Role of Artillery

[Jake Hill]

This was the first time working a field piece at an event such as this one. I would like to know the role it played out against the Federals. How did your tactics change because of it?

What effect did it have upon your guys? Intimidating, nerve racking, or just a lot of noise?

Just want to know if we did any good and it added to you experience? We sure started keeping our heads down when yall started targeting us on the road.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Role of Artillery

Jacob,

Good question, I believe it played a role during the event as it would have played in real world...it slowed us down.

But with the moral of the Federal Infantry, the energy that was witnessed, and the Leadership, the Event would have been over around 1500 hrs Sat. had it not been for the Field Piece.

[trippcor]

Re: Role of Artillery

Dale,
If this had been a tactical you would have been right. We would have been rolled up Saturday. However we were trying to portray historic events. We all have to remember that we were portraying a small part of a much larger line of troops. There were a couple of time during the event that this idea was lost.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Role of Artillery

Tripp,
Then the event went better than most of us know...it flowed like a tactical.

[Terry Sorchy]

Re: Role of Artillery

All I know is when we went from a column into a column of companies, then deployed on the fourth company, the first thing I saw through the woods right in front of me was the frowning barrel of that damned cannon. The first thing that went through my mind was Oh S*** My Companies gone up. It was a spine chilling realization that ran through me. I really thought "here comes a round of canister." And I looked down the line sowerfully at men that I have fought with but may not ever see again in a few seconds.
Great job arty boys.
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

[Jake Hill]

Re: Role of Artillery

Thanks I was just curious to see if our work had an impact. Thanks for your responses, keep em coming.

[blackhattertuck]

Re: Role of Artillery

I was sure when we settled down on Saturday,that the rebs would keep that piece banging every half-hour or so, just to keep us awake and off-balance... I'm sure glad I was wrong.

[Mtn.Guerilla]

Re: Role of Artillery

Jake, from a Confederate perspective, it was very comforting when the big gun rolled up, particularly after a day of back peddling up two mountains. In know many mens moral was perked up when it came thru the woods. I hear there was supposed to be two more, I think that would have definately done more than just slow the Federals down.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Role of Artillery

Yea if the Artillery had not showed up...we could have made an Atlanta Braves game that night.

[BrianHicks]

Re: Role of Artillery

Much credit has to go to the Critter Company for the manner in which they handled that piece on Saturday afternoon. They had that gun belching fire and death at a remarkable rate of fire.

Bully to John, Coley and the other cavalrymen who climbed down form their customary mounts and took to that piece and abused it like a French wh#@e!

[Kiev Thomason]

Re: Role of Artillery

All I know is when we went from a column into a column of companies, then deployed on the fourth company, the first thing I saw through the woods right in front of me was the frowning barrel of that damned cannon. The first thing that went through my mind was Oh S*** My Companies gone up. It was a spine chilling realization that ran through me. I really thought "here comes a round of canister." And I looked down the line sowerfully at men that I have fought with but may not ever see again in a few seconds.
Great job arty boys.
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

I heard about that from several guys after the event.They all said "Man when your boys had that gun on us coming up the road" Well I told them that was the first and faster crue...The Critters.We were the second crew starting about 6 pm.Second shift:wink_smil

I hope that the gun help keep you all back .We needed a break.You gents were pretty hard to handle all day!It kinda turned around saturday evening.What was cool for me was two things.
1) Seeing the rate of fire covering the CS troops from the Critters ....awsome.
2)Having to take over the gun and field a crew of infantry on it.This made it real for me.I can not count the times I have seen or heard of men being shot off their piece and grunts taking it over to continue fighting.Now I can say I have seen and done that.

[Coon Dawg]

Re: Role of Artillery

Jacob,

I was in Co. A 14 Louisiana. The canon for me was a very nice addition to the event.

I know when I saw that there was a canon on the hill beside where we were building our fortifications I felt like we could have held the yanks for days.

I also slept much better that night knowing that come morning we would have the canon blasting canister shot towards the ground in front of advancing enemy. I could just see it ricocheted and skipped off the terrain.

[Jake Hill]

Re: Role of Artillery

It added alot for me it was good break from the breastworks to the artillery. It added alot for me also. Thanks for all the input.

[Scott Gutzke]

Re: Role of Artillery

That gun was the main reason that Company E built our breastworks as big as we did. The works were four or five logs high and at least three deep. I knew that it would stop musket balls and probably canister, but was not too confident about solid shot (having been a redleg myself in a past life).

Thanks for adding another level of realism to Saturday evening...the cannon fire, the musketry, and the pioneers made for a realistic environment.

Regards,

1st Sgt. James McBride
Company E, 29th Ohio

[flattop32355]

Re: Role of Artillery

A little late on the reply, but such is life.

It covered the road completely. My first thought was that we'll never take those works from that direction. Second thought was "Why don't we have one?"

Had it been real life, I doubt our defences could have been as close to yours as they were.

I was on picket when the warning shot for the attack went off. I had seen nothing to indicate you were forming up to come at us. The cannon shot and the yell gave us a few seconds more time to get off a single shot and then run back to our lines.

Yes, fat old men can leap a log wall when they have to....

Your breastworks did, indeed, look formidable, as well.