Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery
Encyclopedia
For this article, “Company A” and “Battery A” are interchangeable. A battery of four to six cannons, with two to three two-cannon sections was the basic unit of the artillery branch. The organization was commanded by a captain with first and second lieutenants as section chiefs and chief of caissons. A battery organization was roughly company strength, as it related to the infantry branch. As such, the formal designation of an artillery battery by the U.S. Army was “company.”
This history is primarily excerpts from “2nd Regiment of Artillery” by its regimental adjutant, First Lieutenant William Augustus Simpson (USMA Class of 1875), ca. 1893, as published in Rodenbough, 1896:
The entire regiment was transferred to the South, exchanging stations with the 1st Regiment of Artillery. During the fall of 1833, Company A was sent to Alabama
along with Companies B and C, and served under Colonel David E. Twiggs
during the removal of the Creek
nation of Native Americans out of the state.
In 1836, Company A participated (along with B, C, G, and H) in the Florida Seminole
War, being stationed in Tampa. On February 27, the battery was engaged during the fighting at Withlacoochee. General Winfield Scott took command of the U.S. Army forces in the area, and assigned Companies A, B, G, and H to Colonel William Lindsay’s
column, at Fort Brooke.
Battery A participated in the removal of the Cherokee
nation from Alabama
and Tennessee
in 1838, as it was being reassigned to posting along the Great Lakes, also referred to as the “Niagara frontier”.
In 1841, Battery A was stationed at Fort Hamilton
, Brooklyn
, New York.
Mexican War
Light Battery A, under the command of Captain Duncan, left New York Harbor in August 1845, arriving in September at Corpus Christi to join General Zachary Taylor’s
army. Along with C and K,
Later that fall, “A, C, G and K formed part of Worth's Division and with it took an important part in the taking of Monterey (September 20-23).”
At the end of the war, Battery A was reassigned to duty at Fort McHenry
, in Baltimore
.
, Kansas
, during the uprisings there, between 1857 and 1859.
Among the most prominent units in the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
was Battery A, serving under the command of Captain John Caldwell Tidball
, of Virginia.
Tidball’s Battery A was equipped with three sections each of two 3” Ordnance Rifles. The section chiefs were First Lieutenants Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr.
, of New Jersey, and William Neil Dennison
of Ohio, and Second Lieutenant Robert Clarke of Pennsylvania.
, in 1877, helped quell the labor riots of 1877, and participated in the guarding of President James Garfield
after his shooting. By 1885, Battery A was reassigned to Little Rock, Arkansas
. In 1889, it transferred to Fort Riley
, Kansas.
This history is primarily excerpts from “2nd Regiment of Artillery” by its regimental adjutant, First Lieutenant William Augustus Simpson (USMA Class of 1875), ca. 1893, as published in Rodenbough, 1896:
“The Second Artillery was, with the First, Third, and Fourth, organized by an Act of Congress dated March 21, 1821. Each regiment was to have one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, one major, one supernumerary captain (for ordnance duty), one adjutant, one sergeant-major, and nine companies. Each company was to have a captain, two first lieutenants, two second lieutenants, and fifty-seven enlisted men. One company was to be designated and equipped as light artillery, but for many years it was such only in name.
“The list of organizations (given in the Army Register) from which these regiments were formed is misleading, as some of the organizations mentioned had been out of existence for years. The four regiments were formed from the Corps of Artillery, the Regiment of Light Artillery, and the Ordnance, the Second being taken mainly from the Corps of Artillery. All ordnance duty was to be done by the artillery.
“There was a second regiment of artillery during the War of 1812, of which Winfield Scott was lieutenant-colonel and then colonel. After the war it was merged into the Corps of Artillery. The names of battles of that war are borne on the regimental colors to-day, a few of the officers of the new Second had belonged to the old, and some of the companies may have belonged to both regiments, a fact I am unable to establish; but as a whole the Second Artillery of 1812 was a different organization from the Second Artillery of 1821.”
Early History of Battery A
In 1821, Company A was formed from the remnants of the second battalion of the Northern Division of the old Artillery Corps. The new company was placed under the command of Captain Alexander Fanning, and was stationed on post at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.The entire regiment was transferred to the South, exchanging stations with the 1st Regiment of Artillery. During the fall of 1833, Company A was sent to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
along with Companies B and C, and served under Colonel David E. Twiggs
David E. Twiggs
David Emanuel Twiggs was a United States soldier during the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War and a general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
during the removal of the Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
nation of Native Americans out of the state.
In 1836, Company A participated (along with B, C, G, and H) in the Florida Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
War, being stationed in Tampa. On February 27, the battery was engaged during the fighting at Withlacoochee. General Winfield Scott took command of the U.S. Army forces in the area, and assigned Companies A, B, G, and H to Colonel William Lindsay’s
William Lindsay
William Lindsay was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1893 to 1901.Born near Lexington, Virginia, Lindsay attended the common schools and settled in Clinton, Kentucky in 1854. There he taught school and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Clinton in 1858...
column, at Fort Brooke.
