Branches of Service John Gibbon's Artillerist's Manual, 1863 edition, describes the organization of the branches of service. Readers should be aware that these terms were not always accurately employed by the volunteer soldiers of the Civil War.

Heavy Artillery

Heavy artillery was the commonly used term for what is properly referred to as toot artillery. The more descriptive names of siege and garrison artillery were frequently employed.

Field Artillery

Field artillery was commonly referred to as light artillery, and was of two different types: mounted artillery, in which only the drivers and officers were mounted, and horse artillery, in which all of the men were horsed. As a general rule, mounted artillery accompanied infantry and horse artillery accompanied cavalry. "Flying battery" was often used to denote a battery of horse artillery, but this colorful description was not a term of military art. It should be noted that "light artillery" was, strictly speaking, synonymous with horse artillery, but this nicety of terminology was virtually never observed.

The Battery

The unit of organization for the field artillery was the battery. A battery usually had either six or four guns, although some batteries might have eight. Early in the War, two or three batteries were assigned to each brigade of infantry. In keeping with Sherman's dictum that a battery of light artillery was worth a thousand rifles, the captain of a battery had more nearly the duties and responsibilities of the colonel of an infantry regiment, and would often report directly to a brigadier general, particularly at this stage of the War.

There was a great deal of experimentation with the organization of the artillery, but the tendency in the course of the War was to concentrate the firepower at the divisional level, with several batteries (usually called a battalion in the Confederate army and a brigade by the Federals) under the command of a field officer.

There might also be a separate artillery reserve, commanded by a general officer that had at least theoretical supervision over the artillery forces of the entire army. Those who recall the conflict between Generals Hunt and Hancock over the use of the Second Corps artillery at Gettysburg will note that the resulting chain of command was not always perfectly clear.

It is often stated that the typical Federal battery had six guns, and the typical Confederate battery had four, but the exceptions to this rule are so numerous as to render it suspect. The Atlanta Campaign furnishes a late-War illustration of artillery organization. The Union had 29 four-gun batteries, 22 six-gun batteries, and one very anomalous five-gun battery.

The Confederate artillery, nominally made up of 44 four-gun batteries, was actually organized into battalions of three batteries each, with the battalion operating in effect as a single twelve- gun unit. A captain commanded the battery; a lieutenant commanded each section (a pair of guns). A section often operated as an Independent unit for smallscale operations. Each gun was under the command of a sergeant, with two corporals, one the gunner and the other in charge of the caisson. Though only seven or eight cannoneers were necessary to serve a piece, it took 25 to 30 men to keep a single gun in the field and in operating condition.

Field Artillery Battery Positions and Duties