Volume 1, Issue 6: October 1999
The Newsletter of
Battery B, 4th U.S. Light Artillery, Inc.
Publisher: Cpt. Eric Peterson.
Editor: Sgt. Steve Adams.
The Redleg
Volume 1, Issue 6: October 1999
The Newsletter of
Battery B, 4th U.S. Light Artillery, Inc.
Publisher: Cpt. Eric Peterson.
Editor: Sgt. Steve Adams.
Redleg Office:
In This Issue...
"Into Battery"
The Estimation of Distances.
Editorial.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, MO.
Stop the Presses!
Into Battery... With Captain Eric Peterson.
Greetings Fellow Redlegs!
The season has ended and I look back upon it with a great deal of satisfaction. I also look forward to the year 2000 season. I will consider this issue of "into Battery" as my state of the Battery report.
Strengths: most of our events this year were well attended with a minimum participation of 50% of the membership. This allowed a lot of training to take place. Because most events had a full section in place, leaders and cannoneers were able to establish a routine and SOP that led to continuity at each event. We were even able to do authentic field maintenance, on one occasion, greasing the cannon axles while the public watched.
Our NCO corp deserves the thanks of all the membership. Their leadership and professionalism were evident on every field. They were truly the backbone of the unit. On more that one occasion I was approached by other re-enactors who expressed their admiration of our NCOs!
The unit's membership were cohesive and loyal. The ideas of all members were valued and there was a true feeling of camaraderie felt in the camp. Believe me, their quality existed in the real Battery B, it exists in this Battery B, and it is evident to all outsiders who see us in action.
Weaknesses: the Sussex cannon still needs a limber and ammunition chest. I will entertain ideas for financing one. I intend to put together a procurement plan at the annual Battery meeting. I cannot stress enough how important it is that we obtain one. If we had any failings this year, I think it was to fail to form a plan to obtain a limber for the Sussex cannon.
Treasury: we have about $1,400 in the treasury. A full report will be provided at the annual meeting.
Big Event: The SVR Artillery Safety School will be hosted by our unit on May 19-21, 2000. Those already certified will act as cadre at the school. Registration cost will be about $10 per person.
Cedat Fortuna Peritis
The Estimation of Distances
by Major General John Gibbon.
The follow are excerpts lifted from John Gibbon's noted treatise on the field artillery:
The Estimation of distances is a very important part of the instruction for officers, as they will direct so much better the fire of the men they command, when they are well exercised in measuring distances as a glance. This knowledge is of great advantage to them in maneuvering troops, as well as in time of war. Soldiers thrown out as skirmishers, will have a great advantage over an enemy if they know how to estimate distances with precision, for their fire will then be much more accurate and efficacious.
The men should be fires taught to measure distances by the pace, in which they should be practiced until they learn, in pacing off a distance, to take a uniform step of a yard.
In order to estimate distances by the eye, spaces are measured off, and men are placed at points along the line to show their different appearance at the different distances. For this purpose the ground should be level; persons are them stationed at different points, and the men are made to estimate the distance to them. The distances are then paced, and, finally, measured. In these different operations the men are made to notice the different parts of the body and equipments which become indistinct as the person is removed farther off. On a clear day, and with ordinary sight, at from 190 to 200 yards, every part of a man's body can be seen; and, although the details of dress and figure begin to grow indistinct, the grades of the officers can be recognized at these distances. From 400 to 480 yards, the face can no longer be distinguished, but the head, body, arms and movements, as well as the uniforms and muskets, can.
At 600 yards, the head and upper and lower parts of the body can be made out; and of the uniform, the accouterments and white pantaloons only can be seen.
From 750 to 800 yards, the body appears of an elongated form. Extended arms can be seen in profile, as also the legs of men in motion. The uniform can no longer be distinguished at 900 yards; but the files can still be seen, as well as the movement of troops, and the dust thrown up by a projectile ricocheting on dry ground. From 1,100 to 1,200 yards, the files can scarcely be distinguished, and the troops appear like solid masses, the movements of which can still be followed.