Battery A participated in the removal of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
nation from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1838, as it was being reassigned to posting along the Great Lakes, also referred to as the “Niagara frontier”.
Light Artillery Duty
According to Simpson:
“In 1839 Secretary of War Poinsett ordered the establishment of a camp of instruction at TrentonTrenton, New JerseyTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, New Jersey; one company of each artillery regiment to be sent there and equipped as a battery of light artillery. A of the 2d was selected and went there under command of Lieut. (afterwards Captain) James Duncan, who made it so famous in the war with Mexico.” Three months later it returned to Buffalo as a light battery.”
In 1841, Battery A was stationed at Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York.
Mexican WarMexican–American WarThe Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, 1846 – 1848
Light Battery A, under the command of Captain Duncan, left New York Harbor in August 1845, arriving in September at Corpus Christi to join General Zachary Taylor’sZachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
army. Along with C and K,
“as a part of the artillery battalion, and A were engaged at Palo Alto (May 8) and Resaca de la Palma (May 9). Duncan by his brilliant advance and attack, without orders, on the Mexican right at Palo Alto, did much towards winning the battle and was specially mentioned by General Taylor.”
Later that fall, “A, C, G and K formed part of Worth's Division and with it took an important part in the taking of Monterey (September 20-23).”
“In March, 1847, the whole regiment, except E, which was sent to Fort Brown, was assembled before Vera CruzVeracruz, VeracruzVeracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
. On the organization of the Army of Invasion the regiment was assigned to Worth's regular division. The reduction of Vera Cruz was largely the work of the artillery, Col. Bankhead, the senior field officer, acting as chief of artillery, in command of the batteries. The regiment took part in all the battles of the campaign, figuring most prominently and suffering the heaviest losses at ChurubuscoChurubuscoChurubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough of Coyoacán...
, Molino del Rey, and City of Mexico.” At Molino Del Rey, all the lieutenants of Duncan's battery (H. J. Hunt, Win. Hays, and H. F. Clarke) were slightly wounded.
At ChapultepecChapultepecChapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
, “it became necessary to advance a piece of artillery along the causeway, which was swept by the enemy's fire, against a breast-work. Lieut. Hunt, of Duncan's battery, was ordered to execute this duty. Advancing at full speed for 150 yards, with a loss of more than half his men, he accomplished his object and engaged the enemy muzzle to muzzle. Gen. Worth says, in his official report, ‘It has never been my fortune to witness a more brilliant exhibition of courage and conduct.’ Throughout the campaign Duncan's battery (A) was splendidly handled and made a brilliant record.”
At the end of the war, Battery A was reassigned to duty at Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
, in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
Antebellum Period, 1848 – 1861
Stationed at Fort McHenry with the Regimental Headquarters during much of this period, Battery A and many of the rest of its sister companies were assigned to Fort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, during the uprisings there, between 1857 and 1859.
Civil War, 1861 – 1865
“In the early days of the regiment it served as infantry; occasionally, in the Florida War, serving light field pieces. In the Mexican War the foot batteries served as infantry, and at Vera Cruz and Chapultepec served siege artillery. In the Civil War all the batteries in active service were mounted, and all those serving continuously with the Army of the Potomac became horse batteries.”
Among the most prominent units in the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
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...
was Battery A, serving under the command of Captain John Caldwell Tidball
John C. Tidball
John Caldwell Tidball was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, of Virginia.
Tidball’s Battery A was equipped with three sections each of two 3” Ordnance Rifles. The section chiefs were First Lieutenants Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr.
Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr.
Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington, Jr. , was an artillery officer and brigadier general in the United States Army and a veteran of both the American Civil War and Spanish-American War.-Early life and career:...
, of New Jersey, and William Neil Dennison
William Neil Dennison
William Neil Dennison was a highly decorated artillery officer during the American Civil War, an attorney and business speculator during the postbellum years.-Early life:...
of Ohio, and Second Lieutenant Robert Clarke of Pennsylvania.
“The successive Chiefs of Artillery of the Army of the Potomac, William. F. BarryWilliam Farquhar BarryWilliam Farquhar Barry was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as an artillery commander during the Mexican-American War and Civil War.-Birth and early years:...
and Henry J. Hunt, had been officers of the 2d until 1861. The first commander of the Horse Artillery Brigade, Wm. Hays, his successor, John M. RobertsonJames Madison RobertsonJames Madison Robertson was an artillery officer in the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(sic), and the first commander of the 2d Horse Artillery Brigade, J. C. TidballJohn C. TidballJohn Caldwell Tidball was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, were all captains of the 2d. When all the horse artillery of the Army of the Potomac was, in 1864, consolidated into one brigade, the command was given to Capt. Robertson. This brigade organization was, however, apparently only for administrative purposes, batteries being detached for duty with divisions or brigades of cavalry, the whole brigade never acting together as a fighting unit under command of its chief.
