Great Artillery Image

[Yellowhammer]

Guys,

Here is one of my favorite images of artillerists from either side.

It is entitled, "Removing Confederate Artillery, 1865" and shows a veteran AoP artillery crew on a captured Confederate gun.



If you look closely, there are some fantastic details.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Great Artillery Image

You Bet! Lots of neat stuff to see in this pic. Has anyone found the bayonet?

If the caption is correct, these may be CS works. If so, there is a lot of stuff laying around.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Great Artillery Image

My favorite elements are:

The cavalry saber on the limber. Souvenier?

The guy in the scarf carrying a book. Another souvenier?

The blanket hanging by the hut chimney.

The personalized uniform/equipment details.

And the one cool thing so big I missed it the first few times. Check out the massive covered way or bombproof in the background!

[K Bartsch]

Re: Great Artillery Image

- leg guard on the limber pole

- "W" on the canteen of the guy by the limber splinter bar -- presumably for "Water" :wink_smil

- Canteens worn on wearers right. Why would artillerists wear them on that side -- because they can (no cartridge box)

- Skillet hanging between the limber wheels

- guy with scarf up on the limber wearing "McDowell"-style cap -- in 1865

- barrel-chimney with plank "cracker-box" crate lid? affixed -- to help with chimney draught?

- Slingless musket (P1853?)

- trousers tucked into boots (farby?)

- reasonably short hair, and they are all clean-shaven

Cordially,

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Great Artillery Image

On a previous thread on this image somebody forwarded the thought that these men may be cav. Any futher thoughts on this? The one thing that backs this idea up in my mind is the way the branch of service trim shows up in the photographers lens.

Here is an image of a known trooper, and artillerist for comparison.

[CJSchumacher]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Keith said:
- guy with scarf up on the limber wearing "McDowell"-style cap -- in 1865

I must disagree only slightly with you here. The cap in question looks very similar to the 9th MA Battery cap in Troiani's collection. Scetches of this cap are prominent in Billing's Hardtack and Coffee as well. I've seen photos of the original and also an exact replica Joel Boyh produced as a prototype. After discussion with Joel regarding this style cap, it seems these may have been popular among issues to artillerists. While it does exhibit a shortened, rounded bill, the rest of the cap is fairly common "as issued." It also sports, quite noticeably however, a very small disk. The cap lacks any characteristics of being private purchase, ie. finer material, quilting, bound bill, etc. that most "McDowell" caps generally exhibit.

This style of issue cap appears often in sketches and photographs of artillerists.

Rob,

No way to be absolutely sure, but I'm pretty confident they are artillery. The only cav distinguishing piece is that saber...which was carried and used by artillery and infantry officers alike. That we know.

The "artillery" cap ;-), issued boots, position of gunners, lack of spurs, etc. all point to the mounted service of artillery.


Hope I've only added to the confusion...

Chris

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Possibly the trim did not show up well due to lighting factors, distance from subject, dirt, or it could have been removed.

Anyway....

A few tin cups strapped to the outside of haversacks.

A bunch of stuff strapped to the footboards of the limber and the limber chest.

Oil cloth covers on the caps? Two of them have more of a shine than the other.

Something strapped to the barrel above the trunnions.

And...look at the way the men are carrying themselves...sort of like a cool nonchalance..

One of my fav artillery images

[courier]

Re: Great Artillery Image

All that are visable are wearing issued boots.
Canteens worn very high up-above hip.
We agree all have MSJ
Excellent photo,thank you.
Regards,Rick Harris

[mladair]

Re: Great Artillery Image

One of my absolute favorite images! I've attached a couple of closeups for uniform details.

The jacket of the soldier on sitting on the trail has trim - the others are too hard to tell. His collar only has one row of piping on it. Privately modified? The soldier sitting to the front of the limber also appears to have a short collar, but with 2 buttons back to back, instead of top-down.

The cav saber: I can't speak for other states, but the majority of sabers issued to Michigan artillery units were cav sabers. The soldier on the rear of the limber is wearing a saber belt, and it looks like it might be attached to saber.

