The Danville Artillery was a

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

in the

Confederate States 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 ...

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

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 ...

. It was also referred to informally as a

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 ...

, although this reference was only infrequently used during the war. Formed originally in Danville and the surrounding

Pittsylvania County Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical A ...

region in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

under the command of Captain Lindsay M. Shumaker, the Danville Artillery came into service April 22, 1861. Receiving its baptism of fire in the unsuccessful West Virginia Campaign, the company participated in General Robert E. Lee's Cheat Mountain Campaign and General

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and then served with Major L.M. Shumaker's and Major D.G. McIntosh's

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

. Reorganized on April 21, 1862, with Captain George W. Wooding as its commander, the battery first fought under Jackson in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. After the Valley Campaign, the battery followed Jackson through another year of battles. Following the

Battle of Sharpsburg The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, the ranks of the battery were revitalized when the men and equipment of the disbanded Eighth Star New Market Artillery joined the ranks. Following the reorganization, the battery was in action again at Fredericksburg, where Captain Wooding was killed, and up to Stonewall Jackson's last great tactical feat at Chancellorsville. Under the command of Robert S. Rice, the battery continued to suffer heavier casualties with each battle as the war continued. The battery took an active part in the campaigns of the army from the

Seven Days Battle The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, comma ...

s to

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

and the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, where it engaged Federal forces with its

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and Whitworth artillery pieces on both the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and the second day of the battle. At Gettysburg, the Danville Artillery was the first battery on the left with McIntosh's Artillery Battalion, Colonel

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

's Artillery Reserve, Pender's

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, Lieutenant General A.P. Hill's Third Army

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

. It was also involved in the Petersburg siege south of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. The battery closed out its days under the command of Captain Berryman Z. Price. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered 4

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and 79 men at Appomattox. It reported 1 killed and 3 wounded at Gaines' Mill and

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

, had 2 killed and 3 wounded during the Maryland Campaign (Sharpsburg), and lost 13 wounded at Fredericksburg. The unit had 3 wounded of the 114 engaged at Gettysburg and 8 wounded during the Briscoe Campaign. Captains Berryman Z. Price, R. Sidney Rice, Lindsay M. Shumaker, and George W. Wooding were its commanders. The current Danville Artillery Battery has been in existence since the summer of 2003, and is composed of 3

field guns 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 ...

and camp equipment, over 20 reenactors and the M109A3 Deuce and a half truck ''Pandora's Box''.

Monuments and Markers

Danville Artillery (Rice's Company) Markers at Gettysburg National Military Park, located on Confederate Avenue, near the present-day Pennsylvania Army National Guard armory, on both sides of the road.

References

* Moore, Robert H. II, ''The Danville, Eighth Star New Market and Dixie Artillery'', H. E. Howard, December 1989, , * Crute, Joseph H., Jr. ''Units of the Confederate States Army'', Olde Soldier Books Inc, June 1987, , {{ISBN, 978-0-942211-53-5

External links

Danville Artillery
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia

1861 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1861 1865 disestablishments in Virginia Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Monuments and Markers

See also

References

External links