"Battery A was the first to reach Washington, arriving in January, 1861. It formed a part of the expedition for the relief of Fort Pickens in April, but returned in time to take part in the first Bull Run. In September it was made a horse battery, the first in this country. In the spring of 1862 it went to the Peninsula, forming, with B and L (RobertsonJames Madison RobertsonJames Madison Robertson was an artillery officer in the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
), and M. (Benson) of the 2d and C (GibsonHoratio Gates GibsonHoratio Gates Gibson was a career artillery officer in the United States Army, and brevet brigadier general in the American Civil War.-Biography:...
) of the 3d, the famous Horse Artillery Brigade. At Yorktown during the siege it was in pursuit with Stoneman's cavalry after the evacuation, and was engaged at Williamsburg, New Bridge, and Mechanicsville. It covered the withdrawal of the army from the left bank of the Chickahominy, being engaged at Gaines' Mill. It was engaged at Malvern Hill, July 1, and at Westover, July 3. While at Harrison's Landing a corporal died, and permission to fire the usual salute being refused, it occurred to Capt. Tidball to have "taps" sounded instead; whence the origin of this custom. The battery was with the rear guard on the withdrawal from the Peninsula. In the Maryland campaign it was in the advance with Pleasanton's cavalry, and was engaged at Boonsboro, Antietam, and Shepherdstown. It was with the cavalry in advance during the movement into Virginia, and was engaged at Piedmont, November 3, and Amissville, November 10. The battery was out with Averell's cavalry in April, 1863, and was engaged at Rapidan Station, May 1, and with Pleasanton at Upperville, June 20. It went to Gettysburg with Buford's cavalry, at which battle it fired the first shot, and after that battle was engaged at Williamsport, July 4, Boonsboro, July 8 and 9 July, and FunkstownBattle of FunkstownThe Second Battle of Funkstown took place near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...
, July 10. The battery, during September, was in action at Culpeper, Raccoon Ford, and Robinson River. In the campaign of 1864 the battery was engaged at Cold Harbor, Bottom's Bridge, Trevilian Station, and St. Mary's Church. While with the army before Petersburg it was several times detached on expeditions with the cavalry, being engaged at Deep Bottom, July 28, Lee's Mill, July 31, Deep Run, August 16, Vaughn Plank Road, September 29, Boydton Plank Road, October 27, Stoney Creek, December 1, and on the Weldon Railroad, December 7-11. The battery was engaged at Dinwiddie C. H., March 31, Farmville, April 7, and Appomatox, April 9. After Lee's surrender it started for North Carolina with Sheridan, returning when Johnston's surrender was known. The battery was commanded by Capt. Tidball until June, 1863; by Lieut. Calef at Gettysburg; by Lieut. Clarke until June, 1864; by Lieut. Dennison until February, 1865*; then, until after the surrender, by Lieut. Lord.”
Postwar period, 1865 – 1898
Battery A returned to Fort McHenry after the war. Only temporarily assigned to the West during the Plains Indian Wars, in 1869, its primary duties were in the East. It participated in the inauguration of Rutherford B. HayesRutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
, in 1877, helped quell the labor riots of 1877, and participated in the guarding of President James Garfield
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
after his shooting. By 1885, Battery A was reassigned to Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. In 1889, it transferred to Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas.
Spanish–American War
During the Spanish–American War (1898) it served in cuba under Captain G.S. Grimes. after the war The Artillery branch was again reorganized into an Artillery Corps, February 2, 1901. With the reorganization, the nineteenth century regimental system disappeared. Company A was redesignated 3rd Battery field artillery http://books.google.com/books?id=rv1CWcxVN04C&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=5th+coast+artillery&source=bl&ots=S35Qd_K1Dm&sig=_wNs20SbYzWCXOuxASM_qEvGAuY&hl=en&ei=nnE3TYW3EIOt8APRt6mEDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&sqi=2&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=falsePartial list of commanders
- Captain Alexander C.W. Fanning, June 1, 1821 – November 3, 1832
- First Lieutenant James Duncan, 1839 – April 16, 1846
- Captain James Duncan, April 16, 1846 – January 26, 1849
- Captain John Caldwell TidballJohn C. TidballJohn Caldwell Tidball was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, May 1861 – June 1863 - Second Lieutenant John Haskell CalefJohn Haskell CalefJohn Haskell Calef was a career artillery officer in the United States Army, and a veteran of the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, July 1863 - First Lieutenant Robert Clarke, August 1863 – February 9, 1865
- First Lieutenant James Henry Lord, from February 9, 1865
Sources
- Heitman, Francis B.; Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1903.
- Simpson, Lt. W.A. “Second Regiment of Artillery.” Rodenbough, Brevet Brigadier General Theo. F. and Major William L. Haskin, eds. The Army of the United States: Historical Sketches of Staff and Line with Portraits of Generals-in-Chief. New York: Maynard, Merrilee, & Company, 1896.
- US War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1894.
External links
- http://www.spanamwar.com/2ndusbatterya.htm
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/regiment-spanam-artillery.htm
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F20910F6355D11738DDDAB0994DE405B8885F0D3