Camp of Instruction

[Stryker65]

Throughout the war, there was an artillery command in Washington, D. C. known as the Artillery Camp of Instruction. Anybody know what the purpose of the camp was? I feel like if it was for training new recruits they would've done it in the original state, and if they did in fact do that at this camp, I do wonder why their respective batteries were there.
(for those looking for its location, it was at "Camp Barry")

 

[RedRover]

The artillery service was extraordinarily complex. The camp was intended to improve the field batteries. From William Birkhimer's 1884 history of the field artillery, noted the camp and its commander filled a unique position; as Gen. Barry was a vetreran artilleryman, and could perform the ordnance department functions where they were not familiar with field service... and for the volunteer batteries themselves posted there, he could instruct them in the perfection of their use of the ordnance materiel...

All while running a tight military camp environment...

From the History of Battery H, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery:

Regarding the 7th Maine (Veteran) mounted battery, 1863:

The veterans of the 7th Maine Battery recalled:

The camp itself was a pretty big deal...

By 1864 it was fitted up with barracks...

Library of Congress has this wartime photo of Camp Barry "artillery depot."

17th NY Battery at Camp Barry:

 

[redbob]

In these days and time, the School of Instruction for the Army and Marine Corps is at Fort Sill Oklahoma.

 

[Stryker65]

So it was more of a camp of remount and reequip than actual instruction?

 

[RedRover]

So it was more of a camp of remount and reequip than actual instruction?

From Birkhimer's description, it was both. Both a means of perfecting their ordnance equipment, and perfecting their instruction in its care and use. Barry was selected to run it as the Ordnance Dept. types did not know about the practical use of the stuff in the field to provide the batteries instruction; and because most of the artillerymen had too little scientific knowledge about their ordnance. The camp of instruction bridged the gap.

He also added a dose of regular army style camp and garrison discipline while he was at it.

Barry was an 1838 West Point Graduate, served in the 4th and 2nd Artillery Regiments in the Seminole and Mexican wars. In 1859-60 was on the board which prepared a new "instructions for field artillery" for the Army:

He acted as the chief of artillery for Generals McDowell and McClellan early in the war. After establishing the artillery camp of instruction at Washington, he was sent west, and was Sherman's artillery chief in the Atlanta campaign, march to the sea, and the Carolinas.

After the war he commanded the US Army artillery school of practice at Fort Monroe for ten years.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The "School of the Piece" where red legs learn the drill is an endless continuing education class. This living history crew participating in a Stones River anniversary program has over 100 years total experience. In the spring, every one of the veterans joins new volunteers in a school of the piece. We all know that there is never too much drill.

As anyone who has learned to handle dangerous equipment knows, the emphasis on drill is not about sending rounds down range, it is about avoiding traumatic amputations.

Section fire Stones River living history demonstration.

At any point in the drill every crewman can call, "STOP!" if they observe a problem… nobody cares if it is a false alarm. The first priority is safety, period, full stop.

Bronze beauties on the right flank of a battery at Stones River NB.

The Western Theater NPS "black powder parks" hold regular battery programs. The professionalism & volunteer corporate memory that produces the demonstrations that are so impressive for visitors are a product of an ongoing partnership of NPS professionals & volunteers. Praise the lord, we don't do it while managing 125 horses!

The sheer complexity of forming into a mile long column, going into battery with a footprint the size of a football field & reforming into column again efficiently was demanding. Until that was mastered, a battery was toothless.

Batteries were rolling crafts fairs. After moving the 30 miles from Nashville to Murfreesboro on the MacAdamized Pike (+/-) 1/2 of the horses had to be shod. Some of the iron tires would be worn thin by the gravel surface so wheels had to be replaced. Leather harness required constant care. Every horse had to receive 14 pounds of grain & 12 pounds of hay, i.e., 3,250 pounds. (To put that into perspective, the round bales that dot fields this time of year weigh (+/-) 1,000 pounds.)

My examples encompass the challenges of simply moving, dropping trails & moving again. General Barry's profoundly practical School was a way for wisdom & practical knowledge garnered over 500 years of practice could be handed on. Equally important, the new possibilities & challenges presented by rifled guns could be explored, solutions passed on. It was a brilliant solution to the highly complex challenge of standing up artillery batteries from scratch.

Note: The drill used by our National Parks is, apart from safety tweaks, the same one that evolved during the Civil War. Every motion, step, sequence has been honed to a fine edge by 500 years of trial & error. Keeping crewmen & visitors safe is priority #1.

