James Burdge Walton (1813–85) served for two decades in the famed New Orleans militia unit the
Washington Artillery. He was most prominent in the Confederate service in the
American Civil War as commander of the Washington Artillery out of New Orleans and as Inspector-General of Field Artillery of the Confederate States, the highest position an artillery officer could achieve.
Early life
Born in
New Jersey, Walton attended college in Louisiana and owned a New Orleans grocery store.
Military service
Mexican American War
Walton joined the Washington Artillery as an adjutant when the unit was formed in 1839. In the
Mexican War, Walton commanded the 1st Louisiana Artillery as a Major and by 1857 he was
Colonel Commanding of the battalion.
[Antietam on the Web]
Civil War
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Walton and four of five batteries went East to serve in
Virginia. After fighting at the
First Battle of Manassas, Walton and his command were assigned to
James Longstreet's forces. These batteries served in the
Peninsula Campaign, at
Second Manassas, and
Antietam. Walton commanded the batteries on Marye's Heights during the
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...
and the
Chancellorsville Campaign. He commanded the artillery reserve of the
First Corps artillery and was offended when at
Gettysburg a subordinate
Colonel E. Porter Alexander was placed in charge of the artillery preparation for
Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863.
When the bulk of Longstreet's First Corps were sent to
Georgia (United States), only a portion of the artillery was sent with it. Walton held several positions in southern Virginia during the absence of his guns. Walton worked to improve artillery formations and drills, it was during this time that he rose to the rank of Colonel after an act was passed through the congress of the Confederacy, making him the highest ranking artillery officer in the Confederacy. A prominent accomplishment of his was the design for the Hanging Tigers Head used as a badge by the Washington Artillery. He resigned on July 18, 1864 and returned to his business as a merchant.
[Sifakis, ''Who Was Who in the Confederacy'']
Family life
Walton's son, James B. Jr., was a student at
Virginia Military Institute class of 1865 who resigned to join the Confederacy in 1861.
[
]
References
External links
Col. JB Walton's Official Report Report of December 4, 1862
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, James B.
1813 births
1885 deaths
Confederate States Army officers
People of Louisiana in the American Civil War