Summary Statement, 2nd Quarter, 1863 – Indiana’s Independent Batteries (Part 2)

We move down the sheet to the second half of the Indiana independent batteries, numbering 13 through 25:

Of the thirteen to consider, seven had posted returns for the quarter.  So more than a few blanks to fill here.  Organizationally, these batteries had very few administrative changes from the previous quarter to note:

• 13th Battery: No return.  Captain Benjamin S. Nicklin’s battery remained at Gallatin, Tennessee.  Though part of the Army of the Cumberland, the battery was unattached.
• 14th Battery: No return.  This battery remained part of the District of Jackson, Sixteenth Corps, presumably still with three 6-pdr field guns and one 3-inch Ordnance Rifle.  Lieutenant Francis W. Morse remained in command.
• 15th Battery: Reporting at Paris, Kentucky with six 3-inch rifles.  After assignment to the Fourth Division, Twenty-Third Corps, the battery was part of the Federal response to Morgan’s July 1863 Raid.  Captain John C. H. von Sehlen commanded.
• 16th Battery: A return of Fort Washington, Maryland without any guns listed.  There is a faint note “Infy Stores” under the regiment column.  Lieutenant Charles R. Deming’s battery were part of the Washington Defenses.
• 17th Battery: No return.  Captain M. L. Miner’s battery was part of French’s Division, Eighth Corps.  During the pursuit phase of the Gettysburg Campaign, the battery would return to Maryland Heights at Harpers Ferry, with their six 3-inch Ordnance Rifles.
• 18th Battery:  No Return. Captain Eli Lilly’s battery remained with the Fourth Division, Fourteenth Corps, and thus involved with the Tullahoma Campaign at the end of the reporting period.
• 19th Battery: Reporting at Chattanooga, Tennessee with four 12-pdr Napoleons and two 3-inch Rifles (not under the usual Ordnance Rifle column). Like the 18th, Captain Samuel J. Harris’s battery was part of Fourth Division, Fourteenth Corps.  Thus the location of Chattanooga reflected a later reporting date.
• 20th Battery:  At Nashville, Tennessee with no weapons reported.  Captain Milton A. Osborne’s battery was assigned to the artillery reserve posted to Nashville, under the Army of the Cumberland.
• 21st Battery:  At Camp Dennison, Ohio with six 12-pdr Napoleons. The location offered is clearly an error.  Captain William W. Andrew’s battery was the third Indiana battery assigned to Fourth Division, Fourteenth Corps.  And thus were on the move through middle Tennessee at the time.
• 22nd Battery: At Bowling Green, Kentucky with four 12-pdr Napoleons.  Under Captain Benjamin F. Denning, this battery was assigned to the Second Division, Twenty-Third Corps, Army of the Ohio.
• 23rd Battery:  Reporting at Indianapolis, Indiana with six 3.80-inch James Rifles.  Captain James H. Myers’ battery remained in the District of Indiana and Michigan, charged with guarding prisoners. Later in the summer the battery would get the call to the field.
• 24th Battery: No return. Under Captain Joseph A. Sims, this battery was newly assigned to the Third Division, Twenty-Third Corps, with duty in Kentucky.  The battery was among those mobilized to chase Morgan in July.
• 25th Battery:  No return. This is a curious entry line.  The 25th would not organize for another year.  So at best this is simply a placeholder.

As I said earlier, very few changes from the previous quarter.

Turning to the smoothbore ammunition reported:

Four batteries with quantities to report:

• 19th Battery: 20 shot, 15 shell, 12 case, and 72 canister for 12-pdr Napoleons.
• 21st Battery: 463 shot, 126 shell, 491 case, and 161 canister for 12-pdr Napoleons.
• 22nd Battery: 131 shot, 141 shell, 144 case, and 155 canister for 12-pdr Napoleons.
• 23rd Battery: 930 canister for 6-pdr field guns.

So there we have the 23rd Battery, guarding prisoners in Indianapolis, with James rifles loaded up with 6-pdr canister.  Well, it would fit into a 3.80-inch bore!

