ACHIEVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
621 
have to allude, we may profitably delay a moment to glance at the 
armament of the numerous artillery which took part in them. 
The period of transition is clearly marked in the specification of 
the ordnance which was used. 
According to the account of General Tidball, published in the July 
number of the “ Journal of the Military Service Institution/’ U.S.A., 
at the commencement of the war all the regular companies of artillery 
of the Union armies, except eight, were acting as foot artillery, and 
were garrisoning the forts along the seaboard, or even acting as infantry 
on the Western frontier. Soon, however, in just the same fashion as 
was in vogue with ourselves in the days of the Crimea and the Mutiny, 
all these companies were, by a stroke of the pen, turned into Field 
Batteries, and a new regiment of Field Artillery was also raised in 
addition. The heavy artillery was manned, therefore, entirely by 
volunteers in the very manner by which in this country the detach¬ 
ments of our guns in the home forts would be formed in the event of 
a great crisis. In addition, however, to this regular Field Artillery, 
there was an immense proportion of volunteer batteries, some organised 
in regiments, some as independent batteries, while some were equipped 
as Horse Artillery for service with cavalry, as were also a proportion¬ 
ally large number of the regular batteries. 
At the outbreak of the war, although rifled guns had not been intro¬ 
duced into the service, a large number had been already turned out on 
the Parrot system, and the army of the Federals was quickly supplied 
with them. These were soon followed by a 3-inch gun, which was 
known as the “ordnance” pattern, and it was established as the 
favourite in a short time. Meanwhile, however, the arsenals were 
ransacked to find weapons for the batteries fast coming into existence, 
and everything and anything in the shape of a gun was greedily snapped 
up and turned to account. Great confusion and difficulties in the 
supply of ammunition was the natural consequence; some batteries had 
a mixed armament, often extending to three kinds of pieces, and much 
vexation and a loss of efficiency supervened. 
At the end of the first year, however, all the guns of the Army of 
the Potomac, which took part in all the first great battles which we 
shall have to notice, were either rifled pieces of uniform design, or 12-pr. 
“ Napoleon ” guns of the pattern which was the child of the Emperor 
of the French. In the armies of the West, however, it was not until 
towards the close of hostilities that anything like uniformity of 
armament prevailed. 
The system of organisation of the artillery of the Union army simi¬ 
larly underwent a process of development as the war went on, and 
efficiency was purchased by experience often somewhat bitter. 
Batteries were at first attached to brigades, and finally to divisions 
only. Army Corps were first formed in the Army of the Potomac in 
March, 1862, but not till some months afterwards in the other armies. 
Even then, however, batteries continued to be attached to divisions and, 
in the case of the Army of Cumberland, to brigades, until after the 
battle of Chickamanga. It was not until the spring of 1864 that the 
batteries of each corps -were united into a brigade and made a separate 
command with a distinct staff and supply department. 
