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

by Philip Cole (Author) "An important aspect in assessing artillery's role at Gettysburg requires a brief review of the origins of each army's artillery branch from the early days..." (more)
Key Phrases: gaining twist, smoothbore ammunition, rifled ammunition, Army of the Potomac, Army of Northern Virginia, Cemetery Hill (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An engaging book...interesting and informatvie." -- Military Review Nov.-Dec. 2003

"Engaging...Not only does it explain why events unfolded the way they did, it helps explain how they unfolded." -- Military Review 11/01/03

Product Description
A new analysis of the big guns at Gettysburg--how they worked and why they proved decisive in determining the battle's outcome.

All things related to the battle of Gettysburg continue to fascinate the reading public, but few know the artillery's important role in deciding the outcome of that epic battle. Philip Cole, a licensed Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park, has now written a detailed account of the technical and organizational factors behind Union and Confederate artillery actions at Gettysburg, focusing on the operation of the artillery branches--their organization, men, equipment, ammunition, and performance.

In this fresh approach, Cole amasses technical detail on manpower, command structure, logistics, and artillery technology and analyzes each detail in light of its impact on the battle. In doing so, he never loses sight of the human drama behind the guns--the many tales of heroism and human and animal suffering of the artillery units. Cole's conclusions on the role of artillery at Gettysburg will influence historians and researchers for years to come.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (July 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811456
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811456
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,632,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of Civil War artillery deuce, October 31, 2002

By	Gary Schreckengost (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview of Civil War Artillery, October 19, 2002

By	Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Those Civil War Caissons Go Rolling Along, August 25, 2004

By	E. E Pofahl (HUNTINGTON, WV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.