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Richmond Purcell Virginia Artillery (Cayce’s VA Battery)

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Muster In: Organized on April 20, 1861.1
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Captain George M. Cayce
Commander Image

Lieutenant Edward G. Hollis (of the Crenshaw VA Artillery)
Commander Image

Commander 3
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army3

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)4

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army5

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)6

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army7

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)8

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army9

  • Commander:
    • Captain George M. Cayce (went on leave August 9, 1864)10
    • ? (August 9-31, 1864)11
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)12

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army13,14

  • Commander: Lieutenant Edward G. Hollis (?)(of the Crenshaw VA Artillery)(temporarily commanding October 1-2, 1864) 15
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)16

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army17

  • Commander: Captain George M. Cayce18
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)19

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army20,21

  • Commander: Captain George M. Cayce (November & December 1864)22,23
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons (July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864)24

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army25,26,27

  • Commander: Captain George M. Cayce (January & February 1865)28,29
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Pegram’s Artillery Battalion | Third Corps Artillery | Third Corps| Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army30,31

  • Commander:
    • Captain George M. Cayce (captured April 2)(March & April 1-2, 1865)32,33
    •  

      ? (after Capt. Cayce was captured)(April 2, 1865)34

  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles35:

  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • Reams’ Station (June 29, 1864)
  • The Crater (July 30, 1864)
  • Weldon Railroad (August 18-21, 1864)
  • Reams’ Station (August 25, 1864)
  • Squirrel Level Road (September 30, 1864)
  • Jones’ Farm (September 30, 1864)
  • Pegram’s Farm (October 1, 1864)
  • Squirrel Level Road (October 8, 1864)
  • Burgess’ Mill (October 27, 1864)
  • Hatcher’s Run (February 5-7, 1865)
  • Fort Stedman (March 25, 1865)
  • Five Forks (April 1, 1865)
  • Petersburg Final Assault (April 2, 1865)
  • Appomattox Station (April 8, 1865)
  • Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83 ↩
    2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83 ↩
    3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 113 ↩
    4. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 113 ↩
    6. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 122 ↩
    8. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    9. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 132 ↩
    10. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 132 ↩
    11. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 132 ↩
    12. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    13. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 140 ↩
    14. 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. 1313. ↩
    15. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 149: Wise’s famous book The Long Arm of Lee mentions Hollis in command of this battery on October 1-2, 1864.  As Sibley notes, this was probably a temporary battlefield arrangement, given that Hollis was from the Crenshaw VA Artillery. ↩
    16. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 149 ↩
    18. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 149 ↩
    19. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 157 ↩
    21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 166 ↩
    22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 157 ↩
    23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 166 ↩
    24. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83: Sifakis lists this battery as having 4 x 12-lb. Napoleons from July 1, 1863 to December 28, 1864.  The unit had this setup on both July 1, 1863 and December 28, 1864.  What is unclear is if Sifakis can correctly assume this setup never changed at any point in between those dates.  More research is needed. ↩
    25. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 175 ↩
    26. 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 1177: “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. ↩
    27. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 185 ↩
    28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 175 ↩
    29. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 185 ↩
    30. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 194 ↩
    31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 194 ↩
    33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    34. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    35. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 81-83 ↩

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