 guns. Major Francis Shoup also claims a portion of the credit for this grouping. There were actually two groups of guns in Ruggle's Grand Battery, a northern group and a southern group. The northern group contained the batteries located by aides of General Ruggles and brought to the field and this group was the group formed by Ruggles. The northern group, commanded by Captain Bankhead included a section of Ketchum's Alabama battery 2 guns, Hodgson's Louisiana battery 6 guns, Bankhead's Tennessee battery 6 guns, Stanford's Mississippi battery 6 guns, Robertson's Alabama battery, 4 guns for a total of 30 guns. The southern group was commanded by Major Shoup and contained a group of batteries which had been under Shoup"s supervision and had been resting following the morning fight near the main Corinth Road. The southern group of guns, commanded by Major Shoup included Roberts Arkansas battery 4 guns, Triggs Arkansas battery 4 guns, Sweet's Mississippi battery 6 guns, a section of Hubbard's Arkansas battery (Lt Thrall commanding) 2 guns, Brynes Kentucky battery, 7 guns and a section of Cobb's Kentucky Battery, 2 guns, for a total of 25 guns. The guns of these two groups came from different areas of the battlefield. It appears that that Shoup was not initially aware of the presence of the northern group of guns or Ruggles' orders to gather the guns.  The resulting artillery concentration of 55 guns was, up to that time, the largest concentration of artillery ever on the North American continent and was its self a historical event. This status did not last long as it was quickly surpassed by even larger artillery concentrations in the Eastern Theater of the war. The grand battery enabled Confederates to surround the position, and the Hornet's Nest fell after holding out for seven hours.

In early May 1862, Confederate forces underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1862. All twelve-month units had to re-muster and enlist for two additional years or the duration of the war; a new election of officers was ordered; and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home. Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas units in and around Corinth, Mississippi, following the Battle of Shiloh.

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.

The battery fought in the Kentucky Campaign of 1862, as well as the battles of 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. 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 Shiloh, Tennessee, April 6–7, 1862.
 * Siege of Corinth, April to June 1862.
 * Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862.
 * Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 31, 1862 to January 3, 1863.
 * Tullahoma Campaign, June 24 - July 3, 1863.
 * Battle of Liberty Gap, Tennessee, June 24–26, 1863.
 * Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19–20, 1863.
 * Siege of Chattanooga, September to November 1863.
 * Atlanta Campaign, May to September 1864.
 * Battle of Pickett's Mill, Georgia, May 27, 1864.
 * Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 27, 1864.
 * Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864.
 * Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, December 15–16, 1864.

Battle Flag
One battle flag from Key's Arkansas Battery has survived. Like the other units in Cleburne's Arkansas Division the unit was issued a Hardee pattern flag. The flag is cotton with dark green, black and red paint. It measures 30" x 36" and has the War Department Capture Number 231 painted on the flag.Key's Battery was captured with most of the rest of Daniel Govan's Arkansas brigade in the fighting at Jonesboro, Georgia, on 1 September 1864. The flag is consistent with the last two flags of the 1864 issue, and as a group they reinforce the observation that decorating was done at the brigade level at this point in the war. The crossed cannon are unusual on an artillery flag, as they generally honor capture of enemy guns by infantry. The honor may have been extended for silencing enemy guns in an exchange, but is unknown before 1864. The flag is currently in the collection of the Old State House Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas.

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.