Infantry Turned Artillery

[bonniegreenflag]

My unit started out as an infantry militia unit in 61, but switched to artillery after 1st Bull Run. Does anyone know if this was common? Any similar stories?

[justthemiller]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

My unit started out as an infantry militia unit in 61, but switched to artillery after 1st Bull Run. Does anyone know if this was common? Any similar stories?

I have a question for you, is your unit portraying Company A, 27th Virginia? Because that is one example I can think of where that happened. I believe it did happen (on both sides) but that it was not an overly common occurence. Also, with the exception of the above unit I cannot think of any off the top of my head where this happened.

[ThehosGendar]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

According to William Stryker's "Officers and Men of New Jersey During the Civil War," men of the 3rd New Jersey who re-enlisted after the unit was mustered out served dually in Co. A of the 15th New Jersey and Company A of the 3rd Battery.

I haven't found any first person accounts of any original members who served in both, though. I'd never heard of another unit doing so, so it'd be interesting to read.

[Johan Steele]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

I believe several CS units switched from Arty to Infantry and back again when they lost or had guns transferred away from them. I'm rather certain there was at least one SC unit that switch from Arty to Infantry and back again several times and didn't seem all that uncommon for those manning the seacost defences.


Of coarse all of the Heavy Arty Regiments outside of Washington that Grant turned into Infantry... there were something like thrity of them IIRC did any of them revert to Arty at any point?

[RJSamp]

Sure, plenty

Don't know about many 1,000 rifle regiments that turned to guns.....but Company K of the 2nd Wisconsin went into the artillery and they had to recruit a new company K. Also, frequent writings and roster changes about soldiers volunteering to man the brigade battery....so Iron Brigade riflemen were recruited to serve with Battery B, 4th US Artillery, for example.

RJ Samp

[Possum Skinner]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

The 1st Alabama Infantry was often used to man heavy guns at fortifications. They were first assigned to Barrancas near Pensacola, Florida. There are many images of the 1st Alabama being trained as heavy artillery. Their first actions included Island #10 and later Port Hudson. Although they remained and fought as infantry throughout the war, they were certainly used as artillerymen occasionally.Used as artillery, but not redesignated.

Another relative was in company A of the 3rd Georgia, his entire company was detached and retrained as artillery. Pvt. Mischach McWhorter, 3rd GA. INF. later became 1st Lt. McWhorter, Van den Corput's Cherokee Artillery. That is an example of a COMPANY becoming an artillery unit, but not the entire regiment.

In honor of Pvt. Isaac C. Whaley, Co. A, 1st Alabama Infantry "The Tallapoosa Rifles"

[10TnVI]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

As I recall- as an incentive to encourage reenlistment among the short term units which had been recruited early in the war and were coming to the end of their enlistments, the CS government was allowing the units to switch service branch. Naturally this led to force makeup problems with too many infantry outfits converting to artillery and cavalry. The program was suspended with the passage of the Conscription Act in 1862. Throughout the war it was not uncommon for detachments of infantry to be seconded to artillery batteries, sometime for extended periods.
Unfortunatly I recently misplaced my reference note book and so lack my documentation notes.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

The 117th Ohio Volunteer Infantry became the First Ohio Heavy Artillery in 1863.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[SCSecesh]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

Look for the 1st South Carolina Regular's (Butler's) also known as the 3rd SC Artillery. A recent search by Neill Rose has turned up returns of infantry gear/knapsacks/bedsacks for these men while stationed at Moultrie in '63/'64.

[VanceGuardsLT]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

Another CS unit that switched from infantry to artillery was Dreaux's 1st Louisiana Battalion. The commander, Lt. Col. Charles D. Dreaux, was killed in a skirmish near Newport News, Virgina on July 5, 1861. Dreaux was the first Louisiana officer killed in the war. The battalion broke up after their term of enlistment expired in May 1862, at which time the greater part of the battalion formed Fenner's Louisiana Battery and served in the west.

Melvin S. Faris

[The Marching Twelfth]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

They didn't turn into artillery, but the 4th Wisconsin Infantry was changed into the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry. All 1,000 or so of em.

[bonniegreenflag]

Re: Infantry Turned Artillery

I never had any idea this was so common, the US heavies excepted. The post was mainly oriented towards infantry turned light artillery, although I have always found the heavies interesting. We portray a CS unit of field artillery who never saw action as infantry, though about 1/4 of the unit's number stayed with the 49th Va. infantry.