The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War.
Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army's five artillery regiments, the Horse Artillery operated under the command umbrella of the Cavalry Corps. The Horse Artillery differed from other light artillery (also known as "mounted" artillery) in that each member of the unit traveled on his own horse, rather than the traditional light artillery practice of "drivers" riding horses pulling the guns, while the cannoneers rode on the limbers and caissons. Ordinarily, though, the cannoneers traveled on foot behind their respective gun. But, with each man on his own horse, the unit could travel faster and more efficiently. It was the brainchild of former artillery captain and Brig. Gen. William Farquhar Barry, Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac, in 1861. With such a large percentage of the U.S. Horse Artillery being artillery batteries from the regular U.S. Army, it developed a superb reputation for military efficiency, accuracy of fire, and command presence in the field and in battle. These mobile artillery units were typically equipped with 3-inch Ordnance rifles, known for their reliability and accuracy.
Originally under the direct command of Lt. Col. (and future Brigadier General) William Hays, and later under the two-brigade command of captains James Madison Robertson and John C. Tidball, the Horse Artillery served with distinction during most of the major engagements in the Eastern Theater. Tidball's brigade later was commanded by Capt Dunbar R. Ransom.
It is notable that each of these men - Barry, Hays, Robertson, and Tidball - came from the officers corps of the 2nd Regiment of Artillery. One of their chief champions, Henry Jackson Hunt, commanded the Reserve Artillery in the Army of the Potomac, and was also an officer of the 2nd U.S. Artillery.
Organization
edit1862 - Peninsula Campaign
editCommander: Lieutenant Colonel William Hays, USV (Captain, USA, 2nd U.S. Artillery), of Tennessee
Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery (2nd Regiment of Artillery)
Commander: Captain John C. Tidball, USA, of Ohio
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr., USA, of New Jersey
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: First Lieutenant William Neil Dennison, USA, of Ohio
- Center Section Chief: Second Lieutenant Robert Clarke, USA, of Pennsylvania
- Chief of Line of Caissons: First Sergeant Frank
Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain James Madison Robertson, USA, of New Hampshire
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant John Moulder Wilson, USA, of Washington, DC
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: Second Lieutenant Carle Augustus Woodruff, USA, of New York
- Center Section Chief: Second Lieutenant Albert Oliver Vincent, USA, of Ohio
- Chief of Line of Caissons: First Lieutenant Perry Bly, 9th New York Cavalry (on TDY)
Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain Henry Benson, USA, of New Jersey
- Lead (right) Section – First Lieutenant John Whitney Barlow, USA, of New York
- Rear (left) Section – First Lieutenant Peter Conover Hains, USA, of New Jersey
- Center Section – Second Lieutenant Robert Hunter Chapin, USA, of New York
Battery C, 3rd U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain Horatio Gates Gibson, USA, of Pennsylvania
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant William Duncan Fuller, USA, of Maine
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Edmund Pendleton, USA, of Virginia
- Center Section Chief: First Lieutenant Henry Meinell, USA, of New York
- Chiefs of Line of Caissons: Second Lieutenant William D'Wolf, USA, of Illinois, (mortally wounded at Williamsburg, May 4, 1862; Died of wounds, June 3, 1862); Second Lieutenant Francis Lowell Dutton Russell, USA, of Massachusetts (on TDY from 4th US Artillery)
- Battery Wagon & Forge: Lieutenant J.W. Upham, 9th New York Cavalry (on TDY)
1863 - Gettysburg Campaign
edit
First Brigade, Horse Artillery
editCommander: Captain James Madison Robertson, USA
Acting Assistant Adjutant General: First Lieutenant J.H. Bell, 6th New York Cavalry
Batteries of the First Brigade:
9th Michigan Battery, US Volunteers (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: Captain Jabez James Daniels, USV
- Lead (right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Addison Kidder, USV
- Rear (left) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Luther R. Smith, USV
- Center Section Chief: Lt. Lewis R Rage, USV
- Chief of Line of Caissons: Second Lieutenant Thomas J. Lumbocker, USV(?)
Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Artillery, US Volunteers (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles) (formerly the Artillery Company K, 9th New York State Militia, and the 83rd New York Infantry Regiment)
Commander: Captain Joseph W. Martin, USV
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Moses P. Clark, USV
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: Second Lieutenant J. Wade Wilson, USV
- Center Section Chief: First Sergeant James E. Tileson, USV
Batteries B & L, 2nd US Artillery (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: First Lieutenant Edward Heaton, USA
Battery M, 2nd US Artillery (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: First Lieutenant Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr., USA
Battery E, 4th US Artillery (4 -3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: First Lieutenant Samuel Sherer Elder, USA
Second Brigade, Horse Artillery
editCommander: Captain John Caldwell Tidball, USA
Batteries of the Second Brigade:
Battery E & G, 1st US Artillery (4 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: Captain Alanson Merwin Randol, USA
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: Second Lieutenant James Chester, USA
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: Second Lieutenant Ernest L. Kinney, USA
1st U.S. Light Artillery, Battery K (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: Captain William Montrose Graham, USA
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Theophie Bhyrd von Michalowski, USA
Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery (6 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: Second Lieutenant John Haskell Calef, USA
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: Second Lieutenant John William Roder, USA
- Rear (left) Section Chief: First Sergeant Joseph Newman, USA
- Center Section Chief: Sergeant Charles Pergel, USA
Battery C, 3rd US Artillery (6 - 3-inch Ordnance Rifles)*
Commander: First Lieutenant William Duncan Fuller, USA
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: First Lieutenant Henry Meinell, USA
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: First Lieutenant James Rigney Kelly, USA
- Center Section Chief: Second Lieutenant James Madison Lancaster, USA
- First Sergeant – First Sergeant Daniel Munger, USA
Light Battery H, 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, US Volunteers (2 - 3-inch Ordnance rifles)
Commander: Captain William D. Rank, USV
- Lead (Right) Section Chief: William M. Runkel, USV
- Rear (Left) Section Chief: Thomas B. Nelson, USV
- Center Section Chief: Second Lieutenant John A. Light, USV
*Note: Battery C, 3rd US Artillery was not present during the battle of Gettysburg
1864 - Overland Campaign
editThe Horse Artillery remained organized into two brigades until June, when it was reduced to one. The units that were cut from the ranks left their best equipment with the remaining units, and reported to Washington, DC for further orders, elsewhere. The following are the final list of command and staff and order of battle of the larger organization and the list for the reduced roster.
January – June, 1864
editFirst Brigade, Horse Artillery
editCommander: Captain James Madison Robertson, USA (Brevet Colonel)
Quartermaster: Captain William Goldie, USV (formerly Captain, 56th Illinois Infantry)
Commissary of Subsistence: Captain Henry Loud Cranford, USV (formerly First Lieutenant, 84th New York Infantry)
Organization:
9th Battery, Michigan Light Artillery
Commander: Captain Jabez Daniels, USV
6th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery
Commander: Captain Joseph W. Martin, USV
Batteries B & L, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Edward Heaton, USA
Battery D, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) Edward Bancroft Williston, USA
Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr., USA
Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Captain) Rufus King, Jr., USA
Battery E, 4th U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain Samuel Elder, USA
Second Brigade, Horse Artillery
editCommander: Captain John Caldwell Tidball, USA (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, USA; Colonel, 4th New York Artillery, USV)
Quartermaster: Captain Ira F. Payson, USV (died, July 30, 1864)
Commissary of Subsistence: First Lieutenant (Brevet Captain) William Murray Maynadier, USA
Organization:
Battery E & G, 1st U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Frank Sands French, USA
Battery K, 1st U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel) William Montrose Graham, USA
Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Robert Clarke, USA
Section Chiefs: First Lieutenants John H. Calef, USA; N.A. Cameron, USV (TDY from 4th New York Heavy Artillery); and B.J. (Benjamin Franklin) Littlefield, USV (former US Sharpshooter, on TDY from 4th New York Heavy Artillery)
Battery G, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) John Hartwell Butler, USA
Battery C, 3rd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) William Duncan Fuller, USA
From June 1864
editHorse Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac
editCommander – Captain (Brevet Colonel) James M. Robertson, USA
Organization:
Batteries H & I, 1st U.S. Artillery
Commander: Captain (Brevet Major) Alanson M. Randol, USA
Battery K, 1st U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) John Egan, USA
Commander: First Lieutenant Robert Clarke, USA
Batteries B&L, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Edward Heaton, USA
Battery D, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel) Edward B. Williston, USA
Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr., USA
Batteries C, F,&K, 3rd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) James Rigney Kelly, USA (formerly enlisted Engineers Artificer and later enlisted 3rd Artillery Sergeant)
Batteries C&E, 4th U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Charles Lane Fitzhugh, USA, (later Colonel, 6th New York Cavalry and Brevet Brigadier General, USA and USV)
Units separated & sent to Washington, D.C. for further orders
editBatteries E & G, 1st U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant David Essex Porter, USA
Battery G, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant (Brevet Major) William Neil Dennison, USA
Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery
Commander: First Lieutenant Rufus King, Jr., USA
6th New York Independent Battery
Commander: Captain Joseph W. Martin, USV
1865
editBy 1865, the Horse Artillery Brigade still existed on paper, but the various units were dispersed and assigned to a number of commands, as was the typical practice of regular foot artillery in the field.
See also
editReferences
edit- Heitman, Francis B., Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1903.
- American Memory: Selected Civil War Photographs. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division. Washington, D.C.
- Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy. West Point, NY: West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., 1970.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.