Infantry detachments to Artillery

[KPavia]

I've been reading through some of the Regimental Returns and Company Muster Rolls of one of my ancestors, and I came across an intresting detail. He enlisted into the 77th New York Infantry in 1862, but then, according to the muster rolls and regimental returns, he was part of a detachment from his company to the 1st New York Independent Light Artillery in April 1863. And, according to the same records because I read through every single one, he stayed there as part of that detachment until he reenlisted into the artillery after his 3 year enlistment expired. I just have a few questions resulting from this-

1. Does anyone have any other accounts of infantry detachments to artillery? I'm searching to find the details of what such assignments would entail and would like any other info that people have to supplemement what I find.
2. According to anything that you all have read or found, is it normal for infantry detachments to artillery to stay there for almost 24 months? I just think its strange for an assigment to take him away from his unit for such a long time, but obviously he liked it enough to reenlist into that unit.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[john duffer]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

Four or five years ago I went through the rolls of the 24th Wisconsin and several men were detached to the artillery. I don't recall the exact length of time but remember it was well over a year which surprised me.

[Brian Baird]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

Battery B 4th US that was attached to the Iron Brigade received replacements from the infantry.
Here's more info:

https://www.batteryb.com/ibwithbatb.html

Brian Baird

[10TnVI]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

Unfortunatly I can't cite chapter and verse since I seem to be unable to locate my notes. I read an account of a soldier seconded from the infantry to an artillery battery from the same state during the Vicksburg campaign. He didn't talk much about his specific duties, other than horse care. He stayed with the artillery for over a year, even got in trouble and had his pay docked when the battery veterenized. He re-upped like everyone else and took veterens furlough. Unfortunatly he was still serving his original term of service and was still carried on his company returns. Upon his return he was reassigned back to his unit and had to repay the government for his time on furlough and associated travel expenses. He didn't seem to mind much:-)

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

As stated above Battery B 4th US artillery was made up largely of members of the Iron Brigade (2nd, 6th, 7th Wisconsin, 24th Michigan, 19th Indiana, and later 167th Pennsylvania Infantry). I know members of all these regiments were detailed to serve on the battery except for the 167th Pennsylvania.
Hope this Helps,

[FortyRounder]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

Cyrus Morton enlisted in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry in September of 1861. About a year later, a call was made for volunteers to serve in the light artillery batteries, and he volunteered. Morton served the remainder of his enlistment with Battery C, 1st New York Light Artillery and later published a book of his letters:

http://www.archive.org/details/lettersfromthefront00cutlrich

[Horace]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

I've come across numerous references to infantry being detailed to serve with artillery. 'A Diary of Battle' , Charles Wainwright's published diary as an artillery commander, routinely mentions detachments of infantry serving in his batteries.
I ran across this excellent site pertaining to civil war artillery:http://www.cwartillery.org/artillery.html Here's one quote from it: "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." And another: "Privates (Extra men): Almost all batteries retained a number of extra men above the minimum required for the battery to function properly. These men were assigned to the detachments for training and for quick replacement of battle casualties, hospitalized sick, and furloughed men. Usually the complement was placed under charge of the chief of line of caissons and remained with the caissons during active campaigning. Occasionally some of these men were detailed to the QM sergeant. The first sergeant also used them as a ready pool of manpower when the battery was in drill status so miscellaneous work could be accomplished. This position was not an official assignment nor were men placed here in a permanent status. Cannoneers and drivers were constantly absent for various reasons and these men were quickly rotated into an open slot. All privates were supposedly trained in the duties of cannoneer and driver alike."
I wonder if the practice had anything to do with the artillery being essentially forced to serve as a subordinate arm of the infantry for much of the war.
It's still murky to me how and why it occurred. There seems to have been a bit of 'snatching'. I'm aware of at least one instance where veteran volunteer infantrymen returning from furlough to winter quarters in early 1864 found that those who hadn't reenlisted were now detached to the artillery.

[Championhilz]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

During the Vicksburg Campaign Company F of 32nd Ohio Infantry was detailed to man a Confederate battery that was captured at Champion Hill on May 16, 1863. They were selected because they had previously been detailed to the artillery for a short period while the regiment was serving in Virginia. The unit was known during the Vicksburg Campaign as "Captain Yost's captured battery" and served as artillery throughout the siege. On December 22, 1863, the company was permanently detached from the 32nd Ohio and designated the 26th Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery.

Source: Ohio At Vicksburg, pg. 61

[Brian Baird]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

From Wainwright's book A DIARY OF BATTLE, he recorded in his diary that on Feb 12, 1863 the First Corps, AOP had 362 attached infantry for his 10 batteries.
Brian Baird

[KPavia]

Re: Infantry detachments to Artillery

During the Vicksburg Campaign Company F of 32nd Ohio Infantry was detailed to man a Confederate battery that was captured at Champion Hill on May 16, 1863. They were selected because they had previously been detailed to the artillery for a short period while the regiment was serving in Virginia. The unit was known during the Vicksburg Campaign as "Captain Yost's captured battery" and served as artillery throughout the siege. On December 22, 1863, the company was permanently detached from the 32nd Ohio and designated the 26th Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery.

Source: Ohio At Vicksburg, pg. 61

Thanks for that info. That's interesting because Andrew J Smith was transferred into the 1st Independent New York Light Artillery. From your source, I speculate the reason for the word "independent" was because they were infantry that formed their own artillery battery independent of any original artillery regiment.