Divvy up those cannons!

[major bill]

Both the Union and the Confedercy captured large amounts of equipment during and after battles. So how did the captured cannons get parceled out?

If a battery lost a cannon, one could understand the desire to the battery commander to replace their lost gun. However, allotting the captured cannons in a matter that served the collective good would seem to make sense. For example a battery commander gabs a gun that is completely different from what the other guns in the battery are. Perhaps if the performance of the captured cannon was similar to the guns of a battery, this might make some sense, but what if the performance was very different? There is also the problem of obtaining different ammunition.

So in the end who got to decide who got what cannons? Was the process the same in the Union and Confederate Armies?

 

[Yankeedave]

This is speculation but possibly captured union guns would be more immediately impressed while captured Confederate guns not so much. Depending on period of the war for union.

 

[redbob]

Confederates tended to use captured cannon to upgrade/standardize their existing batteries such as replacing obsolete 6 pounders for heavier ordinance.

 

[major bill]

Confederates tended to use captured cannon to upgrade/standardize their existing batteries such as replacing obsolete 6 pounders for heavier ordinance.

Still who decided which cannons went to which batteries? Finders keepers seem like a ineffective way to divide up the captured cannons.

 

[redbob]

Still who decided which cannons went to which batteries? Finders keepers seem like a ineffective way to divide up the captured cannons.

I would think that it was probably the Chief(s) of Artillery as they usually had the say over a batteries actions and equipment.

 

[UCVRelics]

I would have to agree with @redbob, The Chief of Artillery would make that decision especially on the Southern side. plus you didn't specify which side as the Union army was the largest supplier of artillery to the CS Army. A lot of guns captured by the north were not used as they did not have the ammo for them and were sent north for displays, unless they were recaptures. After the war some CS guns were melted down and GAR medals made from them.

 

[rebracer]

At the time, Based on my understanding, capture of an artillery piece by an infantry group was as source of major pride and had a traditional origin stretching back long before the war. There was almost a superstitious sense of achievement that went along with this from what I have read. This is the reason for the crossed cannon on many Confederate Infantry flags. (As an aside this practice was confusing to the federals who thought some of these infantry flags were actually for artillery units.)

I wonder if the capturing infantry had any input on the fate of the gun (probably not) and if they received some sort of compensation or reward for the captured artillery.

 

[AUG]

In at least a few instances captured artillery pieces were handed over to the infantry to form a new battery. For example, during the New Mexico Campaign what became the Valverde Battery was organized from six Federal guns captured in the battle of Valverde and a handful of volunteers from the Texas mounted infantry regiments.

Also, after First Manassas several Confederate infantry companies were equipped with artillery pieces captured in the battle and turned into artillery batteries.

Although that seems to have been an exception. When captured by the Confederates they were usually given to an existing battery.

At the time, Based on my understanding, capture of an artillery piece by an infantry group was as source of major pride and had a traditional origin stretching back long before the war. There was almost a superstitious sense of achievement that went along with this from what I have read. This is the reason for the crossed cannon on many Confederate Infantry flags. (As an aside this practice was confusing to the federals who thought some of these infantry flags were actually for artillery units.)

I wonder if the capturing infantry had any input on the fate of the gun (probably not) and if they received some sort of compensation or reward for the captured artillery.

The crossed cannons honor was only awarded in the Army of Tennessee. Aside from that and the few instances where the infantry were given the guns themselves, such as the Valverde Battery, it doesn't seem as though they were usually rewarded for the capture, other than an honorable mention in the reports.

 

[Tom Elmore]

Here's what happened to some of the cannon captured by Ewell's corps from Milroy in June 1863 and also at Gettysburg. They were all captured by infantry of that corps and went to the artillery batteries of that corps while the campaign was in progress. Same thing with Longstreet's corps when they captured three guns at Devil's Den. Perhaps after the campaign a more equitable distribution was made.

(John Purifoy, Confederate Veteran, vol. 30, p. 384) Before leaving Martinsburg, the four captured (3-inch) rifle guns, with horses and equipment complete, were turned over to Reese's company, the Jeff Davis Artillery. The old guns of the company, two Rome, Georgia rifles, one bronze Napoleon, and a twelve-pounder howitzer, and the greatly worn equipment, which had been in constant use for about two years, were turned in to the Confederate Ordnance Department.

(Edward A. Moore, The Story of a Cannoneer Under Stonewall Jackson, Archibald Graham's First Rockbridge Artillery, p. 188) From Milroy we captured 28 pieces of artillery. For our two recently acquired English Blakely guns we substituted two twenty-pound Parrotts, giving us four guns of the same caliber.

(Diary of John Henry Vest, Watson's Battery, Second Company Richmond Howitzers): Got two new Yankee guns (ten-pound Parrotts) from Milroy for our battery and new harness for my gun. Exchanged our two 3-inch guns with the First Richmond Howitzers for two ten-pound Parrotts, giving us four guns of the same caliber.

(Postwar Account of Captain Asher Waterman Garber, Staunton Artillery, Jones' Battalion) The gun "we" [meaning the infantry of their division] captured was a 12-pounder Napoleon, the same caliber as the one that was disabled. We fought it all the balance of the war and it proved to be a fine gun.

 

[TomV71]

The Confederate Ordinance Department was in charge of captured material, but I agree on the assumption that it was the Chiefs of Artillery that distributed the captured guns taken in battle, at least on a Corps level but maybe even at Division level.
Also as @Tom Elmore say, distributed at a more equal level after the campaign.

Cannons turned over to the Ordinance Department, was probably distributed at a latter point, or might have been melted down if the pieces was not serviceable. I know Tredegar Iron Works at one point melted down most of the 6 pounders in Lee's army and cast 12 pounders.
Maybe this was done with Confederate made or un-servicable pieces captured by the Union forces too. Recaptured Union made pieces, went back into service I am sure.

 

[Yankeedave]

Neat thread

 

[3rd TN Cav USA]

My sense is, that as long as the infantry unit got credit for capturing a gun, they were not especially interested in it after that.