#13th Massachusetts Artillery Battery

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Summary Statement, 3rd Quarter, 1863 – Missing Batteries

Summary Statement, 3rd Quarter, 1863 – Missing Batteries

With the final entry for Wisconsin, I’ve presented all the sections from the Ordnance Summary Statements for the third quarter of 1863.  Those covered equipment reported from “light” batteries, or any other unit reporting field artillery on hand.  With any such accounting, and in particular during wartime, there will be gaps and missing information.  When I started these summary statement…

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Gen. Alexander Webb

Battle of Gettysburg, Pa. - Halting Pickett's Charge

"In every battle and on every important field there is one spot to which every army [officer] would wish to be assigned -- the spot upon which centers the fortunes of the field. There was but one such spot at Gettysburg and it fell to the lot of General [Alexander] Webb to have it and to hold it and for holding it he must receive the credit due him." U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock

On July 3, 1863, during the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., II Corp's U.S. Gen. Alexander Webb's Second (Philadelphia) Brigade, held the Union line at the center of Cemetery Ridge.  The Brigade became the focal point of what became known as "Pickett's Charge".  "Pickett's Charge" was Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's plan to send 12,500 men to punch through the center of the Union's line and move deeper into the North.  

Only six days earlier, 28 year old West Pointer Webb had replaced the popular commander of the Philadelphia Brigade and the men didn't like it.  He was pegged as an unproven staff officer who had ridden U.S. Gen. George Meade's coattails to get his command.  Webb understood he would need to prove himself in battle to earn his men's trust.  

About 1:00 p.m., Lee began bombarding Cemetery Ridge.  Immediately, “the air [was] filling with the whirling, shrieking, hissing sound of the solid shot and bursting shell; all threw themselves flat upon the ground, behind the little stone wall; nearly 150 guns belched forth messengers of destruction, sometimes in volleys, again in irregular, but continual sounds, traveling through the air, high above us, or striking the ground in front and ricocheting over us, to be imbedded in some object to the rear", recalled Pvt. Joseph McDermott of the 69th Pennsylvania.

Webb was spotted standing "in the most conspicuous and exposed place, leaning on his sword and smoking a cigar, when all around him the air was pierced by screeching shot and shell".  Webb ignored his men's shouts to seek cover.  "That was enough for us," said Lt. John Rogers of the 71st Pennsylvania, "General Webb was no longer the dress parade soldier that we supposed him to be at first."

The prolonged bombardment convinced Webb, "that an important assault was expected."  He seized the time to prepare for the upcoming battle.  At 2:00 p.m. Webb sent Capt. Charles Banes to find Gen. Henry Hunt, the Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac, to get the authority to replace his batteries with fresh units not already engaged with the enemy.

Authority granted, Banes appealed to the 13th New York Battery of the 11th Corps and Captain Andrew Cowan of the 1st New York Independent Battery of the 6th Corps to move to the endangered area.

Webb went over to talk Lt. Alonzo Cushing, commander of Battery A.  Webb, who had taught mathematics at West Point, already knew the 22 year old West Pointer.  According to Webb, Cushing had one functioning gun, a U.S. 3-inch Ordnance Rifle, 26 men dead or wounded, 65 dead horses and had been wounded in the shoulder and thigh.  Webb told Cushing that he thought his position would be a hot spot in what he believed was an imminent infantry assault.  Cushing did not hesitate.  He responded that he would run his remaining guns by hand up to the stone wall in front and pile canister, his only remaining ammunition, beside the guns.  He and his remaining men would fight it out with the infantry.

To the fill in the gap left by Cushing's battery, Webb moved in the 71st.  Some of the men took position behind the stone wall running along the crest of Cemetery Ridge.  They immediately began loading up the 300 abandoned firearms they had collected from the field the previously.

