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Note: This unit was also known as Company B of the 38th Virginia Light Artillery Battalion.
Note: Captain Macon was so often absent from his battery during the Siege of Petersburg that he was called into a Board of Inquiry during September 1864. I need to look at his Compiled Service Records (CSRs) to try to better define the times during which he was present or absent.
Muster In: Organized by the conversion of Company F, 1st Virginia Artillery Regiment, to artillery service in early 1861.1
Muster Out: April 9, 18652
Commander(s):
Lieutenant William I. Clopton
Commander Image
Lieutenant Lewis Booker
Commander Image
Lieutenant Benjamin H. Robinson (section only)
Commander Image
First Offensive Order of Battle: Read’s Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army3
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x gun?)4
Second Offensive Order of Battle: Read’s Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army5
- Commander: Lieutenant William I. Clopton (at least June 22, 1864)6
- Unit Strength: 70 officers and men PFD (June 26, 1864)7
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, 1 x gun (June 26, 1864)8,9
Third Offensive Order of Battle: Read’s Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army10
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x gun?)11
Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia (Read’s) Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army12
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x gun?)13
Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia (Read’s) Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army14,15
- Commander: Lieutenant William I. Clopton (at least September 29, 1864)16,17
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x gun?)18
- Note: The Richmond Fayette Artillery was thought to have gone to the north side of the James on September 28, 1864 and was temporarily attached to the First Corps Artillery, Army of Northern Virginia.19
Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia (Read’s) Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army20
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x gun?)24
Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia (Read’s) Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army25,26
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x 8-inch Columbiad?)(December 26, 1864)31
Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army32,33,34
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, 1 x 8-inch Columbiad37,38
Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: 38th Virginia Artillery Battalion | Artillery | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army39,40
- Commander:
- Unit Strength:
- Weapons: 2 x 10-lb. Parrotts, 2 x 3-inch Rifles, (1 x 8-inch Columbiad?)45
Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles46:
- Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
- Petersburg (June 17, 1864)
- Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)
Bibliography:
Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:
- 38th VA Arty Bn: The Richmond Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blounts Lynchburg Artillery
- BTC Notes: The Richmond Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount’s Lynchburg Artillery
Sources:
- Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 69-70 ↩
- Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 10-11 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 117: 3 officers and 67 men on June 26, 1864 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 117: On June 26, 1864, the battery had “5 guns.” The only question is what tube type the fifth gun was. It could possibly be the 12-lb. howitzer they had in September 1864, but I have no way to confirm this at present. More research is needed. ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 134 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 142 ↩
- Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship. The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1311. ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 120 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 142 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship. The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1311. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 120 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 121: Clopton wrote various letters from the trenches in December, indicating he was present. ↩
- Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 10-11 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1178: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, January 31, 1865”; This list contains many commanders who were not there. They were the “official” commanders but may have been gone on leave. I have used none of the leaders from this list as a result. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), p. 122: Moore specifically mentions a fifth gun, an 8-inch Columbiad, as being present in January 1865. This gun or another one may have been present throughout the siege as well. ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
- The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
- Moore, Robert H., II. The Fayette, Hampden, Thomas, and Blount Artillery (H.E. Howard: 1991), pp.14, 96-97: The Richmond Fayette Artillery appears to have had 2 x 10-lb. Parrott Rifles and 2 x 3-inch Rifles throughout the Siege of Petersburg. After Williamsburg they were given two Federal guns (type not identified in the text), but before Sharpsburg they had “two ten-pounders, one twelve-pounder howitzer, and four six-pounder smoothbores.” At the end of the Confederate attempt to take New Bern in early 1864, the Fayette artillery was given two captured 3-inch rifles, and the text mentioned that the battery still had the two captured Federal guns from Williamsburg. Putting these pieces together, the only portion of the battery from September 1862 which could have been the captured Federal guns at Williamsburg were the two 10-lb. Parrotts. This gives the battery its armament for the entire Siege of Petersburg, and the text mentions they were retained up until after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. I am a bit unclear if all four guns were retained until Appomattox or if Moore is referring only to the 3-inch rifles. It appears he is referring to all four guns, and Sibley shows the same setup in a report from December 28, 1864. ↩
- Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 10-11 ↩