Jackson Light Artillery was formed in February 1862 with men from Jackson county Mo. Many of its members had served in the Missouri State Guard. The Unit moved east of the Mississippi River with 70 effectives and fought at Corinth and Hatchie Bridge. Later they were assigned to Green's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and east Louisiana. They participated in the long and difficult Vicksburg siege and were captured on July 4, 1863. After being exchanged, the Battery never returned to full strength but served in the district of the Gulf and at times were united with the Saint Louis Missouri artillery in H.C. Semple's battalion. The Battery was disbanded during the spring of 1865. They were commanded By Captains William Lucas and Schuyler Lowe

Present History

After becoming involved in Reenacting with my family in Oklahoma back in 1988 I moved to the Kansas City area and joined the M.C.W.R.A. (Missouri Civil War Reenactors Association). I joined a local artillery unit, the Landis Battery and started building a 6pdr. At that time, most artillery was half scale or mountain howitzer. The gun was finished in summer of 89 and the first event where it was used was Glasgow Mo. It was also the first event for long time member Jim Stewart. All went well and looked forward to Westport "89" our first national event. The next couple of years were pretty uneventful. Several of the members that served on my gun and I longed for a more organized unit and decided to split from the Landis Battery and form a new unit.

Jim and I, with the help of Don Durham and his access to the command and general staff library at Fort Leavenworth, began the search for a new unit identity. In our search, we came upon the battery of Capt. Schuyler Lowe and found that the unit had been formed of men from Jackson County, MO. In old military records, the Battery was first named the Jackson Light Artillery and latter named after the commanding officers. We decided to call ourselves the "Jackson Light Artillery". It has been an easy name to remember.

In the fall of 1992, the unit went before the MCWRA board and applied for membership. We were accepted as a probationary unit. Our first event as a new unit was Butler, MO. In June of 1993 the unit received full member status. Although the Jackson Light Artillery is a small unit, we pride ourselves on our performance. The unit will endeavor to maintain its high standards in the coming years.

Greg Booth/CAPT.

The following roster comes from a parole list following the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi (July 4 1863) where the Jackson light Artillery (Lowe's Battery) surrendered. After exchange it was consolidated with the 3^rd Missouri Artillery ("St. Louis Artillery")