Summary Statement: December 31, 1862 – 5th Regiment Artillery, US Regulars

If you are “Willing and Able”* we will look at the 5th Artillery’s portion of the December 31, 1862 summary statement.  Unlike the other regular artillery regiments, the 5th did not have a history dating back to pre-war days.  It was formed on May 4, 1861.  Though a “young” formation, the batteries saw considerable action in the first two years of the war.  But again, this post will focus on the state of affairs at the end of December 1862.

As with previous installments, the yellow lines are the rules across the page, to help us verify the numbers.  The red lines are where I’ve “cut” a portion of the page to bring column headers and line declarations into view.  Please notice there are two horizontal red lines in these tables.  The 5th Artillery’s statement spans from the bottom of one set of pages and onto the next.  Yes, that complicates the effort.  But no bayonets or scissors are needed, thanks to some digital tools.

Not a lot of variation among the cannons assigned to the batteries of the regiment.  However, the locations of some batteries offer questions that need answers.  Here’s the breakdown of the assignments and charges:

• Battery A: Newport News, Virginia with six 12-pdr Napoleons.  The location may reflect the assignment at the time of the ordnance report filing (March 1863).  Battery A was part of Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac, at Fredericksburg and participated in the “Mud March” of January 1863.  Battery A remained with the corps when transferred to the Department of Virginia, arriving at Newport News in February.
• Battery B: “Not organized until 1863.”  This battery was still forming at the reporting time.  Personnel were on duty at Fort Hamilton, New York.
• Battery C: At Belle Plain, Virginia with four 12-pdr Napoleons.  Assigned to First Corps, Army of the Potomac.
• Battery D: At Falmouth, Virginia with six 10-pdr Parrotts.  Assigned to Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac.
• Battery E: No return filed.  Like “B” above, Battery E was still getting organized and personnel were on duty at Fort Hamilton.
• Battery F: At Berlin, Maryland with two 12-pdr Napoleons and four 10-pdr Parrotts.  As with Battery A, the location is another “conundrum.” As with its sister, Battery F’s location may reflect that at the time of report filing.  In December 1862, Battery F supported Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac, on the banks of the Rappahannock.  However, in July 1863, when the report was filed, the battery was moving through Berlin, Maryland with the pursuit after Gettysburg.  Of note, by July 1863 the battery had six Parrotts.
• Battery G: New Orleans, Louisiana.  No cannons reported.  The battery was in transit from Fort Hamilton to the Department of the Gulf.
• Battery H: Murphreesboro, Tennessee with four 12-pdr Napoleons and two 10-pdr Parrotts.  Engaged at Stones River on December 31, thus explaining the delay with reporting, Battery H was part of an all “US Regulars” brigade in the Center Wing, Fourteenth Corps, Army of the Cumberland.
• Battery I: No return filed.  Was assigned to Fifth Corps at Falmouth.  Presumably retained four 3-inch Ordnance Rifles.
• Battery K: At Falmouth, Virginia with four 12-pdr Napoleons.  Assigned to the Reserve Artillery, Army of the Potomac.
• Battery L: Baltimore, Maryland with six 3-inch Ordnance Rifles.  Part of the Eighth Corps, Middle Department.
• Battery M: Location not indicated, but with six 12-pdr Napoleons.  Battery M was part of the artillery reserve of Fourth Corps, then posted at Yorktown.

Two additional lines appear on the Fifth Artillery’s summary for the Adjutant and 1st Lieutenant.  Both of these were at Fort Hamilton.  No cannons or ammunition were reported under these lines.  Just small arms and other equipment.

The Fifth Artillery reported this for smoothbore ammunition on hand:

The breakdown by battery:

• Battery A: For 12-pdr caliber – 192 shot, 96 shells, 288 spherical case, and 192 canister.
• Battery C: 12-pdr caliber – 119 shot, 11 shell, 212 case, and 120 canister.
• Battery F: 12-pdr again – 96 shot, 32 shell, 96 case, and 40 canister.
• Battery K: 12-pdr – 96 shot, 61 shell, 117 case, and 32 canister.
• Battery M: 12-pdr – 233 shot, 87 shell, 274 case, and 96 canister.

Turning to the rifled projectiles, first the Hotchkiss projectiles:

We see only Battery L with any quantity on hand – 720 3-inch shot and 241 fused shells.  Would be interesting to compare Battery L’s quantities with Battery I’s… but the latter battery’s report did not find its way to the summary.

For Parrott rifled projectiles, we see two patterns – Parrott and Schenkel:

By battery:

• Battery D: 10-pdr Parrott – 72  shells, 500 case, and 24 canister.
• Battery F: 10-pdr Parrott – 160 shells, 320 case, and 96 canister; 320 Schenkel 10-pdr shot (note, this is Schenkel pattern cast for Parrott guns).
• Battery H: 10-pdr Parrott – 310 shells, 93 case, and 63 canister.

More Schenkel pattern as the table continues to the next page:

• Battery D: 251 Schenkel-pattern 10-pdr Parrott shells.
• Battery L: 120 3-inch Schenkel shells and 120 3-inch canister, Tatham’s pattern canister.

Lastly, the small arms:

• Battery A: 23 revolvers, .44 caliber, and 65 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery C: 27 .44-caliber and 27 .37-caliber revolvers.  17 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery D: 12 .37-caliber revolvers and 62 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery F: 27 .44-caliber revolvers and 22 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery G: 7 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery H: 17 .44-caliber revolvers, 5 .37 caliber revolvers, and 40 cavalry sabers.
• Battery K: 58 .44-caliber revolvers and 16 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery L: 98 .37-caliber revolvers and 145 horse artillery sabers.
• Battery M: 24 .37-caliber revolvers and 20 horse artillery sabers.
• Adjutant: 28 horse artillery sabers.

This concludes the statements for the US Regulars. I’ll turn to the volunteer batteries next, in alphabetical order by states.

NOTE: “Willing and Able” is the motto of the 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.  The 5th Artillery, as formed in 1861, was by law just an artillery regiment, though all of its batteries were field or light batteries.  In 1924 the regiment became the 5th Coast Artillery Regiment. Starting in the 1950s, most elements of the regiment became air defense units.  But not until 1971 was the 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment formally constituted to inherit the lineage of the 5th Artillery.  The present day 5th Field Artillery Regiment dates to 1907 and does not share the same regimental crest as the air defense regiment.  Among the heraldry depicted on the unit crest, a fishhook symbolizes the defensive position at Gettysburg and three pairs of cannons alluding to action at New Market in 1864.