With Hindman's first order, dated May 31, 1862, at Little Rock, he announced his staff, including the appointment of Major Francis A. Shoup, Chief of Artillery.

[3] When General Hindman discovered that Brigadier General Albert Pike, commanding the Indian Territory, had ten Parrott Guns located at Fort Washita which could not be used for lack of limbers and harnesses, he dispatched a detachment of the 24th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, under Captain L. P. Dodge to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to bring the artillery to Camp White Sulphur Springs, near Pine Bluff.

The General directs me to say that the necessity of taking these guns from you is forced upon him by the scarcity of heavy artillery on this side of the Mississippi and the number of streams navigable for the gunboats of the enemy, which he has to defend.

Apparently some effort was made to provide the battery with conscripts from Hempstead County, but these men had already been assigned to Colonel Grinstead's 33rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

General Hindman directed the enrolling agents from surrounding counties to turn over sufficient numbers of conscripts to bring Etter's battery up to 150 men.

One muster roll survives, dated January 7, 1863, "in Camp at Little Rock," when the battery was stationed on the grounds of St. John's College.

From other sources, such as prisoner-of-war records, pension applications, and postwar reminiscences, an expanded, but certainly a non-authoritative roster of most of the men has been developed.

[7] The unit took an active part in the conflicts at Helena, Bayou Fourche, Sabine Cross Roads, and Pleasant Hill.

On July 1, 1862, General Hindman ordered the new unit to move immediately to Little Rock,[8] but apparently upon learning that the battery was still unarmed, he sent an order to Captain L. P. Dodge which stated:[9] Headquarters Trans Miss District Little Rock, Arks., July 8, 1862 Captain, General Hindman directs that upon your way to this place you turn over to Capt.

Etter, commanding company of artillery at Washington, six of the guns placed in your charge by your instructions of yesterday, with all equipment complete.

District Little Rock, Arks, July 8, 1862 Captain: If you have not marched when this reaches you, General Hindman desires you to go into a camp of instruction near Washington, drill and equip your company, fill it up to one hundred and fifty men, and procure horses for a six gun battery, complete.

Hindman directed the enrolling officer of any adjacent county to turn over a sufficient number of conscripts to raise Etter organization to 150 men.

[11] At the end of September 1862, several orders were issued by General Hindman regarding a movement of Etter's Battery, along with other forces northward to counter and expected Federal push into Northwest Arkansas.

On September 28, Hindman issued Special Order #39 which directed Etter's Ark battery to move at once to Elkhorn, and report to Brigadier Gen J. S. Rains.

Of the approximately seventy men listed in the battery, the December return shows twelve were either sick or had died, another five had deserted and four were assigned to wagon driving duties.

Take together, these circumstances may indicate that the unit was struggling to have enough men to man the guns and that this was the reason the battery was left behind for the Prairie Grove campaign.

[20] General Fagan detached on section of Etter's Battery to support Colonel William H. Brooks, who had been directed to take his 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment along with Captain Miller's and Captain Densons' cavalry companies to conduct a feint to the south of Helena in order to tie down Federal Troops and protect Fagan's right flank.

This section of Etter's battery would engage in a brisk duel with federal artillery and the Union gunboat, the tinclad U.S.S.

Etter's battery was one of the few units that contested the crossing of the Arkansas River by Union forces that would eventually lead to the fall of Little Rock.

Immediately the enemy opened with three batteries, so posted as to pour a murderous cross-fire in upon Etter, which soon silenced him and drove him out.

By Colonel Dobbin's directions, I left Bull with his regiment to resist the enemy's advance and retard him as much as possible, and went in person to put the other troops in position at Fourche.

In the Spring of 1864, the battery, along with Tappan's Brigade moved south into Louisiana in order to counter Union movements in the Red River Campaign.

Document A (March 5) shows my anticipation of the enemy's campaign ... On the night of the 8th, shortly after the action closed, I ordered a force of cavalry to push on the road from Blair's Landing to Pleasant Hill, taking a cross-road from Mansfield which fell into that road near the ferry over the Bayou Pierre, mentioning in the order that a small force posted on the bluff overlooking Bayou Pierre could delay indefinitely the crossing of that stream from the east.

The Arkansas and Missouri divisions, under Churchill and Parsons, with Etter's and Daniel's batteries, were sent to the right to outflank the enemy, reach the Jesup road, and attack from the south and west.

[25][26]Following the Battle of Pleasant Hill, the battery remained in Louisiana for a time to assist with continuing attacks on Union naval forces attempting to withdrawal down the Red River.

Captain BUCK, Assistant Adjutant-General, District of Arkansas: CAPTAIN: In compliance with circular letter of instructions, Numbers 686, from district headquarters, date August 31, 1864, I have the honor to report the following as the number of regiments, battalions, batteries and independent companies under my command at this place ...

[27] On September 11, 1864, Brigadier General Churchill issued Special Order Number 72 from Camp Yell which mentioned Etter's Battery:[28]

[29] On November 19, 1864, General Smith's issued Special Orders Number 290 from Shreveport, La., which reorganized the Artillery of the Army of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi:[30] (Paragraph)XIX.

The guns of Fort Southerland were spiked when Camden was evacuated and the Confederate forces moved to Shreveport in the final month of the war.

[34] According to the final accounting, at the time of the surrender, the battery serving heavy guns at Grand Ecore and Alexandria, La.