Moving next to the Hotchkiss columns for rifled projectiles:

A couple of batteries with 3-inch rifles on hand.  So we see their entries along with the James rifles of the 23rd Battery:

• 15th Battery: 340 canister,  342 fuse shell, and 1,207 (?) bullet shell for 3-inch rifles.
• 19th Battery: 76 canister, 68 percussion shell,  55 fuse shell, and 40 bullet shell for 3-inch rifles.
• 23rd Battery: 390 percussion shell and 330 fuse shells for 3.80-inch rifles.

The next page we can focus down to the Dyers and James columns:

For Dyer’s:

• 19th Battery: 17 shell for 3-inch rifles.

For James’:

• 23rd Battery:  95 case shot for 3.80-inch rifles.

None of the batteries reported Schenkl’s or Tatham’s, so we may proceed on to the small arms:

By battery reporting:

• 15th Battery: Twenty-eight Army revolvers and twenty (?) horse artillery sabers.
• 19th Battery: Fifteen Army revolvers and sixteen horse artillery sabers.
• 20th Battery: Nineteen Army revolvers.
• 21st Battery: Thirty Army revolvers and thirty horse artillery sabers.
• 22nd Battery: Thirty-two horse artillery sabers.
• 23rd Battery:  Twenty horse artillery sabers.

Uniformity… somewhat.  And with that we can close the Indiana independent batteries. Or can we?

Yes, there are six “others” at the bottom of the section.  One of which would become the 26th Indiana Independent Battery later in the war.  We’ll look at them in the next installment.

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Summary Statement, 1st Quarter, 1863 – Indiana’s Batteries, Part 2

We split the Indiana batteries in half, discussing the first twelve batteries in the last installment.  Those batteries were all posted to the Western or Trans-Mississippi Theaters.  So now we turn to the lower half of the order:

And right off the bat we see a few Eastern Theater postings.  Clerks recorded entries for eight of the thirteen batteries:

• 13th Battery: No return.  Captain Benjamin S. Nicklin’s battery began the year posted to Gallatin, Tennessee.  Though part of the Army of the Cumberland, the battery was unattached.
• 14th Battery: At Jackson, Tennessee with three 6-pdr field guns and one 3-inch Ordnance Rifle.  With the new year, Lieutenant Homer H. Stull commanded the battery.  Shortly into January, Lieutenant Francis W. Morse was listed as commander.  The battery came under the Sixteenth Corps with Grant’s reorganizations, but remained at Jackson.
• 15th Battery: This battery was in Paris… Kentucky that is … with six 3-inch rifles, according to the summary.  That would be valid for later in the year.  But in March 1863 it was under Captain John C. H. von Sehlen and in transit through Indianapolis. The battery was part of Burnside’s command being transferred west.
• 16th Battery: A return of Fort Washington, Maryland without any guns listed.  There is a faint note “Baty Stores” under the regiment column.  Lieutenant Charles R. Deming’s battery were part of the Washington Defenses.
• 17th Battery: At Harpers Ferry, West Virginia with six 3-inch Ordnance Rifles.  Captain M. L. Miner’s battery supported the Maryland Brigade in the Eighth Corps.
• 18th Battery:  No Return. Captain Eli Lilly’s battery was part of the reorganized Fourteenth Corps in the winter of 1863, posted in the sprawling Fortress Rosecrans at Murfreesboro.
• 19th Battery: Also at Murfreesboro, and filing a return showing four 12-pdr Napoleons and two 3-inch Ordnance Rifles. And like the 18th, Captain Samuel J. Harris’s battery was part of Fourteenth Corps.
• 20th Battery:  No return.  Captain Milton A. Osborne’s battery was assigned to the District of Western Kentucky.  According to an inventory posted later in June, the battery had four 12-pdr “heavy” field guns.
• 21st Battery:  No return. Serving through the winter with the Army of Kentucky, Captain William W. Anderw’s battery transferred to the Fourteenth Corps later in June.
• 22nd Battery: At Louisville, Kentucky with four 12-pdr Napoleons.  Under Captain Benjamin F. Denning, this battery was mustered into service in December 1862.  They were placed in the Twenty-Third Corps, Army of the Ohio later in the spring.
• 23rd Battery:  Reporting at Indianapolis, Indiana with six 3.80-inch James Rifles.  Captain James H. Myers’ men were charged with guarding prisoners during the winter of 1863.
• 24th Battery: No return. Under Captain Joseph A. Sims, the battery was just leaving the state in March 1863.  They would become part of the Twenty-Third Corps.
• Wilder’s Battery (26th Battery): Reporting at Knoxville, Tennessee with six 3-inch Ordnance Rifles.  However, that location is probably reflective of the reporting date of August 20, 1864. The battery was among those surrendered at Harpers Ferry the previous campaign season. Going through the formalities of parole, the battery was actually posted at locations in Illinois and Indiana during the winter. Lieutenant Caspar W. McLaughlin was in command.  We’ll find the battery assigned to the Twenty-Third Corps later in the spring.

