Hi Alan,

Thanks for the fine breakdown of arms for Forrest's troopers at this time frame. It indeed does show what he was as a field commander doing what he did, especially at Brice's Crossroads, with the arms he had. After this fight and his relentless pursuit, he did what he had pretty much always done - re-equpped his command courtesy of the U.S. Army! His report included the capture of 16 cannons and 1500 small arms with 300,000 rounds of ammunition.

The CSA ordnance supply line was indeed often bizarre with commands like Forrest, the sole defender of the Alabama-Mississippi area once Polk's Army of Mississippi had been ordered to Georgia in May, 1864, scraping for what they could find and backwater commands that I mentioned getting first-rate arms.

I know that Gholson's Brigade were Mississippi state troops and I would think that the state would have been responsible for their equipment. If you have information to that effect or contrary I would like to know.

With regards to the 81st Illinois, they and the other Illinois regiment were indeed in the counter-attack mode based on some accounts I have read - and this is where the 81st captured the flag of the 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battlion. Other accounts are not clear on that. Rucker's own orders to his men make it seem that the Federals were indeed advancing and that he needed the fire power of pistols to stop them. I have been through the 81st Illinois' unit history and he makes it sound like they were just in line and firing away (and they were re-supplied with ammo while doing so, the author states, and did not completely run out until they had withdrawn later on).

Greg Biggs