Army of the Southwest
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The Army of the Southwest was a Union Army that served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War.

History

Created on Christmas Day, 1861, the Army of the Southwest was composed of troops from the Department of Missouri. The principal commander of the army was Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis, but several other officers commanded the army for brief periods of time for the rest of the war. Curtis led the army into its greatest engagement of the war at the Battle of Pea Ridge. After capturing Helena, Arkansas, later that year the army ceased to be of great significance for the rest of the war; its units slowly being transferred to other armies in the Western Theater and Trans-Mississippi.

Commanders

• Major General Samuel R. Curtis (December 25, 1861 – August 29, 1862)
• Major General Frederick Steele (August 29, 1862 – October 7, 1862)
• Major General Eugene A. Carr (October 7, 1862 – November 12, 1862)
• Major General Willis A. Gorman (November 12, 1863–December 13, 1863) Also in command of the Dist of Eastern Arkansas from Dec 3

Major Battles

• Battle of Pea Ridge (Curtis)
• Battle of Cotton Plant (Curtis) only units from the 1st Division were engaged
• Capture of Helena (Curtis)

References

• Civil War Home article adapted from "Photographic History of the Civil War"