Byrne's Battery was a

light artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

.Sifakis, 2007, p. 7. It fought exclusively in the Western Theater and suffered among the highest casualties of Confederate batteries at the Battle of Stones River. The unit was formed by Edward P. Byrne, a native Kentuckian living in

Washington County, Mississippi Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,137. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washingt ...

. After

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

, Byrne was determined to raise a battery of artillery for service in the Confederate Army. With help from donations from the citizens of Washington County and his own substantial wealth, he raised his company and obtained many horses. He also ordered six guns from a firm in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He began recruiting in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and later in his native Kentucky. He went to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to recruit volunteers, which he helped to secretly move to

Camp Boone Camp Boone, Tennessee was located on Guthrie Road/ ( Wilma Rudolph Boulevard) U.S. Route 79 near the Kentucky - Tennessee border at Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee (in the area formerly known as Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee before annexat ...

, where several other pro-Confederacy Kentucky regiments were forming, despite the state's official policy of neutrality.

Armament

Bryne armed his men with the finest

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s available at the time. He initially acquired four six-pound smoothbore

field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...

s and two twelve-pound

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s from the Quniby and Robinson foundry firm in Memphis.Davis, 1983, p. 20. He also captured several another field piece during the push into Bowling Green. He mounted his men on the finest horses (horses were in such abundance that he gave 30 of them to unmounted men of now famous Captain (later General) John Hunt Morgan's

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

squadron) and gave them fine well-crafted carriages, caissons, limbers and other accoutrements he had special-ordered from another firm in Memphis.

Service

Byrne first offered his services to

P.G.T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly ...

in South Carolina, but upon learning that Fort Sumter had already fallen, he decided to attach his battery to the organization now forming at

that would later become famous as the

Orphan Brigade The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be ...

. The battery saw its first minor action on the advance into Kentucky led by General

Simon B. Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...

. Byrne's Battery, along with the 2nd Kentucky Infantry, led the advance into Kentucky late in 1861 and captured guns and men along the way, along with many of the pro-Union Homeguard of Kentucky and some of regular and volunteer troops. This advance led to the capture of Bowling Green and the subsequent set-up of the later exiled Confederate Government of Kentucky. After the withdrawal from Kentucky, Byrne's battery saw heavy action at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

, where the battery was in danger of being overrun. The battery recovered its position to support

Daniel Ruggles Daniel Ruggles (January 31, 1810 – June 1, 1897) was a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was a division commander at the Battle of Shiloh. Early life and military service Ruggles was born in Bar ...

' assault on the "Hornet's Nest" as part of Ruggles' Grand Battery. Because of its tremendous losses at Shilon, Byrne's Battery was forced to disband and disperse itself amongst the other Kentucky units and even units outside the Orphan Brigade in May 1862. Most were simply directly transferred to Lyon's (Cobb's) 1st Kentucky Artillery Battery. After their disbandment, Edward Byrne was commissioned a colonel and placed in command of all Kentucky cavalry companies not already organized into

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s. Byrne was ordered to report to General Morgan after the organization of these companies. But this did not satisfy Byrne and he requested permission to form another battery and be made Chief of Artillery of Morgan's cavalry. His request was granted, but his commission was amended by Confederate Congress to that of a Major. He began forming this new battery from elements of his old battery and from new recruits from Kentucky. Byrne went on to serve with distinction under Morgan and commanded the artillery on several of his raids until he was

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed for his involvement in a bank robbery on one of those raids. The men not transferred back to his new unit continued to serve in various units. The 1st Kentucky Artillery Battery, having had other batteries including Cobb's battery merged into it, was surrendered by Confederate Lieutenant General Richard Taylor at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4, 1865.Sifakis, 2007, p. 5.

Citations

References

* Davis, William C. ''The Orphan Brigade: The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn't Go Home The Orphan Brigade: The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn't Go Home''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1983. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, the Confederate Units and the Indian Units''. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 2007. .

Armament

Service

Citations

References

See also