Privately Sponsored Batteries

Quaama

Sergeant
Joined
Sep 13, 2020
Location
Port Macquarie, Australia
While playing a recent wargame (Chickamauga) I came across a 2-gun battery designated as 'Chicago Board of Trade' 1st Brigade (Minty). I'd never heard of it before so I looked around and found some more information here where I found a brief history on the battery which said, in relation to Chickamauga:
"The battery was split during the battle of Chickamauga. The second section of the battery, under Lieutenant Griffin, fought with Minty’s brigade on the Union left during the battle. The first and third sections fought under the battery commander on the Union right. The entire battery withdrew on September 22nd through Chattanooga to Washington, Tennessee, claiming to be the last battery to retire from the field (Sketch, pg 45)."

I had not heard of private organisations sponsoring batteries before so I'm wondering if anyone knows of other instances where a battery was named after a private organisation.
 
There are quit a few on the Southern side as we sponsored everything from gunboats to artillery batteries. Here are just a few.

Byrne's Artillery Battery

Dallas Light Artillery Battery

Watson Light Artillery, organized at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during the early fall of 1861. The battery was equipped by a wealthy planter named A.C. Watson from Tensas Parish.
 
In Ohio, when they were taking 3 month enlistments, many of the batteries that enlisted were private militia batteries- The Cleveland Light Artillery and Ravenna Artillery are two examples, although not explicitly sponsored by an organization.

In 1864, the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce requested permission to form their own battery to protect the city. The request was sent to a U.S. Officer, who decided it was not his concern, and he forwarded the request to the Ohio Adjutant General. The Ohio Adjutant General denied the request, but only because he had already established an Ohio National Guard battery at Camp Dennison ( near Cincinnati) for the purpose of protecting the city and southern Ohio.
 
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