Artillery

[Marc]

Re: Hurrah for the Artillery

Over 12 years ago when I started in my CW endeavors it was with an artillery unit, good fellows, safe gun drill in all aspects, but the camp life and other aspects of correct period life was missing.

I the found not only authentic infantry, but had known and became associated with Mark Plfum and Durrels' Battery. As far as I know the only campaign style Union artillery unit I know of.

This past summer the Potomac Legion and the 83rd during their living history at Gettysburg had a mounted artillery from Alabama as guests. What a thrill to see the gun rolling across horse drawn. Too bad the cost of doing actual horse drawn is so expensive.

I always enjoy my experiences with Durrells' Battery and the authentic camp life of a red leg. Plus it is great to hear the sound of the big gun...

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Artillery

Hey Robert,

Can I be on that gun crew? I want to be the dude who has the job of pointing at the target, NOT one of the four dudes it takes to lift the projectile!

I could go as far as committing to buy a red hat cord. :tounge_sm

Patrick Craddock

I have begun my talks with AHHHnold to purchase Alcatraz once I will the Lotto. My job on the gun will be targeting yuppies driving across the Golden Gate in their SUVs from Marin. It appears that the men melted down their old bronze guns to make into hat brass once they were assigned to the "heavies"´. :sarcastic

[Moonshine]

Re: Artillery

Robert,

Just ask our "Governator" if he'll let you have the Presidio! Wasn't it a Civil War era fort at the mouth of the "Golden Gate"? Do they have any coastal artillery there on display like the photo?

Jim Ross

[K Bartsch]

Re: Hurrah for the Artillery

Over 12 years ago when I started in my CW endeavors it was with an artillery unit, good fellows, safe gun drill in all aspects, but the camp life and other aspects of correct period life was missing.

I the found not only authentic infantry, but had known and became associated with Mark Plfum and Durrels' Battery. As far as I know the only campaign style Union artillery unit I know of.

This past summer the Potomac Legion and the 83rd during their living history at Gettysburg had a mounted artillery from Alabama as guests. What a thrill to see the gun rolling across horse drawn. Too bad the cost of doing actual horse drawn is so expensive.

I always enjoy my experiences with Durrells' Battery and the authentic camp life of a red leg. Plus it is great to hear the sound of the big gun...

Mark,

That was (Eli) Lilly's Battery, 18th Indiana Light Artillery. The founder of the unit, gun owner and his animals live in Birmingham.

Here's our website:

http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/j/b/jbstuart/

We'll be at the 140th Pickett's Mill this summer portraying Key's Helena Light artillery.

We are a horse-drawn unit who do it campaign-style and our primary impression is a federal one. We work very hard to operate as authentically as possible-- but not necessarily "the most authentic mounted artillery unit in the country." :wink_smil

Hope you can make it to the Mill and see us again!
Cordially,
K. Bartsch

[Bill Cross]

Re: Artillery

I found being part of the team that served the gun to be particularly rewarding.

Some time back helping out at Fort Delaware, they somehow made the mistake of asking me to pull the lanyard on their 8" Columbiad. It had a mere 1 pound of powder in it (the regulation load was I believe 5 pounds, but I may be underestimating), yet the shock wave cascaded through by body like a small horse bumping into my chest.

When the word about Appomattox reached the fort in 1865, the gunners fired off every single tube (over 100 if memory serves) at once in celebration of the end of the war. The POWs thought that Armageddon had come and the Lord would be arriving on the next boat from the mainland.

I agree that authentic artillery is something we need more of. But the finances are severe, since I'm told the tack alone would cost a small fortune, not to mention the horses and the apparatus. Perhaps we should ask Paul to configure this site for us to contribute monies for playing Powerball with the winning proceeds earmarked for battlefield preservation and a battery of horse-drawn guns? :wink_smil

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Artillery

Robert,

Just ask our "Governator" if he'll let you have the Presidio! Wasn't it a Civil War era fort at the mouth of the "Golden Gate"? Do they have any coastal artillery there on display like the photo?

Jim Ross

Jim

There were several coastal instalations around the bay at the time of the Civil War. Fort Point, at the mouth of the Golden Gate, is an 1850s three tier masonary fort built in the same series as Morgan, Polaski, and Jackson béing the capital defensive site. There were also heavy batteries on Alcatraz Is, Angel Is, Battery Baker and several earthen works ringing the hills of the Bay. These instalations were manned by the California volunteer untis, The 9th US infantry and the 3rd US Artillery. Many of these sites still exsist, and are host to the "Hardore Garrisoners" here in CA.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Artillery

Robert,
Do they have any coastal artillery there on display like the photo?

Jim Ross

Sorry for the farb old photo, but yes.

[oestk]

Re: Artillery

I have been following this thread with some interest since I have been doing mounted artillery for over eight years. Y’all seem to appreciate the cost of acquiring and maintaining a gun, caisson, two limbers, and harness for 12 horses; not to mention the horses themselves. However, the greatest challenge that I have had is finding and keeping people who are willing to do the work that is required to field a correct mounted impression. It is damned hard work, and a tough impression to maintain. Our unit (18th Indiana/Lumsden’s Btty) includes people from almost every Southern state from New Mexico to South Carolina. These people come to drill weekends, help maintain harness and equipment, pull trailers long distances without compensation, work long and hard hours at events taking care of horses and equipment, chase after gun carriages moving at a trot (sometimes at a gallop), do all of the many things that are necessary to keep a mounted unit in the field, and never complain. If it weren’t for them, the mounted artillery impression wouldn’t happen.