Sadly, every year there are news reports of traumatic amputation, blinding & death as a result of black powder cannon accidents. Every single one of them are the result of somebody not honoring half a millennium of hard won knowledge.

 

[RedRover]

The mention of the horses is very important. Since reenactors generally don't employ horses with their guns, for the obvious reasons pointed out, the staggering complexity of the mass of harness and other equipage employed by even a single battery, and the drudgery of maintaining it, is perhaps not as well appreciated as it might be.

Before the War, besides the Regular army artillery, which itself struggled to keep on the cutting edge, the militia artillery was at a disadvantage. The laws required each militia division to have a company of volunteer artillery. This was not always attended to, as volunteer service required one to buy a uniform, and if the artillery company had a full battery of guns, the horses were privately owned.

Here's some Philadelphia militia artillery drilling in 1845. Their horses might be employed in this drill a few times a year at most, before going back to the stables...

During the War of 1861-65, the larger number of batteries employed in federal service were volunteers, but newly formed. During the course of the war the United States provided public horses for their active service. No doubt a good deal of the training necessary for the men was the maintenance of these animals to government standards in camp and field for months at a time.

From "Hardtack and Coffee":

Besides the constant wear and tear of camp and field, these batteries got beat up in combat. They moved fast, and frequently overland, so any failure of the command to keep their equipment and horses in best shape possible would become evident pretty quickly...

 

[Rhea Cole]

The mention of the horses is very important. Since reenactors generally don't employ horses with their guns, for the obvious reasons pointed out, the staggering complexity of the mass of harness and other equipage employed by even a single battery, and the drudgery of maintaining it, is perhaps not as well appreciated as it might be.

View attachment 484983

Before the War, besides the Regular army artillery, which itself struggled to keep on the cutting edge, the militia artillery was at a disadvantage. The laws required each militia division to have a company of volunteer artillery. This was not always attended to, as volunteer service required one to buy a uniform, and if the artillery company had a full battery of guns, the horses were privately owned.

Here's some Philadelphia militia artillery drilling in 1845. Their horses might be employed in this drill a few times a year at most, before going back to the stables...
View attachment 484984

During the War of 1861-65, the larger number of batteries employed in federal service were volunteers, but newly formed. During the course of the war the United States provided public horses for their active service. No doubt a good deal of the training necessary for the men was the maintenance of these animals to government standards in camp and field for months at a time.

From "Hardtack and Coffee":
View attachment 484985

View attachment 484986
View attachment 484987

Besides the constant wear and tear of camp and field, these batteries got beat up in combat. They moved fast, and frequently overland, so any failure of the command to keep their equipment and horses in best shape possible would become evident pretty quickly...
View attachment 484988

At (+/-) $140 each a battery's horses were worth $17,500. That's an eye watering $875,000 2023 green backs.

An artillery horse was a minimum of 16 hands. Morgan's were the ideal breed. Pound for pound a Morgan produces the most motive power of any breed. As a dual saddle & draft animal, once again, a Morgan filled the bill.

 

[Belfoured]

So it was more of a camp of remount and reequip than actual instruction?

Several states had "camps of instruction" in 1861 which did involve actual instruction for the volunteer units (which makes complete sense, obviously). The larger camps, such as that at Readville (in Boston), also covered infantry. The 2nd Massachusetts Light spent a month at the camp of instruction in Quincy before heading to Baltimore/Washington. Battery E, 5th Mass. Light, was assigned to the camp at Lynnfield and then moved to Readville for training in November, departing for Virginia in December. Other "camps" were conducted at a variety of locations. For example, the First Minn. Light was sent to the St. Louis Arsenal in November 1861 and was instructed/drilled there until March 1862 (receiving its 6 guns in January).

 

[Dan Kohli]

It would be interesting to actually do something like this on the location that it happened.
If I remember correctly the had something like this a few times before the war one was at Fort Monroe.

 

[Rhea Cole]

It would be interesting to actually do something like this on the location that it happened.
If I remember correctly the had something like this a few times before the war one was at Fort Monroe.

Come form up with the Stones River living history volunteers. Always looking for lads.

The fields where the living history cannon & infantry training take place are the same ones used by Army of the Cumberland training drills.

There are accounts of artillery batteries holding regular drills. They went through various evolutions & fired blank rounds. The regular drills were very popular with the troops. Just like visitors in our time, they gathered in large numbers to enjoy the spectacle.

 

[Stryker65]

It would be interesting to actually do something like this on the location that it happened.
If I remember correctly the had something like this a few times before the war one was at Fort Monroe.

Wasn't that Harvey Brown's post? Artillery School?