Notice that Wilder’s Independent Battery later received, at least on some records, the numerical designation of the 26th Battery.  The 25th Battery would not muster in until November 1864.

Moving down to the ammunition reported on hand, starting with the smoothbore types:

Three batteries reporting:

• 14th Battery: 328 shot, 296 case, and 68 canister for 6-pdr field guns.
• 19th Battery: 80 shot, 60 shell, 60 case, and 32 canister for 12-pdr Napoleons.
• 22nd Battery: 216 shot, 424 shell, 424 case, and 616 canister for 12-pdr Napoleons.

Hey, now!  The 22nd Battery was trying to defy the inference I made last week!  But keep in mind that battery was just coming into service in March 1863.  And by the reporting date of November 1863 (since we’ve seen that weigh on the data clerks transcribed) the battery had served as garrison artillery for several months.  Such may explain the ammunition mix.

Now on to the rifled projectiles starting with Hotchkiss:

Six lines to discuss:

• 14th Battery: 45 canister and 162 percussion shell in 3-inch caliber.
• 15th Battery: 360 canister, 360 fuse shell, and 1080 bullet shell for 3-inch rifles.
• 17th Battery: 250 canister, 212 fuse shell, and 719 bullet shell for 3-inch rifles.
• 19th Battery: 76 canister, 86 fuse shell, and 98 bullet shell for 3-inch.
• 23rd Battery: 440 percussion shell and 355 fuse shell for 3.80-inch James.
• Wilder’s Battery:  600 canister, 180 percussion shell, 362 fuse shell, and 456 bullet shell for 3-inch rifles.

Again, we see rather large quantities of canister.  But those batteries reporting also happened to be assigned rear area duties.  So we don’t necessarily have an example of a trend being bucked.  Even the 19th Battery, assigned to a field command, was placed in a fortification at the reporting period.  I’d call more attention to the 23rd Battery, which was guarding prisoners, with no canister on hand.  Guess just having a big bore James rifle on hand was scary enough.

Moving to the next page of rifled projectiles, we find scant entries to discuss:

That is for 23rd Battery, reporting 95 James-pattern 3.80-inch case on hand.

Likewise, the Schenkl page is almost bare:

14th Battery had 83 Schenkl 3-inch shells on hand.

That leaves us to the small arms:

By battery:

• 14th Battery: Sixteen cavalry sabers.
• 15th Battery: Sixteen Army revolvers and twenty horse artillery sabers.
• 17th Battery: Seventeen Army revolvers, two cavalry sabers, and thirty-two horse artillery sabers.
• 19th Battery: Twenty-five army revolvers and sixteen horse artillery sabers.
• 22nd Battery: Thirty-two horse artillery sabers.
• 23rd Battery: Twenty (?) horse artillery sabers,

Not a lot of excess small arms for these batteries. In particular, these Indiana artillerists didn’t have many firearms on hand.  Perhaps that’s the way their commanders preferred.  So they could focus on their larger, crew-served weapons.