The formation of Fenner’s Louisiana Battery was attended by tremendous difficulties and discouragements, patiently met, nobly overcome, by the gallant officer who found himself at last at the head of a company composed of men who, whether considered in the aggregate, or as individuals, had not their superiors in the Confederate armies, -- intelligently brave, enthusiastic, patriotic, gentlemen by  birth, breeding, and education, whom chivalrous devotion to duty forbade to murmur at any hardship which fell to their lot.  As officers or private soldiers, looking to the future of the Confederacy as to something assured; never despairing, ready to follow wherever and whenever a “hope” was led, no matter how “forlorn.”

The record of this little band of devoted patriots has never been thoroughly known or understood as it deserves to be.  Only once has its history appeared in print, -- upon the occasion of a reunion of the command held in New Orleans, May 12, 1884.  With great pride I transfer to these pages part of an article which then appeared in the Times-Democrat of that date:

 

“As the term of service (twelve months) of the corps began to approach its end, Captain Charles E. Fenner, commanding the company of Louisiana Guards, conceived the idea of raising a battery of artillery.  He no difficulty in getting the men, a sufficient number volunteering at once from the battalion, but he encountered other most disharting obstacles.  The War Department had not the means of equipping the artillery companies already in service, and authorized to be raised, and he could only obtain the authority to raise this battery on condition of furnishing his own armament of guns.  He succeeded, however, in making arrangements with his friends in New Orleans, when the city fell, and it was captured.”

 

“Upon discharge of the battalion, however, he changed his rendezvous to Jackson, Mississippi, and proceeded there to try and accomplish his object.  Many of those who intended to join him looked upon his enterprise as so hopeless that they abandoned it and joined other commands.  A sufficient number, however, railed around him at Jackson, Mississippi, and, on the 4^th of May, 1862, his company was organized by the elections of officers, and on the 16^th was mustered into service.  Meantime the chance of getting an armament was hopeless indeed.  At last, however, Captain Fenner found, lying abandoned by the railroad, the runs of a battery, which had been destroyed on the eve of evacuating New Orleans, under the apprehension that it would have to be left, but was subsequently brought off.  The guns were spiked and rammed with wads and ball s and the spokes and felloes of the wheels were cut, the trails hacked to pieces, and all the ordinary means of disabling a battery had been resorted to.  The task of reconstructing this ruined battery was undertaken, and, after much difficulty, successfully accomplished.  Then, came the trouble of obtaining horses, harness and other equipments, which had to be wrested from reluctant and ill-supplied quartermasters and ordnance officers.”

 

At last, however, all difficulties were overcome.  A few weeks of active drilling, and Fenner’s Louisiana Battery was ready for the field. 

 

 

August 20, 1862            Ordered to Port Hudson, Louisiana, arriving there just after the Federal evacuation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

                                      The Battery was ordered to Baton Rouge, remaining for several days, and then returning to Port Hudson, leaving one section along with an infantry unit to occupy the city.

 

December 1862             Federals retake Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The section then rejoined the battery at Port Hudson, Louisiana.

 

May 1, 1863                   Ordered to Williams’s Bridge to intercept Grierson’s raid, however arrived there a few hours after they had passed.

 

May 7, 1863                   Ordered to Jackson, Mississippi with General Johnston and participated in the Big Black campaign.

 

July 10-16, 1863             In position at Jackson, and engaged in the fighting around that place, until the evacuation, when the battery retreated with Johnston’s army to Forrest and Morton, then on to Enterprise and from there to Mobile.

 

November 21, 1863,       Ordered to the Army of Tennessee.

 

November 27, 1863        The Battery reached Dalton, just after the defeat at Missionary Ridge and spent the building winter-quarters successively at Dalton and Kingston, which were evacuated before being occupied.

 

May 1, 1864                   General Sherman advanced from, Chattanooga toward Dalton, beginning the Great Georgia Campaign.  From this date until September the AOT was constantly engaged.

