5th Massachusetts Battery

United States Regiments & Batteries > Massachusetts > 5th Massachusetts Battery

The battery lost 30 men during the Civil War: 1 officer and 18 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 11 enlisted men to disease. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
December 10 5th Massachusetts Battery was organized at Lynnfield and Reedville and mustered in
December 25-27 Moved to Washington, D.C. and attached to Porter’s Division, Army of the Potomac; duty at Capitol Hill, Defenses of Washington, D.C.
1862
February 15 At Hall’s Hill
March 18 Attached to Artillery, 1st Division, 3rd Corps, Army Potomac
March 18-24

Peninsula Campaign

Moved to Alexandria and Fortress Monroe, Va.
April 5 Warwick Road
April 3-May 4

Siege of Yorktown
May Attached to Artillery, 1st Division, 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac
May 27 Hanover Court House
May 27-29 Operations about Hanover Court House
June 25-July 1

Seven days before Richmond
June 26

Battle of Mechanicsville
June 27

Battle of Gaines’ Mill
June 30

Battle of White Oak Swamp and Turkey Bridge
July 1

Battle of Malvern Hill
July 2 – August 16 At Harrison’s Landing
August 15-28 Movement to Fortress Monroe, then to Manassas
August 30

Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)
October 8 Duty in the Defenses of Washington
October 9 – 30 At Sharpsburg, Maryland
October 16-17 Reconnaissance to Smithfield
October 16-17 Kearneysville and Shephardstown
October 30 – November 19 Movement to Warrenton and Falmouth, Va.
December 11-15

Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
January 20-24
“Mud March”
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign
May 1-5

Battle of Chancellorsville
June Assigned to the 1st Volunteer Brigade, Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac
July 2-4

Battle of Gettysburg

The battery was commanded at Gettysburg by Captain Charles A. Philips. It brought 104 men to the field serving 6 Ordnance Rifles. it was temporarily combined with the 10th New York independent Battery due to casualties from Chancellorsville.

From the monument at Gettysburg:

July 2. Withdrew at 5 p.m. from the field near the Peach Orchard and went into battery here.

July 3. About 1:30 by order of Brig. Gen. H.J. Hunt fired on the Confederate batteries but did little damage. Opened an enfilading fire soon after on Longstreet’s advancing line of infantry and assisted in repulsing the assault. A charge was made within the range of the battery immediately afterwards by the Florida brigade and at about the same time a Confederate battery opened on the left front which at once received the concentrated fire of the batteries of the brigade driving the cannoneers from their guns which they abandoned.

July 4. Remained in this position until afternoon.
July Assigned to the Artillery Brigade, 5th Corps
July 31-August 1 Kelly’s Ford
August 1-3 Brandy Station
August – October At Beverly Ford and Culpeper C. H.
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to the Rappahannock
November 7

Rappahannock Station
November 26- December 2

Mine Run Campaign
December 6 At Rappahannock Station
1864
May 3-June 12

Rapidan Campaign
May 5-7

Battle of the Wilderness
May 8

Battle of Laurel Hill
May 8-21

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
May 12

Assault on the Salient
May 23-26

North Anna River
May 23 Jericho Mills
May 26-28 Line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31

Totopotomoy
June 1-12

Battle of Cold Harbor
June 1-3 Bethesda Church
June 16-19

First Assault on Petersburg
June 16

Siege of Petersburg
August 18-21

Six Mile House, Weldon Railroad
October 3 Non-Veterans were mustered out
October 27-28
Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run
December 7-12
Warren’s Raid on Weldon Railroad
1865
February 5-7

Dabney’s Mills
March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign
April 2

Fall of Petersburg
April 4 Moved to City Point and duty there
May 3-13 March to Washington, D.C.
May 23 Grand Review
June 4-6 Moved to Readville, Mass.
June 12 The 5th Massachusetts Battery mustered out