As the wave of Confederates approached, Webb went to his reserves, the 72nd Pennsylvania and told them "not to fire or get up until he gave orders."  He proceeded to the left and center of the 69th.  He gave the men "all the encouragement in his power" to withstand the approaching assault.  Now Cowan's battery came thundering up.  His lead gun overshot the clump of trees and ended up near Cushing's guns.

As Confederate Gen. Richard Garnett's Brigade came within 250 yards of the stone wall the Philadelphia Brigade unleashed their firepower.  Overwhelmed, "the fight soon became awful.  We mowed the rebs right and left but still they came on.  We had to retreat," wrote Sgt. William Burns of the 71st.

Webb was appalled.  "When they [Garnett's Brigade] came over the fences, the Army of the Potomac was near being whipped than it was at any time of the battle.  When my men fell back from the wall I almost wished to get killed," he confided to his wife after the battle.  Then, he added, "I was almost disgraced."  

Garnett's men surged forward capturing the wall.  The 72nd began firing, their volley hitting Garnett who fell dead.  Webb sprinted over to the 72nd and gave the order "charge bayonets".  But over the racket of battle his order, "couldn't be herd, I don't suppose ten feet away."  Webb dashed to the Color bearer, Sgt. William Finnecy, and ordered him "as forcibly as a man could" to advance the colors.  In the confusion, the sergeant may not have recognized his new commander.  Resolving to lead the charge himself, Webb grabbed the staff and the two struggled.  Finnecy would not relinquish his colors or budge out of the regimental line.  Convinced the 72nd would not move, Webb set off towards the 69th who were still fighting at the wall.  As he left, 13 bullets riddled the Color bearer and he fell down dead.

The Confederates, catching sight of an officer targeted Webb.  Webb survived the hail of bullets with only a graze to his thigh.

Confederate Gen. Lewis Armistead, twirling his hat on his sword, then led the way to his death as men followed him over the wall.  Webb ordered three companies to change front to right to combat the tide.  Cowan's battery mowed the enemy with their guns and the 71st fired their 300 scavenged riffles into the sea of grey. 

Nonetheless, Webb's position was being overwhelmed.  U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock ordered the 19th Massachusetts and 42nd New York to, "Go in there pretty G_d d___ned quick."  They charged into the breach, pushing the Confederates out of the clump of trees to the wall.

Into the fray, the 72nd charged and the 71st joined them.  "[Webb] went right in front of us and led us when we gave a yell and charged on them and drove them back with great slaughter", asserted Sgt. William Burns of the 71st.

The fighting turned into pandemonium.  According to Cowan, "... I do not think ...there was such a thing as regiments.  The men were fighting pretty much at will."

As more Federals poured into the area, the Confederates realized the fight was futile.  The men held up their hands as token surrender.  The “sharp, quick huzza of the Federals told of our defeat and their triumph,” wrote Lt. George Finley of the 56th Virginia.

"I ordered no man to go when I would not go myself", Webb wrote in a letter to his wife.  For their actions at Gettysburg, Gen. Alexander Webb, and very belatedly in 2014, Lt. Alonzo Cushing, were awarded the Medal of Honor.

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Summary Statement, 2nd Quarter, 1863 – Missing batteries

Earlier this week, I finished the transcription of the second quarter, 1863 summary statements with a pair of entries for California under the “Miscellaneous” heading.  In the past, I’ve given my own “miscellaneous” listing to cover batteries which were not mentioned in the summary. But since the clerks of 1863 have secured that heading, I’ll have to consider other options.

For this quarter, with…

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Summary Statement, 1st Quarter, 1863 – Missing Batteries and Other Notes

Summary Statement, 1st Quarter, 1863 – Missing Batteries and Other Notes

After posting the summaries for Wisconsin’s batteries last week, I updated all the links for the first quarter, 1863 summaries.  Before charging in to the next quarter, I wanted to circle back and identify any additional blanks – specifically batteries or other formations that should have been listed in the summaries but were not.  For this, allow me to use Frederick Dyer’s Compendium as the base…