Thank you Mr. Odom,
I don't have a Fold3 account currently, but thank you for pointing me to the National Archives.
I have a collection of notes from this past year I've taken on Dockery's brigade myself. Most of these are from the O.R. and the S.O.R.
Since you have given me your notes, here are mine if you are interested.
Dockery’s Brigade in the Camden Expedition: Notes.
Table of Organization/Order of Battle (Camden)
Dockery’s Brigade – Fagan’s Cavalry Division
12th Arkansas Battalion Sharpshooters
18th Arkansas
19th Arkansas, Lt. Col. Horatio G.P. Williams
20th Arkansas, Col. D.W. Jones
(From O.R. 34 (1), 784)
Dockery’s brigade was formerly Green’s brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Martin Green, a Missourian who had fought in the Missouri State Guard at Pea Ridge. The brigade had its roots in the Pea Ridge campaign, when the 19th and 20th Arkansas were attached to Green’s 2nd Missouri State Guard Division assigned to protecting the Confederate Army of the West’s trains. By the time of Vicksburg, Green’s brigade (attached to Bowen’s division, Army of Vicksburg) was composed of the following:
2nd Brigade (Green/Dockery) – Bowen’s Division
12the Arkansas Battalion Sharpshooters, Lt. John S. Bell
15th Arkansas, Capt. Caleb Davis
19th Arkansas, Capt. James K. Norwood
20th Arkansas, Col. D.W. Jones
21st Arkansas, Capt. A. Tyler
1st Arkansas Cavalry
1st Missouri Cavalry
3rd Missouri Cavalry
Lowe’s Missouri Battery
(O.R. 24 (II), 326)
Green was wounded on June 25, 1863, and killed outright on June 27 (Ibid., 421), when he was shot through the head by a sharpshooter during the Siege of Vicksburg. Thomas Dockery, the senior brigade colonel, assumed command. The brigade was surrendered with Pemberton’s army on July 4 and by the end of July, Dockery’s brigade was paroled to Demopolis, Alabama (Ibid.)
Thomas P. Dockery
Born in North Carolina on December 18, 1833. Family moved to Arkansas when Dockery was a child. Dockery family men were described “brave, energetic, and bold.” At the outbreak of the Civil War, Dockery assumed command of 5th Arkansas State Troops and led this regiment at Wilson’s Creek. Arkansas State Troops were then disbanded, so Dockery commissioned as a Confederate colonel and raised the 19th Arkansas. He led the regiment at Corinth and Vicksburg until Green was killed.
“Neither orders nor cannon shot disturb the equanimity which he always with him in battle. Jolly, energetic, yet absolutely devoid of nervous sensibility, he appeared to have perfect immunity from both fear and anxiety.” – Col. J.M. Harrell in Confederate Military History, ed. Clement Evans, Vol. 10 (2), 254.
Mounting and Arming of Dockery's Brigade
August 9, 1863, his brigade of parolees was ordered to Camden, Arkansas. Dockery was promoted to Brig. Gen. and carried his commission with him to Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith. Commission was not to be issued until Dockery had reassembled the brigade (O.R. 22 (II), 960). This was made difficult by many prisoners not be processed correctly or deserting.
“Use Dockery's agency and general influence with the Arkansas troops to promote their return to the standards, (Ibid., letter from J.A. Seddon to Kirby Smith).
Dockery was to reconstitute the brigade as soon as he possibly could.
Seddon to K. Smith - “The spirit and tried character of these troops would probably improve the general morale of the comparatively new troops with you, while, in a political point of view they would probably, from past associations keep up a braver and more general patriotism among the people and in the army, and repress any tendency supposed to exist among your people to isolation and separate action from the Confederacy.” (Ibid.)
Kirby Smith's response, dated at Shreveport, September 11, 1863, the day Little Rock fell. (Ibid., 1010). Dockery assigned with collecting Arkansas troops from Port Hudson and Vicksburg as well as reorganizing his brigade.
“I fear difficulties not anticipated will be encountered in the discharge of this duty, and that his success will not equal the expectations of the [War] Department.” - Kirby Smith
Kirby Smith facing manpower and armament issues, weapons stripped, State Troops called out and can't arm them. Last arms received were converted flintlocks from Natchez in June of 1863 (Ibid.) Attempts to import arms through Mexico fail due to French navy and Union blockade.
November 5, 1863
Holmes orders Col. B.F. Danley, commanding the Conscript Bureau, to send cavalry to collect conscripts and arrest deserters, stating that 400 men were collected (according to Kirby Smith) and encouraging similar methods to Smith's collection (Ibid., 1057-8).
