The Fourth Alabama Painting by Don Troiani

First Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah

Acting Captain W N Pendleton

Acting Captain W N Pendleton, commanding 1st Rockbridge Artillery

First Rockbridge Artillery

ACTING CAPTAIN W N PENDLETON
Captain J McClausland, a Virginia Military Institute graduate, received a commission as colonel of cavalry and was replaced by Captain W N Pendleton on 1 May, 1861. He was promoted to colonel, chief of artillery, Army of the Shenandoah, on 13 July, 1861, but continued as acting captain until 23 July, 1861.

First Section: FIRST LT. J B BROKENBROUGH
6 pounder Smoothbore, M1841 & 12 pounder Field Howitzer, M1841
Second Section: SECOND LT. W MCLAUGHLIN
Two 6 pounder light "Cadet" Smoothbores

Sources

"The Army of the Shenandoah, on the 18th of July, left Winchester under imperative orders to reach Manassas in the shortest possible time. General Johnston directed the captains of the several batteries to report to me as they arrived at Piedmont, the station on the Manassas Gap Railroad where the infantry were to take the cars, that under my command they might march to join General Beauregard, By nightfall of the 19th only three out of five had reached Piedmont, and two of those I had myself conducted, about eleven P.M., when it was very dark, through the Shenandoah. Meantime messengers from Manassas reached General Johnston, which induced him to start me immediately with the three batteries, Captain Stanard's, Captain Alburtis's, and my own. The darkness was intense, the road scarcely practicable for four-wheeled carriages, and the weather very bad. Men and horses were greatly fagged. Yet I procured guides, encouraged all, and pressed on. Other messengers from Manassas brought me despatches after midnight begging me to hasten. By judicious rest for teams and men, not exceeding two hours in all, I reached Manassas, with all safe and in good condition, about two o'clock P.M., Saturday, 20th instant."

"A second captain had not yet been appointed to succeed Colonel W N Pendleton in command of the Rockbridge battery, and he continued for some weeks to act in that capacity. Accordingly, he now took the battery into action, posting its guns and giving directions for the cutting of fuses and aiming of pieces, besides exercising general supervision over all the artillery present belonging to the Army of the Shenandoah."

Memoirs of William N Pendleton, D D Rector of Latimer parish, Lexington, Virginia; Brigadier General C S A; Chief of Artillery, Army of Northern Virginia, by his daughter Susan P Lee

"The plain grey cloth uniforms and outfit of blankets, knapsacks, cooking utensils, & c., furnished mainly by Rockbridge county, have been as well preserved as could be expected. The uniform is, however, in many cases, considerably worn."

"My impression is that one of our guns on the left was separated from the next two guns by guns of other batteries which were there before us; that two of our guns, the heavy six-pounder and the Howitzer were together, and that at an interval of fifty or a hundred yards, our fourth gun, under Sergeant Davis, was put into position on the extreme right of all the artillery."

"We gave up the two light six-pounder brass guns which had belonged to the Virginia Military Institute, retaining only the United States six-pounder and the twelve-pounder Howitzer, and got in addition two other United States brass six-pounders, and two of the ten-pounder parrot guns which had been used against us on the 21st."

"Colonel Pendleton, who was in command of this company and other companies near it on the 21st July, had been commissioned colonel in the Provisional army of the Confederate States army on the 15th, but was not relieved of command of this battery till the 23d."

Historical sketch of the Rockbridge artillery, C S Army, by a member of the famous battery, Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 23

"About the time the Cadet Corps was ordered to Richmond to drill the troops gathering there, the Rockbridge Battery was raised and soon ordered to Harper's Ferry, being given the old bronze 6-pounder guns of the cadet battery, the Corps having taken with it other pieces, including the 3-inch Parrott rifle, with Jackson had obtained such surprising results in Lexington the year before. For caissons, the Rockbridge Battery constructed large chests on the running parts of hay wagons, the cadets having taken all the material of their battery except the guns."

The Long Arm of Lee or The History of the Artillery of the Army of Northern Virginia with a brief account of the Confederate Bureau of Ordnance, Volume I, by Jennings C Wise

The Virginia Regimental Histories Series, First and Second Rockbridge Artillery, by R J Driver, Jr.

A Guide to Virginia Military Organisations 1861–1865, Revised Second Edition by I A Wallace, Jr.

Notes

The 1st Rockbridge Artillery were organised in Rockbridge County, Virginia, on 12 April, 1861, and was mustered into Confederate service on 11 May. Captain W N Pendleton was promoted to colonel, chief of artillery, Army of the Shenandoah, on 13 July, 1861. On 21 July, 1861, Colonel W N Pendleton commanded the Thomas Artillery, the Wise Artillery and his own, the 1st Rockbridge Artillery, remaining as acting captain until 23 July, 1861.

At 1 AM on 18 July, 1861, the War Department at Richmond ordered General J E Johnston to move the Army of the Shenandoah from Winchester to Manassas Junction. The artillery of the Army of the Shenandoah were ordered to mass at Piedmont Station, under the command Colonel W N Pendleton, and to march overland 30 miles to Manassas Junction. Only the 1st Rockbridge Artillery, the Thomas Artillery and the Wise Artillery had arrived by late on 19 July so General J E Johnston ordered the batteries to proceed to Manassas Junction with the others to follow. The three batteries arrived at 2 PM on 20 July, 1861, and were assigned position for rest under shelter of some woods near the center of the line of defenses.

After Bull Run, the company was issued rifled pieces captured in the battle, and the cadet guns were returned to Lexington. On 14 August, 1861, the 1st Rockbridge Artillery was reorganised as an independent six-gun battery under the command of Captain W McLauglin and attached, but not assigned, to the 1st Virginia Battalion Light Artillery, from October 1862 until the organisation was disbanded in January 1865.

On 25 July 1861, the Army of the Shenandoah was reorganised and the 1st Rockbridge Artillery was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Corps, Army of the Shenandoah, under the command of Brigadier General T J Jackson.

Report

OFFICIAL REPORT: Series I, Volume 51, Part I (#107), pp. 34–36
Colonel W N Pendleton, Confederate States Army, commanding artillery