I am not the correct MO CW researcher to answer your quest because I deal with guerrilla war and you seek information about regular operations. However, nobody answered you, so I will stray over the line to assist.

Just from your ancestor's date of death of 20 Jan 1863 I suspected he died as a result of Confederate BG Marmaduke's SW MO raid of that month. I verified in Jim McGhee's new "Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865" on pages 65-6 that his regiment did take part in Marmaduke's raid and got beat up at the Battle of Hartville 11 January 1863. A commonly-found history of this raid is in Stephen B. Oates' "Confederate Cavalry West of the River" Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961 on pages 114-121, but there are others. Further, one or two of the readers of this forum are now working on writing about Marmaduke's first Missouri raid.

I suspect, but cannot prove, that Private Benjamin F. Morgan was either wounded 11 January and subsequently died of his wounds or injuries or that he succumbed to exposure and died as a result of the wintry return to Arkansas in the ice and snow.

Only more research can plumb the depths to get those answers for you, if they can be found. I can help you no further, as I must cross back over the line to guerrilla war and stick to my own area. Good hunting!

Bruce Nichols