U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade

Horse Artillery Brigade
Officers of the Horse Artillery Brigade at Fair Oaks, Virginia - May 1862.
Active	1861–1865
Country	Union
Branch	Union Army
Type	Horse artillery
Size	1–2 brigades 4–12 artillery companies
Engagements	American Civil War Peninsula Campaign Maryland Campaign Fredericksburg Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Gettysburg Campaign Bristoe Campaign Mine Run Campaign Wilderness Campaign Appomattox Campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	William F. Barry Henry J. Hunt William Hays James M. Robertson John C. Tidball William M. Graham Dunbar R. Ransom

The Horse Artillery Brigade was a Union Army brigade created during the American Civil War, present in various structural iterations throughout the campaigns of the Eastern Theater, assembled from Regular Army and state volunteer artillery companies (also known as batteries) which had been specifically equipped, trained, and utilized as horse artillery: fast-moving, lightly-armed units designed to accompany and support Federal cavalry in the field.

The concept was initially experimental, but it proved successful in practice. By mid-war, a second brigade was added to the artillery branch.

Several key distinctions set horse artillery batteries apart from the rest of the field artillery:

At the outset of the Peninsula Campaign in 1862, artillery companies were typically assigned to Union corps to be utilized at the discretion of division commanders; conversely, the batteries of the Horse Artillery Brigade were held in reserve under the ultimate authority of Union Army of the Potomac artillery chief Colonel Henry J. Hunt. On the campaign, Hunt dispatched his horse artillery companies on an as-needed basis for specific duty with cavalry squadrons in the field. As the war progressed, the Horse Artillery Brigade served increasingly under the command umbrella of the Cavalry Corps, operating in an integrated fashion with the cavalry.

While most field artillery companies (both Federal and Confederate) utilized either smoothbore field pieces, like variants of the widely-available M1857 12-pounder Napoleon smoothbore gun, or heavier rifles, such as the 10 or 20-pounder Parrott rifles, the batteries of the Horse Artillery Brigade almost exclusively utilized the 3-inch Ordnance rifle: these lightweight cast-iron rifled guns were highly maneuverable, accurate, and reliable. While there were occasional deviations in the field, artillery companies newly-attached to the horse artillery (especially when the Second Brigade was fielded in 1863) typically traded their present armament for a standardized complement of 3-inch Ordnance rifles as soon as practicable.

Operationally, batteries were further divided into two-gun subunits called "sections", under the immediate field command of a junior lieutenant or senior sergeant, which could operate combined or detached for independent duty: horse artillery batteries typically comprised two or three sections, for an average of four to six rifles in a company.

Finally, most critically, the Horse Artillery Brigade differed from other field artillery (also referred to as "mounted" artillery, being on field carriages as opposed to fixed emplacements in fortifications) in that each member of the company travelled at all times upon his own horse, rather than in the traditional field artillery practice of officers travelling mounted while a minority of enlisted men rode on the horse-drawn gun limbers and ammunition caissons and the majority travelled on foot. With each man on his own horse, the unit could travel faster and more efficiently, matching the pace of Federal cavalry--but equally crucial, on the battlefield, gun crews could maneuver their pieces seamlessly and independently wherever they were required.

The practical brigade concept was the brainchild of Brigadier General William F. Barry, Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac, in 1861. Barry, together with Henry Hunt and William H. French, had authored the Army's official manual for artillery drill only a few years earlier. All three had served in the artillery during the Mexican-American War, where the concept of the mobile "flying battery" was developed by trial-and-error and popularized by maverick artillerists Captains James Duncan and Samuel Ringgold. Duncan's fingerprints upon the legacy of the Horse Artillery Brigade were hardly subtle, as the key players in 1861-62 had cut their teeth in the artillery service under his tutelage--Henry Hunt and William Hays (the first brigade commander) served as Duncan's section chiefs in Mexico, while William Barry had worked alongside Duncan as well. His legacy was carried further in the interwar, as many former enlisted men and junior officers who had served in their formative years under these pioneers would become the inaugural class of battery commanders in the Horse Artillery Brigade: these included John C. Tidball, James M. Robertson, Horatio G. Gibson, and Henry Benson.

With such a large portion of the Horse Artillery being professional Regular Army artillerists, it developed a superb reputation for military efficiency, accuracy of fire, and command presence in the field and in battle.