Has anybody figured out what that blasted "block of wood" is strapped to the top of the gun? It has been bugging me for months!

[K Bartsch]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Has anybody figured out what that blasted "block of wood" is strapped to the top of the gun? It has been bugging me for months!

Matt,
Can you post a similarly enlarged shot of the trunnion area of the tube and we'll see about your "block of wood." It might just be a gunners haversack sitting up there, but I can't make out sufficient detail as is.

cordially,

[mladair]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Matt,
Can you post a similarly enlarged shot of the trunnion area of the tube and we'll see about your "block of wood." It might just be a gunners haversack sitting up there, but I can't make out sufficient detail as is.

Looking at the close-up, I'm pretty sure it isn't a gunners haversack. What it might be, though, I haven't a clue....

[BorderRuffian]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Looking at the close-up, I'm pretty sure it isn't a gunners haversack. What it might be, though, I haven't a clue....

Gentlemen,
The "block of wood" appears to have leather harness attached to it.Could it be a wooden pass box?I have only seen leather ones but just was a guess.What are your thoughts?


Forrest Peterson
Landis Light Artillery

[1stMaine]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Comrades,

Whatever it's use may be, it appears designed to fit over or under the barrel. A cursory examination reveals that the underside is cut with an arch so as to allow it to rest evenly on the barrel. Look at how the sides fall below the top of the barrel. This is a purpose built item, but for what purpose I cannot say.
respects,

[Ringgold]

Re: Great Artillery Image

Comrades,

Whatever it's use may be, it appears designed to fit over or under the barrel. A cursory examination reveals that the underside is cut with an arch so as to allow it to rest evenly on the barrel. Look at how the sides fall below the top of the barrel. This is a purpose built item, but for what purpose I cannot say.
respects,

Howdy Lads!

This is a Jim-dandy image to be sure!

Is that a Tredegar Rifle? The lines just don't look true to a Wrought Iron Rifle from PICo to me. And I've seen plenty. It seems to have the larger, slightly more bulbous base ring area, and slightly flatter cascable that is shared by the Southern cousins of the 3". Then again, it might just be the camera angle . . .

As for that mysterious block, I have a theory. (straight out of my aft torpedo tube. hurrah.)

As it appears to me that since this accessory has harness that can secure it to the piece yet still allow it to be removed easily, and the piece was captured at Petersburg, it may be some sort of protection device. Since the neck of an embrasure is only supposed to be about 2 feet wide, and the distance from the outside of each cheek of the gun carriage for a 3" Rifle is roughly 16" (which appears to be the width of "the mystery block"), this contraption would provide a large amount of safety for the gun crew against incoming small arms fire when the piece was not being fired. From my readings, many batteries at Petersburg suffered harrassing fire from sharpshooters who would position themselves to take advantage of the openings in the gun embrasures in order to shoot cannoneers. Perhaps the previous owners had had enough of pesky pot-shots and decided to remedy the problem. It's just a thought . . . and it might help explain that small chunk of missing cheek shown in the picture.

If the piece wasn't set up for a pendulum hausse, I'd have another hair-brained theory.

Hey Keith - it almost looks like that driver's leg guard is being used as a splint for that limber pole, don't it! Not much help when they try to pull the piece, unless they've nailed it fast. I sure would like to look at this specimen first-hand, and I don't mean the picture! :tounge_sm

[roundshot]

Re: Great Artillery Image

There is a fair possibility that these Yanks belong to the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, Army of the James, which drew garrison and clean up duty in Petersburg after that city's fall. Members of this unit are seen frequently in ID'd photos taken right after the seige, particularly on the ramparts of Ft. Mahone and in the famous "picket post" shots. They often wore the light artillery shell jacket in the field. They were also the Union's largest regiment, at one time mustering over 4000 men on its rolls.

There is no way to know for certain, however.

Bob Williams
Reilly's NC Btty.