November 29, 1863
Federal brigade commander Cyrus Bussey reports observations by a Dr. Rice, a Union sympathizer reporting Price “mounting all the men he can get horses or mules for.” (Ibid., 724). This indicates that the effort to mount Dockery's men might have begun with Price.
Dockery's brigade activated at Washington, AR, on December 5, 1863. Arms being sent to District of Arkansas commander Holmes to arm Dockery's brigade. They are ordered, specifically, as infantry (emphasis not in original) specifically even though Dockery has already mounted a portion of his command. (Ibid.) The order states whole command, which implies that Dokcery was already mounting his men.
December 25, 1863
Colonel Powell Clayton reports 1,700 Vicksburg and Port Hudson parolees report for duty to Price, but his report is also filled with several terrible inaccuracies, namely that Marmaduke had been replaced by Pegram, and that Kirby Smith had 22,000 men to launch an offensive towards Little Rock, (Ibid., 755).
January 19, 1864
Dockery's prisoners drawing pay. (Ibid., 1137).
Inspector General of the Trans-Mississippi Department reports 6,045 infantry present for duty and 4,309 cavalry present for duty. (Ibid. 1130)]
Kirby Smith – Dockery collected 1,200 – 1,500 men, armed with firearms crossed over the Mississippi River, making “a considerable addition” to Holmes's command (District of Arkansas) “before spring.” (O.R. 34 (II), 869).
1,800 flintlocks to “arm people of Arkansas,” 4,000 rifles from the Rio Grande, (Ibid.) Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell controlled arms crossing for Dockery's brigade at Monroe (Ibid., 999).
February 9, 1864.
Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele, the Federal commander in Arkansas, reports that captured dispatches report that parolees have been armed with 3,600 Enfield Rifles smuggled across the Mississippi River (Ibid., 280).
See O.R. 39 (II), 941 for dispatch detailing arms sent through the District of Texas.
February 27, 1864
Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor, District of West Louisiana commander, reports to Maj. Gen. Boggs (Kirby Smith’s chief of staff) that in January that arms had been crossed from the east of the Mississippi River to arm the brigade. In January, Dockery’s brigade joined the cavalry brigade of Colonel Harrison near Gaines’ Landing in Louisiana. Cooperating with General Ross across the river, who crossed 1,400 stands of arms, which were crossed and issued to Dockery’s troops. Dockery’s brigade was attached to Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton's division during this operation. Ross withdrew his troops within his own lines and the arms-crossing operating halted. Two days afterward Dockery’s brigade, now armed, was sent to Hamburg, Arkansas. (O.R. 34 (II), 1000).
Exchanging Dockery's Brigade
Declared exchanged with other Vicksburg parolees on September 12, 1863. (O.R. Ser. 2, 6, 280). Controversy over his exchange as Union exchange agent (Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith of Iron Brigade fame) attempted to “exchange” Dockery for Union officers in captivity (Ibid., 430). Declared officially exchanged by the Trans-Mississippi Department on May 28, 1864 (Ibid., 174). This was well after the campaign.
1864 Camden Expedition
Sterling Price's report (O.R. 34 (II), 779). Steele advances on Arkadelphia Road from Little Rock. Price loses his infantry division on March 18. Dockery ordered with his brigade (possibly mounted portion) and Wood's battalion of Missouri cavalry “to harass his [Steele's] rear and cut off his trains.” Dockery was posted across the Ouachita River at Mount Elba. On March 30, he was attacked by Powell Clayton's Union cavalry and routed. Dockery's train at Longview was captured and Dockery lost 200 prisoners. On April 7, Price reaches Prairie D'Ane with Dockery's and Crawford's brigades and Wood's cavalry battalion which he had withdrawn to the southern bank of the Ouachita.. On April 11, Price withdraws from Prairie D'Ane to Washington. Steele advances on Camden on April 13. Price pursues with Fagan's (Dockery's parent division) and Maxey's divisions of cavalry. Dockery, being Fagan's advance guard, “attacked with great intrepidity” and captured a section of artillery but was driven back by a superior Federal force “with some loss.” One enemy gun was dismounted in this fighting.
Dockery's brigade was not engaged at Poison's Springs, as Fagan declined to go.
Dockery's brigade took part in the “siege” of occupied Camden. Kirby Smith arrives on April 19. Price's infantry (Churchill's and Parsons's divisions) arrive on April 20. April 19, Fagan's division (including Dockery) and Shelby's attached brigade sent to attack Steele's trains north of the Ouachita.
April 25, 1863 – Mark's Mill.
Fagan attacks train of several hundred wagons guarded by one infantry brigade, five hundred cavalry, and six artillery guns. Official returns and correspondence of General Steele was captured with the wagon train.
