It turns out that artillery companies leave a lot of stuff
on the battlefield after an engagement.[i] For most units, commanders report soldiers killed and wounded. In
artillery companies they also report their losses of horses. This is logical as artillery horses are the
prime movers for an artillery battery.
But the artillery even goes beyond that. We get a good idea of the kinds of equipment
necessary to keep the artillery running from the reports of two Federal artillery
commanders at Antietam.
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| Captain William Montrose Graham |
William Graham had been a soldier for seven years. Unlike most ante-bellum regular army
officers, he was not a West Point graduate.
There is some evidence that he applied to the Academy but for reasons
unknown to me never got the appointment.
He certainly had an impeccable pedigree.
Both his father and uncle were graduates of the West Point Class of
1817. His father James a noted explorer
and surveyor was a Major in the Topographical Engineers when his son received
his appointment as a lieutenant in the First Artillery in 1855. His uncle William a hero of the Mexican War
fell while leading his regiment at Molino Del Rey. Graham followed the typical career path of a
young officer in the pre-war army with duty at isolated posts in Florida and
Texas. William Graham must have been a
very capable artillery officer. In October
1861 when William French[ii],
then captain of Light Company “K” was promoted to major, 27 year old William
Graham was appointed to this coveted command and promoted to captain. Light
Company K was one of the eight “light” artillery companies in the regular
military establishment. Selection for
promotion to command a light company was not based on seniority, but on merit. [iii]
It says a lot for William Graham that he got the appointment
On
September 17th, 1862, Graham’s company was attached to the Artillery
Reserve of the Army of the Potomac.
Around noon “K” was sent forward to support Israel Richardson’s Second
Corps’ division advancing on the Sunken Road.
In the severe fighting there, Graham lost four soldiers killed and five
wounded. Seventeen horses were killed, and six wounded severely. So hot was the fire that
General Richardson was mortally wounded by a shell fragment while standing in
the battery.
Graham’s
full report is in Henry Hunt’s papers at the Library of Congress. It contains information on the materiel
losses of the battery that is not included in the report in OR 19:1. Graham writes [in the full report] that “My
loss in materiel was 192 rounds of ammunition expended, 2 trail hand spikes (1
broken), 5 wheel traces broken, 1 prolonge, 1 breech sight, 3 whips (drivers)
two sabers and belts, 4 sets lead harnesses (single), 5 halters and straps, 5
nose bags, 2 pair spurs and straps.”
James “Jock” Stewart also followed an unlikely career path
to command of a light artillery company.
At the start of the Civil War, Stewart, a ten-year army veteran was
First Sergeant of Light Company B, 4th U.S. Artillery. During his tenure, the immigrant from Leith
Scotland saw hard frontier service in Texas and Utah. “B” was another one of the “Elite 8.”[iv] John
Gibbon who commanded the battery called Stewart “the best 1st
Sergeant I ever saw in the service.”[v] Elevation of an enlisted man to commissioned
rank in the regular army was extremely rare before the Civil War.[vi] Things had certainly changed by October 1861. The establishment of the new Fifth U.S.
Artillery Regiment created many new officer vacancies. Additionally, the departure of many officers through
resignation, or promotion to higher ranking volunteer and staff positions added
many more openings. Due in some measure to Gibbon’s efforts, Stewart was
appointed a second lieutenant in Gibbon’s battery in November 1861. About that time, Gibbon accepted a volunteer
commission to command a brigade of western soldiers. He was perhaps
instrumental in keeping his old battery attached to his new command in what
eventually became known first as the Black Hat Brigade, and later as the Iron
Brigade of the West. The brigade was
part of Abner Doubleday’s division of Joseph Hooker’s First Corps during the
Maryland Campaign. It supported the
infantry attack down the Hagerstown Pike in the early stages of the
battle. Joseph Campbell a 24-year-old
graduate of the West Point Class of June 1861 who succeeded Gibbon was
seriously wounded at the height of the Confederate counterattack at the
Cornfield. At 36 years of age, Stewart,
the old man of the company and last remaining officer assumed command. He not
only led the company for the remainder of the battle but for virtually the rest
of the war.[vii] Light Company “B” suffered some of the highest
casualties of any artillery unit in the Civil War. In addition to Captain
Campbell who never returned to active command, “B” lost nine soldiers killed,
and 30 wounded.
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| A partial list of equipment |
As a former first sergeant, Stewart was used to keeping detailed
records. Unlike William Graham who
reported his losses on his official report, Stewart listed them in his monthly
return for September 1862. After
detailing the movements of the battery for the month and the losses of men and
horses, Stewart continues: “All axle strips of battery more or less broken occasioned by
rapid firing and the uneven nature of the ground not having cannoneers
sufficient to run the guns to more favorable positions. One limber disabled by cannon shot; 24 horses
killed and 12 wounded; Required for use in the battery: 46 horses and 12 water
buckets, 2 tar buckets, 1 sponge bucket, 60 blankets 50 curry combs, 50 horse
brushes, 3 spare poles, 1 spare wheel and 6 to be exchanged; 6 picks and [illegible]
6 shovels, caisson, 4 hand spikes, trail, 4 sets lead harnesses, artillery, 2
near & 2 off; 15 wheel traces, 24 whips, 6 saddler's awls, and handlers, [illegible]
lbs. square and flat iron, 25 head stalls and 4 bridles.”
The
force of war knocks loose and breaks a lot of equipment. While the equipment listed
above does not seem that important, these implements together contribute to the
combat readiness of the company. Some of
these “little things” are needed for the care of the horses. [The image from 1864 Field Artillery Tactics book lists some of this equipment.] The rest are for servicing guns and ammunition. An artillery company could not function
without these seemingly little things. In
addition to all the other duties that company officers and NCOs performed after
a battle, there was the lengthy painstaking inventory of lost, damaged and
destroyed equipment. The Quartermaster Department demanded a thorough
accounting of all equipment, big and little, before they would replace
anything. Graham and Stewart who were
very good at their jobs give us an interesting perspective on this aspect of an
artillery company.
[i] Throughout this article, I refer to artillery units
as companies. For the First through
Fourth Artillery at this time of the war, company was the term most frequently
used. The term battery at this time
meant the horses and guns that are added to “mount” a foot artillery company. However in the new Fifth U.S. Artillery, the
units are referred to as batteries in their organizational orders. As the war progressed the term battery became
more frequently used even in the old legacy artillery companies.
[ii] This is the same William French who under his volunteer commission as a brigadier general commanded a
Second Corps division in the Sunken Road at Antietam.
[iii] General Order Number 12, March 1, 1849: Vacancies
occurring in Companies of Artillery designated by the President to be organized
and equipped as Light Artillery, will be filled by selection. If the vacancy happens to be in the grade of
Captain, it will be filled by order of the Secretary of War, on the
recommendation of the Colonel, who will name the Captain best qualified for the
service.”
[iv] In 1860, the eight light artilleries in the regular
army were Light Companies I and K of the First Artillery, A and M of the Second
Artillery, C and E of the Third Artillery, and B and G of the Fourth
Artillery. In these eight companies,
selection for command was based on merit and not seniority. Selection for command in all other the other
40 (foot) artillery companies was based on seniority.
[v] Personal
Recollections of the Civil War by John Gibbon. New York:
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928 page 13
[vi] In December 1860 only eight of 219 serving artillery
officers (under 4%) were former non-commissioned officers. Two years later 29 officers were former
sergeants.
[vii] Stewart remained in command of Light Company B until
December 1864 when he was promoted to First Lieutenant and transferred to
Company A. He replaced Alonzo Cushing in
that company who was killed at Gettysburg.
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