Organization

Note: An artillery battery, a company-level unit, was commanded by an army captain. However, there were a number of exceptions to this rule:

1.) It was common during the American Civil War for Regular Army captains to be absent on command elsewhere: typically, they were either brevetted to higher command or accepted a United States Volunteers commission commanding a state volunteer unit. (e.g., Captain Jefferson C. Davis, commander of Battery E, 1st U.S., absent in the Western Theater from August 1861.)

2.) During the war, commanders were often wounded or killed in action, temporarily replaced by subordinates, especially if their Regular Army replacements were also absent on other duty or unable to join their unit. (e.g., Captain Henry Benson, commanding Battery M, 2nd U.S., mortally wounded in action, August 1862.)

3.) Often, the senior artillery officer in a division was made "chief of artillery", overseeing overall artillery command for the division's artillery companies across all fielded brigades. When the artillery was fielded as its own brigade, the senior officer often assumed command. As a result, it is common to see a lieutenant listed as commander of a company below in his commander's absence. (e.g., Second Lieutenant John Calef, commanding Battery A, 2nd U.S., in the absence of Captain John Tidball during the Gettysburg Campaign.)

1862 - Peninsula Campaign

Horse Artillery Brigade Ltc William Hays	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Cpt John C. Tidball	Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr. Lt William N. Dennison Lt Robert Clarke
	Batteries B & L, 2nd U.S. Cpt James M. Robertson	Lt John M. Wilson Lt Carle A. Woodruff Lt Albert O. Vincent
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Cpt Henry Benson	Lt John W. Barlow Lt Peter C. Hains Lt Robert H. Chapin
	Battery C, 3rd U.S. Cpt Horatio G. Gibson	Lt William D. Fuller Lt Edmund Pendleton Lt Henry Meinell

1862 - Maryland Campaign

Horse Artillery Brigade (attached to the AoP Cavalry Division)	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Cpt John C. Tidball
	Batteries B & L, 2nd U.S. Cpt James M. Robertson
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Peter C. Hains
	Battery C & G, 3rd U.S. Cpt Horatio G. Gibson

1862 - Fredericksburg Campaign

Horse Artillery Brigade (batteries detached in Burnside's reorganization)	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Cpt John C. Tidball	attached to Artillery Reserve
	Batteries B & L, 2nd U.S. Cpt James M. Robertson	attached to Union V Corps, Center Grand Division
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.	attached to Cavalry Division, Right Grand Division
	Battery C & G, 3rd U.S. Cpt Horatio G. Gibson	attached to Union VI Corps Left Grand Division

1863 - Chancellorsville Campaign

Horse Artillery Brigade Cpt James M. Robertson	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Cpt John C. Tidball	attached to Second Division, Cavalry Corps
	Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Lt Joseph W. Martin (USV)	attached to First Division, Cavalry Corps
	Batteries B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Albert O. Vincent
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Robert Clarke
	Battery E, 4th U.S. Lt Samuel S. Elder

1863 - Gettysburg Campaign

First Brigade Cpt James M. Robertson	9th Michigan Battery Cpt Jabez Daniels (USV)	Lt Addison Kidder (USV) Lt Luther R. Smith (USV) Lt Lewis R. Rage (USV)
	Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Cpt Joseph W. Martin (USV)	Lt Moses P. Clark (USV) Lt J. Wade Wilson (USV) Sgt James E. Tileson (USV)
	Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward Heaton
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.	Lt. Robert Clarke Lt Carle A Woodruff Lt Frank B. Hamilton
	Battery E, 4th U.S. Lt Samuel S. Elder
Second Brigade Cpt John C. Tidball	Battery E & G, 1st U.S. Cpt Alanson M. Randol	Lt James Chester Lt Ernest Kinney
	Battery K, 1st U.S. Cpt William M. Graham	Lt Theophilus B. von Michalowski
	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Lt John H. Calef	Lt John W. Roder Sgt Joseph Newman Sgt Charles Pergel
	Battery C, 3rd U.S. Lt William D. Fuller	Lt Henry Meinell Lt James R. Kelly Lt James M. Lancaster
	Light Battery H, 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Cpt William D. Rank (USV)	Lt William M. Runkel (USV) Lt Thomas B. Nelson (USV)