[lazarus]

Re: Artillery

If it weren’t for them, the mounted artillery impression wouldn’t happen.[/QUOTE]

:D Ahh! Pops that is so nice of you to say, but he is right! Damn hard work and you need about three days to a week to recover and I am one of the younger one's in this bunch. You haven't lived until you have bounced your bottom blue ridding a top a charging limber with nothing but horses' asses staring back at you and you holding on for life!

Cameron Lippard
Lumsden's Battery
Lazarus Battery
Palmetto Light Artillery

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Re: Artillery

At Fort Jackson we'd fire the 32 pdr. seacoast gun with 2 lbs. of powder, and the 9" Dahlgren with 5 lbs. The reverberation would be heard and felt up & down the Savannah River basin for 15-20 seconds afterwards. Imagining the effect of dozens of these guns, with shells, going off in succession was overwhelming.

At the Naval Museum in Columbus, GA we fired the 7" Brooke Rifle with 8 lbs. of powder. Talk about shock waves. We'd have to call the police department ahead of time so they wouldn't think a terrorist had blown up the city.

Seacoast guns are the most rewarding.

Greg Starbuck

[lazarus]

Re: Artillery

Seacoast guns are the most rewarding.

Greg, I would have to agree with that when it comes to the booooom! I have had the privilege of servicing the Ft. Jackson piece back, I think in 1999, when we had a huge artillery drill weekend with a few deep south artillery units. I will never forget that experience, especially after aiming that gun at a large Norwegian ship coming up the river. If anything, that 32 pounder does make you wish for at least one could shell to skip across that river.

Cameron Lippard

[10nycav]

Re: Artillery

I visited your website and you fellows look good! That 2002 photo driving through the woods looked excellent--no slack in those traces. (I saw an arty horse step over a trace once--when the team started to move it was not a pretty sight.) I can appreciate the work put in because I am one of the fellows in Oregon working on training horses to drive. They are doing great but it's a long haul. Anyway I have a question for you--if you don't have enough qualified drivers do you ever use 4 ups to pull your guns? Or is it 6 ups or nothing?

Ken Morris

I have been following this thread with some interest since I have been doing mounted artillery for over eight years. Y’all seem to appreciate the cost of acquiring and maintaining a gun, caisson, two limbers, and harness for 12 horses; not to mention the horses themselves. However, the greatest challenge that I have had is finding and keeping people who are willing to do the work that is required to field a correct mounted impression. It is damned hard work, and a tough impression to maintain. Our unit (18th Indiana/Lumsden’s Btty) includes people from almost every Southern state from New Mexico to South Carolina. These people come to drill weekends, help maintain harness and equipment, pull trailers long distances without compensation, work long and hard hours at events taking care of horses and equipment, chase after gun carriages moving at a trot (sometimes at a gallop), do all of the many things that are necessary to keep a mounted unit in the field, and never complain. If it weren’t for them, the mounted artillery impression wouldn’t happen.

[BHoover]

Re: Artillery

Seacoast guns are the most rewarding.

Greg, I would have to agree with that when it comes to the booooom!

Cameron Lippard

Cameron, Just remember this... the 32 pdr has been sleeved down, so the original boom would have been even louder. (Although it was loud enough for me the day you mention!)

Greg mentioned the 9" Dahlgren gun as well. I was at the fort the night they had the first "official" firing of the Dahlgren. The gun was mounted on the waterside at some distance from the fort, and we were all on the top of the fort wall to observe. The boom was so big that we could literally feel the rumble under our feet even from that distance.

Now if we could just talk them into letting us fire one of those 100 pdr Columbiads at Ft. Sumter! :)

[marine05]

Re: Artillery

I am just curious. But how much does it cost to get involved with artillery? What do the expenses go to when starting...ect?

Depends on the unit, but around $800 per person. Some savings is realized by no need to purchase a musket.

[oestk]

Re: Artillery

I visited your website and you fellows look good! That 2002 photo driving through the woods looked excellent--no slack in those traces. (I saw an arty horse step over a trace once--when the team started to move it was not a pretty sight.) I can appreciate the work put in because I am one of the fellows in Oregon working on training horses to drive. They are doing great but it's a long haul. Anyway I have a question for you--if you don't have enough qualified drivers do you ever use 4 ups to pull your guns? Or is it 6 ups or nothing?

Ken Morris

Ken,
We use both, primarily based on the impression: 4 for Confederate and 6 for Federal. However, there are times when we go with 4 while doing Federal because of a shortage of drivers or lack of horse transportation. I should mention that driving a pair of horses in an artillery hitch is just as physically demanding as marching as a cannoneer and man-handling a gun. You feel like you have been beaten about the neck, shoulders, arms and legs when you climb off a horse after driving all day. We had a driver go down from the heat and exertions during the Port Gibson march last May. So, you have my respect for being a driver.

Kent Oestenstad