The infantry portion of Dockery's brigade under Colonel Williams was engaged at Jenkins's Ferry.
Strength and Casualties
May 8, 1863
Brigade strength – 870 effectives, 900 total (probably present for duty), and aggregate 987. (O.R. 53, 987)
Mark's Mill – 10 killed, 40 wounded, 100 missing. April 25. (O.R. 34 (I), 787).
Jenkins Ferry, April 30, 1 killed, 14 wounded, 1 missing.
Total – 116 v
See Additionally:
Supplement to the Official Records:
Dockery’s Brigade, Series 6 (61), 410
Brig. Gen. Thomas P. Dockery, Series 6, 399-400
403-405, 415
Ser. 6 (61), 399-400, 403-405, 414
Ser. 14. 261, 265
Ser. 21, 295
Ser. 33, 434
Ser. 47, 343,
Ser. 50, 361-62
Vols. 4 and 6 of the S.O.R., Court Martial involving Dockery’s brigade, S.O.R., Part 1, Vol. 6, 399.
Dockery’s brigade was reformed in Arkansas and saw action in the Camden Expedition. Half of the brigade was mounted and led by Dockery personally. The remaining infantry were four detachments consolidated into a command led by Lt. Col. H.G.P. Williams and attached to Churchill’s division.
Williams’s Infantry, Dockery’s Brigade, Churchill’s Arkansas Division – Lt. Col. Horatio G.P. Williams
Etris’s Detachment - 15th Arkansas, Capt. Austrin K. Etris
Southerland’s Detachment - 18th Arkansas, Maj. Samuel H. Southerland,
Drewery’s Detachment – 19th Arkansas, Capt. Thomas M. Drewery
Gillespie’s Detachment – 12th Arkansas Battalion, 1st Lt. James A. Gilespie
Williams’s infantry had an effective strength of 400 effectives. (Civil War in Arkansas Message Board, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=31276; O.R. 34 (I), 808.)
The brigade marched to Demopolis, Alabama, after the surrender at Vicksburg. On August 9, 1863 Confederate Secretary of War James Seddon wrote to Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commanding the Trans-Mississippi Department, with a letter that was to be carried by Dockery in person. Kirby Smith was authorized to allow Dockery to reform his brigade and rearm. Once Dockery completed his rearmaments and reorganization, Kirby Smith was authorized to promote Dockery to brigadier general. (O.R. 22 (II), 959) Seddon complained that Union soldiers allowed Confederates from Trans-Mississippi to go home without registering properly as prisoners of war. Seddon viewed that these men were not prisoners of war and were thus eligible to re-enter service immediately. (Ibid.) Dockery was considered to have “agency and influence” with the Arkansas troops. Dockery was to meet with Kirby Smith and impart his views about organizing the troops. Dockery’s formal orders were written on August 10. He was ordered to the Trans-Mississippi to report to Kirby Smith in person and was directly instructed to “reassemble the scattered and furloughed troops which have past west of the Mississippi, of the brigade recently commanded by you at the surrender of Vicksburg, at Camden, in Arkansas, or such point as may be designated…” (Ibid., 962). He was ordered to organize and equip these troops and was further told to list soldiers who had left Vicksburg for the west bank of the Mississippi without being properly paroled and further more to prepare lists of both kinds of soldiers. He was told that these men were to made available for service immediately while the parolees were to await formal exchange. Furthermore, the War Department desired that once Dockery’s brigade was reconstituted that it be returned East of the river, but that ultimately Kirby Smith would decide when and where the re-constructed brigade would be employed. (Ibid.)
Kirby Smith responded on September 11 (Ibid., 1010) but was pessimistic that Dockery could organize the troops for duty easily. Even if Dockery were successful, Kirby Smith could not currently furnish them with arms as recent Confederate defeats had robbed him of any surplus small arms.
Continue researching Volume 22 of the O.R. – arming the brigade and finding out when Dockery was commissioned a brigadier general.
19th Arkansas (Dockery's)
Arrived at Van Buren to join Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West with the 20th Arkansas, but “practically unarmed.” (Hess and Shea, Pea Ridge, 58-9). Armed with castoff weapons from the Missouri State Guard (Ibid.), did not advance with van Dorn to Pea Ridge but guarded Van Dorn's trains with Green's Missouri troops. (Ibid., 148-9). Hess and Shea have 19th Arkansas under Lt. Col. P.R. Smith.
19th Arkansas was one of eleven regiments of Arkansas troops by the Confederate government “for the war” (O.R. 8, 746). Look in the supplements to the Official record for more information.