1st Independent Battery New York Artillery

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York

The 1st New York Independent Battery lost 2 officers and 16 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 38 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
November 23 Organized at Auburn, N.Y. and mustered in under Captain Terrance J. Kennedy, First Lieutenants Andrew Cowan and William P. Wright
December 4 Left State for Washington, D.C.
December Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C. attached to W. F. Smith’s Division, Army of the Potomac
1862
January 23 Sergeant Theodore Atkins was promoted to second lieutenant
March Attached to W. F. Smith’s 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 23-24 Moved to Fortress Monroe, Va.
April 5 Action at Lee’s Mills
April 5-May 4 Siege of Yorktown
April 16 Lee’s Mills
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg

The battery lost 1 enlisted man killed and 2 wounded
May Attached to Artillery, 2nd Division, 6th Army Corps
May 12 Captain Kennedy promoted to major, Third Artillery.
June 21 First Lieutenant Andrew Cowan was promoted to captain and Second Lieutenant William H. Johnson was promoted to First Lieutenant
June 25-July 1 Seven days before Richmond
June 27 Gaines’ Mill
June 28 Golding’s Farm
June 29 Savage Station
June 30 White Oak Swamp and Glendale
July 1 Malvern Hill
July-August At Harrison’s Landing
August 16-24 Moved to Fortress Monroe, then to Alexandria
September 6-22 Maryland Campaign
September 14 Crampton’s Pass, South Mountain
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg)

The battery was commanded by Captain Cowan and brought four 3″ Ordnance Rifles to the field. It lost 1 enlisted man wounded.
September 26-October 29 At Hagerstown, Md.
October 29 – November 19 Movement to Falmouth, Va.
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
January 23 First Lieutenant Andrew Cowan was promoted to captain
February-April At Falmouth, Va.
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Franklin’s Crossing
May 3 Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg
May 3-4
Salem Heights
May Attached to Artillery Brigade, 6th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
June 5-13 Deep Run Ravine
July 2-4
Battle of Gettysburg

The battery was commanded by Captain Andrew Cowan. It brought 113 men to the field serving six Ordnance Rifles and lost 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and First Lieutenant William Wright and 1 other officer and 5 enlisted men wounded

From the monument:

Double canister at ten yards.
During the cannonade preceding Longstreet’s assault, the battery was engaged a short distance farther to the left, but by order of General Webb, it moved at a gallop to this position, which Battery B, 1st R.I. Artillery had occupied. Skirmishing had just commenced. The Confederate lines were over the defenses and within ten yards of our guns. Our loss was four men and fourteen horses killed, two lieutenants and six men wounded. The battery was relieved on the morning of July 5th, and returned to the Sixth Corps.
July 5 Near Fairfield, Pa.
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 7 Rappahannock Station
November 26-December 2 Mine Run Campaign
1864
January 9 First Lieutenant William Wright was discharged due to his Gettysburg wound. