Customer Reviews

Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg: Organization, Equipment, Ammunition, and Tactics

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There have been countless books and articles written covering all aspects of Civil War infantry including organization, equipment, strategies, tactics, command requirements, etc. In comparison, little has been written about Civil War artillery. Using the Battle of Gettysburg as the narrative vehicle, the author, Phillip Cole, has written an informative account of Civil War artillery. The author notes "Each army's artillery branch entered the war with little or nothing in the way of adequate manpower levels, trained officers, equipment necessities, and a reliable organization." In addition, ".... The artillery branches of each army were dogged with organizational problems that posed serious threats to the well-being of their respective forces." For the Confederates "Non-uniformity of weapons would prove to be an important impediment in making the Confederate's artillery organization an effective force." The text observes "The inventory that made up the huge supply of ammunition in both armies consisted of an enormous variety of projectiles to match the different caliber and model of artillery pieces."

The text addresses a wide spectrum covering organization; artillery technology; gun types (smoothbore/rifled) including barrel material, support equipment and animals; an excellent review of artillery ammunition, gunpowder; projectile technology; artillery operations; requirements of artillerymen and a discussion of the Chiefs of Artillery: Hunt (Union) vs. Pendleton (Confederate). Each of these topics is well covered.

Most interesting is the book's Chapter VI on Artillery Operations. Gettysburg's July 3 artillery operations are used as the background for discussing both offensive and defensive artillery tactics. Author Cole writes "Offensively, artillery was an important force in securing success when combined with infantry operations.", but further notes "Over all, offensively (artillery) fire helped little when compared to what it provided to the defenders." Chapter VI discusses the critical elements of artillery operations such as gun placement, targets, firing and aiming the gun, timing, choosing projectiles, etc.

Chapter VII reviews the gun crews where "Loading and firing cannons in battle required close attention to following safety precautions, alertness to obeying instructions, and teamwork" while "For artillery officers to operate in battle, it required extraordinary mental discipline and concentration." Very interesting is this chapter's comparison of "....the two chiefs of artillery at the battle of Gettysburg, history books ordinarily recognize (Union) General Hunt as performing superbly well and (Confederate) General Pendleton receives a rather dismal appraisal." While the author does not try to be an apologist for Pendleton's performance but states the Confederate artillery organization did not provide its chief of artillery with the authority and a staff that was adequate. In contrast Union General Hunt at Gettysburg, where he had proper authority and control, performed effectively and valiantly; at one point Hunt rode to the battle line and emptied his revolver at the enemy having his horse killed under him.

The author concludes noting "For whatever conclusions the reader arrives at in judging artillery's roles and performance at Gettysburg, this engagement underscored the significance of the artillery branch's organizational strengths and weakness, the integrity of its weapons and ammunition, and the successes and failures of its tactics."

This is an excellent work for those interested in Civil War history. Many accounts of Civil War battles give attention to commanders, personnel, tactics, strategy and terrain noting only the presence and use of artillery. After reading this book, the reader will have a much better understanding of the proper use and significance of artillery when reading accounts of the American Civil War.

In some ways the book's title -- "Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg" -- is a little misleading or at least overly self-limiting. Most of the book is devoted to discussing Civil War artillery as a subjectin itself; only in the next-to-last chapter does the focus shift to the battle of Gettysburg, and even then there is a good deal of information about artillery in general rather than Gettysburg specifics. I do not say this as a criticism of Philip Cole's book, because it serves a very useful purpose in providing a good overview of Civil War artillery in general, with much of what it has to say as applicable for Antietam or Chickamauga as to Gettysburg. If you are looking for accessible descriptions of the guns, ammunition, capabilities, and tactics, then this fits the bill. I had recent occasion to try to track down what seemed to be a simple enough fact -- what was the muzzle velocity of a standard 3-inch rifled cannon? -- and I checked every place I could think of, including Ordnance Department manuals, Civil War artillerist's drill manuals, and books on Civil War weapons and equipment. And I came up blank. Nothing had the desired information, until I picked up Philip Cole's book and there it was (1215 feet per second, in case you are wonderding).

So, I would defintely recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about Civil War artillery. It's not just for those interested in Gettysburg.

As a one-time fire supporter who studies Civil War artillery pretty intently, has been published in Field Artillery Journal and America's Civil War Magazine, and who has led several staff rides at Gettysburg, I found Phil Cole's book to be quite helpful. This is a must read for any person who wants to learn what it was like to be a Civil War-era artillerist. Mr. Cole generally uses examples of the Gettysburg Campaign to explain artillery tactics, techniques, and procedures. He also offers some reasonable conclusions about how the battle was fought and persuasively argues the centrality of the long arm in all operations. So buy this book now, get Coco's little book on Gettysburg artillery, Van Loan Naisawald's treatise on the artillery in the Army of the Potomac, and the book on Cushing, synthesis them, and get out to the Burg to do some serious terrain analyses!

The first thing potential buyers should know is that this book's title is misleading. It is not an in depth study of the artillery at Gettysburg, but rather an in depth study of artillery using Gettysburg as a working demonstration. The reader won't find the expected Gettysburg artillery order of battle or a list of gun count and types by battery in the battle. Instead Gettysburg provides the backdrop for what proves a fascinating study of field artillery employment in battle during the war.

The author's approach is balanced and the writing style itself is effective. Where this work suffers immensely is in organization. It is structurally scattered and at times painfully repetitive. If one considers the chapters and sections as a series of essays by the same author, then it is easier to digest. It is not a quick read.

Enough of the criticism of what the author doesn't do, let's get to what makes this book unique and worthwhile. Author Philip Cole does a masterful job explaining many nuances of artillery that I had not fully appreciated before, despite having read extensively on the subject. There are pieces of information brought out that I have been unable to find anywhere else. Among these are the descriptions of the elimination of rifled shot in the Army of the Potomac's ammunition chests, the increased shot count for Napoleon canister, and an excellent section illustrating the effects of rifle twist and gain twist. Another plus is the review of the importance of horses and mules to the artillery service. The tactical aspects are thoroughly covered, from firing rate's effect on accuracy, the obscuration of smoke, rattled or novice gunners neglecting to adjust their elevating screws after each shot, and much more.

Cole presents a thorough discussion of the artillery organizational and command challenges, ordnance department and logistical concerns, as well as detailed discussion of employment of artillery in offensive and defensive battlefield roles. The book has some adequate overview maps, but it excels with concise illustration of many aspects of artillery equipment and ammunition.

Near the end Cole makes a summary of the CSA cannonades impact on the Union line but doesn't really give it the detail it probably deserves. Overall, most of his conclusions are convincing. However, an important factor he overlooked is that one of the reasons the Federal batteries were not severely damaged is that they withheld fire. By not firing, many were no longer seen as important targets through the smoke.

I highly recommend this book to those seeking a single work that pulls all tactical and logistic aspects together, with anecdotes and narratives about each. However, I don't recommend it to those seeking a full review of Gettysburg's artillery operations. I also stress that some readers will understandably balk at the scattered organization and repetitive nature of the work.

Although it was written by a Gettysburg tour guide, and it includes advice on finding specific guns at the park, this book is more of an excellent overview of artillery throughout the war. Being more of a conceptual book than Naisawald's, somewhat obscure but fascinating facts about the design of the guns, as well as the logistics and command structure behind them, provide a complete view of Civil War artillery. Although the book deals with a very technical subject, the author does not get bogged down in jargon and his explanations of complex topics are easy to understand.

This book contains good material and is worth reading. Be advised most the book is not specific to Gettysburg.

Histories of Civil War battles, such as the Battle of Gettysburg, generally describe the tactics and strategy of the battle, including the use of artillery. But they rarely discuss the nature of the "long arm" itself -- how artillery functioned, how it was organized and used, and the circumstances which controlled its effectiveness. The books seem either to presuppose such knowledge in the reader or to assume that the knowledge will be picked up through the general historical account. When I started reading accounts of Gettysburg and other Civil War engagements in earnest, I was puzzled by many things but especially by discussions of artillery.

Philip Cole is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg, and his book "Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg" presents an excellent introduction to the use of artillery in both the Union and Confederate armies. The book is something of a hybrid. Most of it focuses on the use of artillery througout the Civil War with no special reference to Gettysburg. But Gettysburg gets its share of attention interlaced with and informed by the author's broader treatment of artillery.

As to the artillery at Gettysburg, Mr. Cole's focus is on the cannonade the proceeded Pickett's charge on July 3, 1863. The cannonade, and the Union response, is discussed well and from varied perspectives at each stage of Mr. Cole's treatment of the nature of artillery. He has insightful things to say about the placement of the Confederate guns, the organization of the Army, the confusing nature of Confederate weaponry, the vagaries of Confederate ammunition, the terrain, the smoke produced by the guns, and a myriad of other details that went into the July 3 cannonande and the Army of the Potomac's response at Gettysburg. I learned a great deal about Pickett's charge and the factors affecting the use of artillery from Mr. Cole's account.

The book has less to say about other uses of artillery at Gettysburg. This is unfortunate because artillery played, as Mr. Cole stresses, a vital role in both the first and second days of the battle, throughout the field. Mr. Cole suggests that artillery was well and properly used by both sides during these earlier engagements; thus he devotes most of his space to Pickett's charge. There is still much to be learned from a study of artillery earlier in the battle. The reader wishing a study of artillery throughout the Battle of Gettysburg (but a book which lacks Mr. Cole's technical discussion) may wish to read Fairfax Downey's "The Guns of Gettysburg" (1958)

As far as the treatment of Civil War artillery in general is concerned, Mr. Cole discusses the organization of the artillery arm of the service in each army. He offers descriptions of the various weapons, smoothbores and rifles, the ranges, and advantages and disadvantages of each. He discusses each type of shot and shell fired by the guns with a great deal of specialized technical detail. The book discusses the organization of artillery units and the training of the soldiers for this difficult branch of the service. He discusses horses, movement of the pieces, offensive and defensive tactics, the effect of weather and perhaps most basically of all -- smoke.
There is a useful glossary and many helpful diagrams and photographs.

Mr. Cole has written a specialized but useful study. The book is for readers who already have a thorough grounding in Civil War military history and a passion to explore it. The book will teach a great deal to readers fascinated by the Civil War and by the battle of Gettysburg.

I love artillery, and the Civil War, and I was predisposed to like this book. I wanted to like it. But I failed. There is a lot of good and interesting information in this book, and the author does seem to know his subject (though there are gaps, for example his flawed understanding of the contruction of a wooden wheel). His themes as to the importance and use of artillery are well worth examining. But its all spoiled by the bad writing. It is turgid, the sentences are complex and sometimes obscure - the author sometimes seems to lose track of what he meant to say when he started. It is also occasionally repetitive. The English is at about the level of a good High-School theme paper, but it isn't good enough for a published work. Its a shame, too; if Mr. Cole couldn't buff up his English for publication, he surely could have found someone (like the publisher, Da Capo Press!) to do it for him. That's what editors are for.
So would I recommend this book? Well, I'm not going to give the book to Salvation Army, but I don't know if I'd buy it again either. So perhaps that is a very guarded recommendation, if your level of interest is very high.

James D. Gray

Being a avid Gettysburg artillery buff, this book clearly is the definative works, on the battle. It is concise and is written for the person who does not need a masters to understand where, why and how things occurred. Simply put, buy it read it, read it again and keep it for reference.

Michael Persico Jr.