Parting Shot

Horse Artillery

 

Confederate Major John Pelham eyed the advancing Union lines, just outside Fredericksburg, VA in December 1862.  He glanced to his left to ensure his cannons were in position and elevations sighted, then issued the command: “FIRE!”  The big guns continued to fire for more than an hour, blocking the bluecoats from gaining ground.

 

We’ve seen the above action in countless feature films and on television—Hollywood portraying men in blue and gray crossing a panoramic countryside against a backdrop of deafening cannons, belching brimstone toward the enemy, striking a mortal blow. But how’d all those cannons get there?  The obvious assumption­­––by horse. Big horses.  But it’s not quite that simple.

 

During the Civil War, Major Pelham (only 24 years old when Fredericksburg took place) developed cavalry units that quickly moved artillery from spot to spot.  These were the “flying artillery” or “horse artillery.” And they revolutionized warfare.

 

“Horse artillery” transported a myriad of weaponry: 3-inch ordinance rifles; 6-pound guns; 12-pound field howitzers; 12-pound Napoleons; 10-pound Parrot rifles; caissons (a two-wheeled cart used for carrying additional artillery ammunition), and limbers (a two-wheeled cart carrying ammunition with a central pole with horses harnessed in pairs on either side). Some of these easily weighed more than 1,000 pounds.  And surprisingly, the equines used to haul them were not large draft horses.

 

The Civil War “horse artillery” used standard breed horses, four to six to an artillery piece, because they were faster. They simply could out-walk and out-trot the bigger horses.  Ranging from 15 to 16 hands high, they weighed approximately 1200 pounds, with a 1500-pound limit. 

 

Unlike a wagon, with one man sitting on a box bench behind a team of horses, “flying artillery” employed a man (or driver as he was called) riding on each left-hand horse and holding reins for both the horse he rode (the “near horse”) and the horse to his right (the “off horse”).  For a team of six horses, the preferred team for a field piece, there were three drivers – one on each of the “near horses.”

 

There are several famous, or infamous, regiments during the Civil War that incorporated “horse artillery.”  The 2nd Virginia Cavalry Co. C was a militia unit formed in 1859 to defend Fincastle, in Botetourt County, Virginia, from possible northern attack.  In April of 1861, the “Botetourt Dragoons” were called into active service.  They reorganized as part of Stuart’s Cavalry, commanded by Major General Jeb Stuart, in April 1862 and fought in over 119 engagements during the war.  Major John Pelham led the unit until his death in 1863.

 

Many reenacting groups today represent men and women from our Civil War past, yet only a small number depict the “horse artillery” due to the inherent difficulties of acquiring caissons and limbers and properly training the horses.

 

Today’s 2nd Virginia Cavalry Co. C, founded in 1984, is an incorporated, non-profit Civil War reenacting organization comprised mostly of members from southwest Virginia.  In 1995 they decided to add “Stuart’s Horse Artillery” to their regiment’s authenticity. Their decision to portray “flying artillery” was enormous in its undertaking—they had to construct, from original plans and raw materials, a Confederate 12-pounder cannon and limber, then train horses and acquire correct harnesses.  Rather than the standard breeds used during the war, today’s unit uses thoroughbreds.

 

Members of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry Co. C and Horse Artillery perform military drill demonstrations, in parades and have appeared in several movies including Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Cold Mountain, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, Andersonville and others.  In August 2000 they were invited to participate in the funerals of crewmembers from the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley in Charleston, South Carolina.  The recently recovered remains were carried by caisson to their burial sites.

 

The story of the horse’s influence on United States military history—especially as it was shaped by Major John Pelham—continues to inspire.

 

Visit www.2ndvacavalrycoc.com for more information on the 2nd Virginia Cavalry Co. C.

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