Brent,

It might help if you gave us a date of when this engagement happened. It wouldn't surprise me if it is described under another name. Sidenote: Per Halleck's instructions "Salem" was used as codeword for Helena during Steele's advance in early 1862. However I don't think that would apply to the honors in the photograph. Do they say Salem, Arkansas or just Salem?

In the Trans-Mississippi it was not uncommon for regiments to have one company converted to light artillery--particularly cavalry. This might come in the form of mountain howitzers, Woodruff guns or other light pieces. In checking Banasik's "Embattled Arkansas" for 3rd Iowa Cav entries I find a listing of the 1st Indiana Cavalry having several James rifles that saw action.

The Missouri militia regiments were fairly active and several had Woodruff guns. This makes sense when you consider that many forces were little more than battalion sized and were mounted. They rarely faced anything more than regimental strength forces and would typically only need a section of artillery.

At the battle of Kirksville, Missouri, Major Caldwell had a 12-pounder howitzer and two "two-pounder howitzers" (I believe these were Woodruff guns) in his wing. It is not clear to me who these latter two belonged to, but I believe it was a militia company.

There are other notations of such guns in Banasik's book, enough that I've been wanting to spend some time sifting through it. In addition, there were *many* mountain howitzers on the field during Price's 1864 raid and if memory serves many were mainly in the hands of militia companies. This campaign was the end of major conflict in Missouri.