Second Brigade, Army of the Potomac
Major J B Walton, Acting Chief of Artillery, commanding the Washington Battalion Artillery
Washington Battalion Artillery
MAJOR J B WALTON
Acting Chief of Artillery, Army of the Potomac, accompanied the 1st and 4th Companies on 21 July, 1861.
- First Company: CAPTAIN H M ISAACSON
First Lieutenant C W Squires commanding the 1st Company on July 21, 1861, as Capatin H M Isaacson was not present for duty and resigned in August 1861. - First Section: FIRST LT. C W SQUIRES
Three 6 pounder Smoothbores, M1841 - Second Section: FIRST LT. J B RICHARDSON
Two 6 pounder 3" Rifles
Assignment: Sixth Brigade, Army of the Potomac.
The Fourth Company was attached to the First Company, under the command of Major J B Walton, with First Lieutenant J B Whittington, Third Company, detached and assigned to the Second Section, First Company and Second Lieutenant J Dearing, Third Company, detached and also assigned to the First Company on 21 July, 1861. There is no documentation of Captain H M Isaacson being present on 21, July, 1861 and may have remained at "Camp Beauregard", Richmond, resigning in August 1861.
- Second Company: FIRST LIEUTENANT T L ROSSER
- First Section: FIRST LT. C C LEWIS
Two 12 pounder Field Howitzers - Second Section: SECOND LT. C H SLOCOMB – Resigned in November, 1861, and assigned to the Fifth Company on 6 March, 1862.
Two 12 pounder Field Howitzers
Assignment: Second Brigade, Army of the Potomac.
Second Lieutenant H A Battles, Fourth Company, was assigned to the Second Company on 21 July, 1861.
- Third Company: CAPTAIN M B MILLER
- First Section: FIRST LT. J NORCUM, Fourth Company
Two 6 pounder Smoothbores, M1841
Assignment: Third Brigade, Army of the Potomac.
- Second Section: SECOND LT. J J GARNETT – First Lieutenant L A Adam reported sick after being engaged in the battle of the 18 July, 1861.
6 pounder Smoothbore, M1841 & 6 pounder 3" Rifle
Assignment: Fourth Brigade, Army of the Potomac.
First Lieutenant J B Whittington was detached and assigned to the Second Section, First Company and Second Lieutenant J Dearing to the First Company on 21 July, 1861. First Lieutenant J Norcum, Fourth Company, was assigned to the First Section, Third Company.
- Fourth Company: CAPTAIN B F ESHLEMAN
First Lieutenant C W Squires commanding on July 21, 1861, as Captain B F Eshelman was wounded on 18 July, 1861. (See First Company, Washington Battalion Artillery)
The Fourth Company was attached to the First Company, under command of Major J B Walton, with First Lieutenant J Norcum detached and assigned to the First Section, Third Company and Second Lieutenant H A Battles to the Second Company on 21 July, 1861. First Lieutenant W I Hodgson remained in New Orleans on recruiting service with a reserve force of twenty men and organised the Fifth Company. (See Fifth Company, Washington Battalion Artillery)
ASSIGNMENT: Sixth Brigade, Army of the Potomac.
- Fifth Company: CAPTAIN W I HODGSON
- First Section: SENIOR FIRST LT. C H SOLCOMB – Resigned from the Second Company in November, 1861, and assigned to the company on 6 March, 1862.
Two 12 pounder Field Howitzers - Second Section: JUNIOR FIRST LT. W C D WAUGHT
Two 6 pounder 3" Rifles - Third Section: SECOND LT. E L HEWS
Two 6 pounder Smoothbores, M1841
The 5th Company was organised for 90 days under the command of Captain W I Hodgson, at Lafayette Square, New Orleans and was mustered into Confederate States service, 6 March, 1862, for the seat of the war in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Sources
"Before leaving Richmond there had been assigned to the Battalion, Lieuts. T L Rosser, James Dearing, and J J Garnett. These young officers had been at West Point Academy when hostilities broke out, resigned, and came home to Virginia before graduating. They were assigned to the artillery as instructors and for general service, and assited very materially in battery drills upon the of Manassas plains."
"On the 21st of July we were up and stirring at daylight, and rode over to Beauregard's head-quarters. The enemy, throwing an occasional shell over us from a big gun on the high ground between Blackburn's ford and Centreville, were evidently feeling for our lines. To-day the guns of our battalion were assigned for duty as follows:
Two 6-pounder smooth bores, and two rifle 6-pounders, under command of Lieut. C W Squires and Lieuts. J B Richardson and Whittington, with Col. Early's brigade, bivouacking near Mclean's farm-house.
Four 12-pounder howitzers, under Lieut. T L Rosser, commanding; Lieuts. C C Lewis, C H Slocomb, and H A Battles, with Gen. Ewell, at Union Mills ford.
Two 6-pounder smooth bores, under Capt. M B Miller and Lieut. Joe Norcum, with Gen. D R Jones's Third Brigade, at McLean's ford.
One rifle 6-pounder and one smooth 6-pounder, under command of Lieut. J J Garnett and Lieut. L A Adam, with Gen. Longstreet's Fourth Brigade at Blackburn's ford.
Three 6-pounder smooth bores, and two rifle 6-pounders, under command of Lieut. C W Squires and Lieuts. J B Richardson and Whittington, with Col. Early's brigade, bivouacking near Mclean's farm-house, – thirteen guns in all."
In Camp and in battle with the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, with an introduction by Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr., by W M Owen
Louisiana: A Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Organizations 1861–1865, by A W Bergerun, Jr.
Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Louisiana, by Stewart Sifakis
Notes
The Washington Battalion Artillery was mustered into the Confederate States service with four companies, at Lafayette Square, New Orleans, on 26 May, 1861. On 6 March, 1862, the 5th Company was organised for 90 days under the command of Captain W I Hodgson, at Lafayette Square, New Orleans and also the 6th Company under the command of Captain H Doane, which was later disbanded in 1862. First Lieutenant T L Rosser, Second Lieutenant J J Garnett and Second Lieutenant J Dearing were assigned to the battalion as instructors and for general service after resigning from West Point Academy.
On 25 July 1861, the Army of the Potomac was reorganised and the Washington Battalion Artillery was assigned to the First Corps, Army of the Potomac.
Report
Official Report No.85: Series I, Volume 2 (S# 2), Chapter IX, pp. 515–518
Major J B Walton, Washington Battalion Artillery
Orders of Battle
The above painting, 'The Fourth Alabama', is by Don Troiani, modern America's finest historial artist.