Amateurs talk about strategy, professionals talk about logistics.
Editorial
Once again the Battery membership has proven themselves to be among the finest reenactment units in the Midwest. A large percentage of our members are safety certified; not many batteries can boast so many certified members in their ranks. Undoubtedly this is one of the reasons why Battery B will be hosting this coming year's SVR Artillery Safety School. The certified members will be training the cannoneers that attend the school. Plans for the event are now well advanced, and on the weekend of May 19-21st, the battery will once again have the opportunity to prove its mettle. For those members that could not make last May's school, this ones for you. As part of the battery you will have a role to play.
This past season was a great success. Not only do we always strive to make our reenactments as authentic and accurate as possible, but the members have fun doing it. This demonstrates a high degree of professionalism within our ranks, and is something for which we, as a battery, can be justly proud.
The Battery is faced with a number of challenges next season, foremost among them is acquiring a limber box for the Sussex gun. This must be a battery priority, and any fund raising suggestions can be fielded at the annual meeting in January. As already mentioned, the Artillery Safety School will be our baby next year, and there are parties out there that feel we cannot carry this event single handedly. They feel that they should be running this event, and that we cannot make this event a success. Of course they are mistaken!
Mere success, however, should not be our goal. We should commit ourselves to hosting the best Artillery Safety School to date. For Battery B this will not be a problem; we are already the best field artillery battery in the game, and we will now prove that we are the best instructors too.
I wish you and your families best wishes for the new year.
Steve.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek opened on August 10, 1861. It was a hot and muggy day, so typical of Missouri at the height of summer. This battle seemed to be pivotal in the opening days of the War of the Rebellion because if Missouri's geography: the four great trails west had their origins in this state. The California, Santa Fe, Oregon, and Pony Express trails all started from her western border. In addition, three of the nation's great rivers ran through or close to her borders: the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Ohio. Missouri was also one of the hotly contested "border states," so it seemed inevitable that the War would be fought on her soil.
Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon
Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon led his 5,600 Federal Troops into battle against Brigadier General Ben McCulloch's 10, 175 Confederates. The Missouri State Guard, under the command of Major General Stirling Price and numbering 5,221 men, joined the rebel forces. The battle was hard fought all morning, but it became clear that the Union forces were hard pressed and losing the day. Lyon's troops, although hard pressed, were holding the line. Franz Siegel's Union Troops, however, were utterly routed, and began to frantically disengage from the enemy.
General Lyon and his men steadfastly held onto Bloody Hill. During one attack, General Lyon was slightly wounded in the right leg. He continued to direct the fight from his horse, until; it was shot out from under him. Three hours into the battle, General Lyon was again hit, but he was determined to win the day. With the 2nd Kansas Volunteer Infantry, he charged the superior Confederate force in a desperate attempt to dislodge the enemy from the hill on which both sides now fought so gallantly. At the head of his men, astride a horse, he was shot three times; through both lungs and the heart. Seeing their commander fall, and with the shock of the day's bloody combat, the resolve of the Federal troops dissolved. The Confederates carried the day, and the Union suffered its second loss of the war. Although it was not as catastrophic as Bull Run, the Nation still recoiled in disbelief.
Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon was carried to a small abode known locally as the Ray House. It was there that he succumbed to his wounds. His last words were to the aid that was cradling his head, "Lehman, I am killed."
The Union not only lost the battle, but also the services of one of its most promising young general officers. Missouri would continue to be hotly contested in a series of bloody skirmishes between irregulars for the rest of the War.
Stop the Presses!
One set of round rolling equipment has been mislaid. It should be around somewhere. If you might know where it can be found, please contact your gun commander.
The Chicago Light Artillery will be hosting their first Annual Cannon Ball at the American Legion Post in Northbrook, IL on March 4, 2000. Tickets are $25.00 each. Please contact Nick Kaup at (847) 256-1942 or Bill Kummerow at (847) 251-2589 for more information.
Upcoming Events:
January 22: The Battery Meeting at Burlington, WI
January 29: The Association Meeting at Allenton, WI
The next issue of The Redleg will be published in December 1999.