 

 

May 8-12, 1864              The Battery is in position at Mill Creek Gap, near Dalton, falling back to Ressca.

May 14, 1864                 The Battery supported Stewart’s charge on the enemy positions.

 

May 15, 1864                 The Battery was engaged in the battle of Oostenaula, where the battery was split on each side of the fortification, the center was captured, however Fenner’s repulsed the attempt in front of each section, and held their positions until nightfall and were evacuated.  Retreat of the army was continued to Calhoun, Adairsville, Cassville, Centerville; engaged more or less at each of those points.

 

May 25, 1864                 The battle of New Hope Church, one of the finest fights of the war.  It was an assault of the whole of Hooker’s Corps on Stewart’s Division.  The attack was almost a complete surprise.  Fenner’s Louisiana Battery went into position at a gallop, had several horses killed while unlimbering, and fired canister at the first discharge.  The engagement was continuous for two hours, during the whole of which time, owing to the thickness of the woods, the enemy’s skirmishers were enabled to maintain their positions within from fifty to one hundred yards, but there repeated charges were well repulsed.  The enemy’s loss was terrific, admitted to be over two thousand, far exceeding the number of our men engaged.  Fenner’s Louisiana Battery lost twenty-three men killed and wounded, and nearly all of its horses, and was specially complimented in orders for gallantry and efficiency.  The army gradually fell back, in continual conflict with the enemy until it reached Atlanta, continually fighting until its evacuation on the 2^nd of September 1864.

 

Sept 1, 1864                   Battle of Jonesboro, in which the battery was engaged, and may be considered the end of the Georgia campaign.  The army had a brief rest at Lovejoy’s Station, and continued it long march to Tennessee via, Centre, Jacksonville, Gadsden and stopping at Florence.

 

Nov 20, 1864                 The army departed Florence, en route to Columbia, Tennessee, attacking the enemy on the 26^th of November 1864.

 

Nov 28, 1864                 Federals evacuate Columbia.

 

Nov 30, 1864                 Battle of Franklin

 

Dec 2, 1864                   Arrived at Nashville

 

Dec 6, 1864                   The Battery was ordered to join General Forrest’s command at Murfreesboro.

 

Dec 8, 1864                   Participated at the Battle of Murfreesboro under General Forrest.

 

Dec 15-16, 1864            Participated at the Battle of Nashville under General Forrest, thus beginning the great retreat after its fall. In this fight, which is called the second of Murfreesboro, it will be remembered that Bate’s Infantry Division was stampeded in the action, causing the loss of several guns of the Fifth Company, Washington Artillery.  On this occasion (one of the few instances, if not the only one during the war) six pieces of field artillery, being four Napoleons of Fenner’s Battery and two rifled pieces of Missouri Battery, placed in position by General Forrest, their horses having been sent to the rear across the Stone River, held the line for three-quarters of an hour against the enemy’s entire force until the infantry and wagons had safely crossed the river on the only bridge half mile in the rear.

                                          As soon as the news reached Forrest, his command started across from Murfreesboro to join the main column at Columbia.  There was no turnpike, the roads were in awful condition, the horses reduce and broken down, and a continuous rain pouring down.  Two of the guns of the battery reached Columbia in safety; the other two would have been brought also but, for the swelling of a creek by the rain, which it was impossible to cross, the only guns the battery ever lost.  The men of the battery remained by them alone till Columbia was evacuated by our forces and the enemy was within a mile of them, when they destroyed their pieces, swam Duck River, and started after the army.

 

Jan 10, 1865                  The Battery reached Columbus, Mississippi.

 

Jan 31, 1865                  Ordered to Mobile, and remained there as heavy artillery.

 

11 April, 1865                Evacuated to Demopolis, then to Cuba Station, and then to Meridian.  During this time the battery no longer had artillery pieces, but served as an infantry unit.

 

May 10, 1865                 The battery laid down its arms along with the remainder of General Taylor’s army, thus ending the war for these brave men.