Carpenter's Battery, also known as Alleghany Artillery or Alleghany Rough Artillery, was a famed

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

unit in 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 ...

. The unit was first organized at Covington, Virginia on April 20, 1861 as Company A of the 27th Virginia

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

Regiment, the "Alleghany Roughs." When the Captain who organized the company resigned due to ill health, the captaincy devolved upon his

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, Joseph Hannah Carpenter, who was born in 1834 at Covington, Virginia, in Alleghany County, Virginia. Carpenter had been an

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 ...

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

under General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson in the class of 1858 at

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

and legend has it that General Jackson recognized his former student's name on the company muster roll and ordered the company converted to an

with Carpenter as its captain, thus becoming "Carpenter's Battery." Among the original members of the company were Joseph's brothers John Cadwalider Carpenter and Samuel Steuben Carpenter. The brothers played a central role in the unit's wartime service. When the company's

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

s were reorganized after the First Battle of Manassas, Joseph H. Carpenter became the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the battery with John C. Carpenter as his

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

; in a later reorganization John C. Carpenter became the captain of the battery with Samuel S. Carpenter as his

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. Captain Joseph H. Carpenter was wounded in action on August 9, 1862 at the

Battle of Cedar Mountain The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate f ...

, and died from the effects of his wound on February 5, 1863 at his parents' home,

Fort Carpenter, Virginia Fort Carpenter, Alleghany County, Virginia, was built about 1755-1756 by Joseph Carpenter, who migrated from the Province of New York to "the big bend" of the Jackson River on the Virginia frontier about 1745-1746. It was actually a fortified hous ...

. John Cadwalider Carpenter, born in 1839 at Covington, Virginia, served as captain of the battery after his brother Joseph was wounded; he commanded the battery through many engagements, including fifteen major battles, and lost an arm in combat at the Battle of Fisher's Hill, but survived the war.Carpenter: ''The Carpenters of Fort Carpenter, 1746-1949''.

References

External links

* Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia Military units and formations established in 1861 1861 establishments in Virginia {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

See also

References

External links