Original Letter between CSA Senator Wigfall & his Son Camp near Chesterfield Station Friday Jan 9th, 1863 Dear Papa I wrote to Mama the day I reached camp, a week ago to-day. I have not heard from any of you since leaving the Springs but am in hopes of receiving a letter to-day. You asked me before I left to write and give my views on the subject of our artillery organization. As it stands at present there is little or no regularity about it, and it would be hard to change it for the worse. The organization of a six-p’d’r. “mounted battery”, i.e. a field battery in which the cannoneers walk by the side of the pieces or are mounted on the ammunition-chests, as opposed to “horse artillery” in which the cannoneers are on horseback, as laid down in the U.S. “Instruction for Field Artillery”, is as follows: on a war footing, six pieces, one Captain, four Lieutenants, one for each section, and one to command the line of caissons, two staff sergeants (Qr. Mr. and 1st or Orderly), six sergeants chiefs of pieces, twelve corporals gunners and chiefs of caissons, six artificers, two buglers, fifty-two drivers, and seventy cannoneers. Of these last three drivers are required for each carriage, and there being twelve carriages (six pieces and six caissons) thirty-six drivers are necessary to carry the battery into action, leaving sixteen for other purposes, of whom six are allowed for the forge and the battery-wagon necessary for shoeing horses, mending harness and repairing breaks generally, so that ten are left spare. It must be taken into consideration that an infantry company’s efficiency exists in exact proportion to its numbers no matter how much reduced, while on the contrary when a company of artillery falls below a certain number of men its guns become useless; hence the necessity of carrying into the field spare men as well as spare horses, wheels, poles, &c. To man the guns requires, in addition to the sergeant and two corporals, seven cannoneers for each piece making forty-two, and leaving twenty-eight spare. The six artificers might very well consist of one blacksmith, one horse-shoer, one carriage-maker, one wheelwright, one harness-maker and one saddler. On adding them all together we find that they amount to five commissioned and one hundred and fifty enlisted. The “Instructions for field Artillery” which comprises the regulations for Artillery in the US army says the number of men in a battery should never be less than twenty-five per piece even in six-pdr. batteries. The above distribution you see gives that number exactly. I enclose a plan of organization into brigades and divisions which though very crude and undigested may possibly be of some assistance to you. The commissioned and non-commissioned staff of the brigades and divisions should not be taken from among the officers and non-commissioned officers of the batteries for they have each their own particular duties to perform. I would have no Chiefs of Artillery at the head-qts of the Army corps or of the Army; but would let the Colonels of Artillery stand in the same light to the Major-Generals com’dg Divisions as the Brig-Gen’ls of Infantry, and occupy the same position in respect to their own commands as the Colonels of Infantry Regt’s. The Artillery Reserve, to quote from the US “Ins. for field Art.”, “constitutes a distinct arm of battle, under the immediate orders of the general commanding”. The mail has come but brought no letter for me. Give my best love to Mama. I will write to Louly in a day or two. Write whenever you have leisure dear Papa and believe me as ever Your affectionate Son Halsey
1 Bat. Com’d by a Captain.
2 Bat’s 1 Bat. Com’d by Capt. 1 Bat. “ “
1 Brigade com’d. by a Major “
2 Brig’s. 1 Brig. Com’d by Maj. 1 Brig. “
1 Division com’d by a Lt-Colonel. “
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1 Brig. Com’d. by Major 3 Brig’s 1 Brig. “ “ Major 1 Division com’d. by a Colonel. 1 Brig. “ “ Lieut-Col. The Artillery Reserve to be commanded by a Brigadier-General. The batteries to be organized into Brigades and Divisions and the Brigades and Divisions to be distributed between the Artillery Reserve and the various Infantry Divisions of the different Army Corps.
Editor ~ Thank you again to the Iridell Blues for giving us this unique piece of history.
52 Skirmish Line Spring 2022