1863 - Bristoe Campaign

First Brigade Cpt James M. Robertson	Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Cpt Joseph W. Martin (USV)	attached to Second Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Albert O. Vincent	attached to First Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery D, 2nd U.S. Lt. Edward B. Williston	attached to First Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.	attached to Third Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery A, 4th U.S. Lt Horatio B. Reed	attached to Second Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery E, 4th U.S. Cpt Samuel S. Elder	attached to Third Division, Cavalry Corps
Second Brigade Cpt William M. Graham	9th Michigan Battery Cpt Jabez Daniels (USV)
	Battery E & G, 1st U.S. Lt Egbert W. Olcott
	Battery K, 1st U.S. Lt John Egan
	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Lt Robert Clarke
	Battery G, 2nd U.S. Lt John H. Butler
	Battery C, 3rd U.S. Cpt Dunbar R. Ransom

1863 - Mine Run Campaign

First Brigade Cpt James M. Robertson	Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Cpt Joseph W. Martin (USV)	attached to Second Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward Heaton	attached to First Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery D, 2nd U.S. Lt. Edward B. Williston	attached to First Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.	attached to Third Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery A, 4th U.S. Lt Rufus King, Jr.	attached to Second Division, Cavalry Corps
	Battery E, 4th U.S. Lt Edward Field	attached to Third Division, Cavalry Corps
Second Brigade Cpt William M. Graham	Battery E & G, 1st U.S. Lt Frank S. French
	Battery I, 1st U.S. Cpt Alanson M. Randol
	Battery K, 1st U.S. Lt John Egan
	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Lt Robert Clarke
	Battery G, 2nd U.S. Lt William N. Dennison
	Battery C, 3rd U.S. Cpt Dunbar R. Ransom

1864 - Wilderness Campaign

The Horse Artillery remained organized into two brigades until June, when it was reduced to one.

January – June 1864

First Brigade Cpt James M. Robertson	Independent Battery, 6th New York Light Cpt Joseph W. Martin (USV)
	Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward Heaton
	Battery D, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward B. Williston
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.
	Battery A, 4th U.S. Lt Frederick Fuger Lt Rufus King, Jr.
	Battery C & E, 4th U.S. Lt Edward Field Lt Charles L. Fitzhugh
Second Brigade Cpt William M. Graham Cpt Dunbar R. Ransom	Battery E & G, 1st U.S. Lt Frank S. French
	Battery H & I, 1st U.S. Cpt Alanson M. Randol
	Battery K, 1st U.S. Lt Jacob H. Counselman Lt John Egan
	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Lt Robert Clarke
	Battery G, 2nd U.S. Lt James E. Wilson Lt William N. Dennison
	Battery C, 3rd U.S. Lt James R. Kelly

From June 1864

Horse Artillery Reserve Cpt James M. Robertson	Battery H & I, 1st U.S. Cpt Alanson M. Randol
	Battery K, 1st U.S. Lt John Egan
	Battery A, 2nd U.S. Lt Robert Clarke
	Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward Heaton
	Battery D, 2nd U.S. Lt Edward B. Williston
	Battery M, 2nd U.S. Lt Alexander C.M. Pennington, Jr.
	Batteries C, F, & K, 3rd U.S. Lt James R. Kelly
	Battery C & E, 4th U.S. Lt Charles L. Fitzhugh

1865 until dissolution

By 1865, the Horse Artillery Brigade existed on paper but the various units had been dispersed and assigned to other commands, as was the typical practice of regular field artillery.

At the close of the war, the individual companies were reduced to peacetime strength and dispersed to garrison duty and the Horse Artillery Brigade was dissolved.

Gallery

Tidball's Battery A, 2nd U.S. at Fair Oaks, VA - ca. May 1862

Robertson's Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. at Fair Oaks, VA - ca. May 1862

Gibson's Battery C, 3rd U.S. at Fair Oaks, VA - ca. May 1862

Benson's Battery M, 2nd U.S. at Fair Oaks, VA - ca. May 1862

General George Meade and officers of the Horse Artillery Brigades, Brandy Station, VA - 1863

Officers of the Horse Artillery at Culpeper, VA - 1863 (note the 12-pounder in view)

References

• 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.