I would refer you to my earlier reply to Michael Breedlove on this topic in this forum back in January. I wrote to Michael:

"You may wish to refer to James E. McGhee's 2008 "Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865," from The University of Arkansas Press. You can buy it, find it in your library, or if they don't have it examine via Interlibrary Loan for a small fee. Jim's landmark work has information on the units and unit records of both Sidney D. Jackman's and William A. Schnable's commands."

I see that I erred and that the lieutenant colonel's correct name is John A. Schnable. I warn you that "Schnable" is spelled about 6 or more different ways in Civil War resources, which may give you grief in your research. Since Schnable's battalion was recruited and operated on both sides of the Missouri and Arkansas border it makes this unit more difficult to discover. Note also that Schable was at most a lieutenant colonel and, as far as I can tell, did not reach colonel's rank. That also may affect research on this elusive man.

During 1861, Union troops somehow fixated on Schnable's name as representing their southern enemy in south-central Missouri and so he is mentioned (in a wide variety of spellings) in lots of letters home, journals, postwar memoirs, and the like. Be careful with these references when you Google Schnable, since several of them only refer in passing to Schnable and don't provide you with much useable data.

It seems that Schnable's unit was recruited and set up as a regular southern and later Confederate unit, but operated mostly as an irregular unit, similar to Wiliam O. Coleman's, Thomas Roe Freeman's, and Rev. Timothy Reeves' regiments, as that seemed to work for the South the best in that part of the northern Ozarks.

Yes, Jim McGhee's landmark work is the best I know to research Schnable, and certainly the place to start. Schnable led troops for the South in that region for just about the entire war, and there is lots of controversy, so you will have plenty to keep you interested. McGhee mostly covers Schable's battalion during 1864 and 1865, but lists two sources he used for material in his three pages about Schable's battalion. Schable's battalion as part of Sidney Drake Jackman's brigade participated in Price' great Missouri raid of September through November 1864, and as such took part in a number of the battles of that campaign.

Perhaps somebody else will join in to help us with Schnable's elusive battle record.

Good hunting!

Bruce Nichols