The Fluvanna Artillery was an

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 ...

formed from citizens of

Fluvanna County, Virginia Fluvanna County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,249. Its county seat is Palmyra, while the most populous community is the census designated place of Lak ...

, 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 participated in the

Antietam 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 ...

and Gettysburg Campaigns, as well as the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864 under

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 1 ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his U.S. Army commissio ...

. The Fluvanna Artillery began as two separate batteries raised in 1861. With the outbreak of hostilities following the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

ordered that units be raised from around Virginia and sent to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

in order to defend the

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. Fluvanna County was quick to respond to the governor's calls and organized an artillery battery, the "Sons of Fluvanna," also known as the 1st Fluvanna Battery, on May 20, 1861, under the command of Capt. Charles Huckstep. With no guns or horses due to local shortages, the battery trained locally until it was ordered to report to Richmond on June 18. It boarded boats on the

James River and Kanawha Canal The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for a ...

for the trip to Richmond, whereupon arrival, the men were sent to Richmond College for more training and drill. There, the battery finally received its cannons, equipage, and horses. The 2nd Fluvanna Artillery was organized in June 1861, by Cary Cocke, the former colonel of the 12th Virginia Militia. The battery was raised in the southeastern portion of the county and used the grounds around the Fluvanna Baptist Church to drill, while the local ladies made the uniforms at the church. They were enlisted for service on August 6, 1861, at the church, and left to be equipped in Richmond. On September 3, cheered by local women as they departed, the Sons of Fluvanna (designated as the 1st Fluvanna Artillery) moved from Richmond to join the main Confederate Army stationed at Manassas. Both the 1st and 2nd Fluvanna Artillery were assigned to the same battalion, and served in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, but were held in reserve at the

Second Battle of Manassas The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

and at Sharpsburg. The battery lost a gun and a caisson at the

Battle of Shepherdstown The Battle of Shepherdstown, also known as the Battle of Boteler's Ford, took place September 19–20, 1862, at Boteler's Ford along the Potomac River, during the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. After the Battle of Antietam on S ...

covering Robert E. Lee's retreat. In October, the two batteries were consolidated to create the Fluvanna Artillery. The Battery was held in reserves from Fredericksburg to Gettysburg and saw some action in the fall of 1863. The battery saw considerable action during the 1864

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

under Capt. John L. Massie, serving from the

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

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 ...

. Transferred as part of Jubal Early's command to the

Army of the Valley The Army of the Valley (officially the Army of the Valley District) was the name given to the army of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's independent command during the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns in the summer and autumn of 1864. The Army of the Valley was t ...

, the battery participated in Early's raid on Washington, fighting in numerous engagements, including

Monocacy Monocacy (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Monnockkeseymay'') may refer to the Monocacy River in Maryland, USA. Monocacy may also refer to: Other streams *Little Monocacy River, a tributary of the Potomac River in Maryland *Monocacy Creek (Lehigh Riv ...

and Cedar Creek. Captain Massie was mortally wounded in September 1864, and Capt. Charles G. Snead led the remaining artillerymen for the balance of the war. The battery was then temporarily disbanded around Christmas, 1864, to conserve supplies. Those who stayed behind were captured at the

Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia The Battle of Waynesboro was fought on March 2, 1865, at Waynesboro in Augusta County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was the final battle for Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early, whose force was destroyed. Background On Februar ...

on March 2, 1865. After capture, they were marched to Stephensons Depot. They were then loaded onto box cars and shipped north to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Their final destination was

Fort Delaware Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a ...

Prison. Members were paroled and released between June 21 and 22, 1865. The Battery still continued service till the end of the war. Many were at home at the time of the battle at Waynesboro, and some may have participated in the skirmish between the Fluvanna Home Guard and Federal cavalry at Palmyra on March 10, 1865. On April 5, Captain Snead received orders to report to the Army of Northern Virginia, and the remainder of the Fluvanna Artillery marched out to join them. But before they could join the army, Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. The battery returned home and many received paroles at Columbia, Virginia, in May, 1865.

Commanders

* Captain Luke "Big D." Divine (1st Battery) * Captain Charles Huckstep (1st Battery) * Captain William Holman (1st Battery) * Captain Cary Cocke (2nd Battery) * Captain John J. Ancell (2nd Battery) * Captain John L. Massie (consolidated battery) *Captain Charles G. Snead (consolidated battery) * Captain John Pittman (consolidate battery) * Captain Colin E. Phillips (3rd battery) * Captain Noah Cruz (3rd battery) * Captain Dawson Raines (3rd battery)

References

* Martin, David G.,'' The Fluvanna Artillery'', Lynchburg, Virginia: The Virginia Regimental Histories Series, H.E. Howard, Inc., 1992. {{ISBN, 1-56190-037-0. Fluvanna County, Virginia Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia

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 ...

1861 establishments in Virginia

Commanders

See also

References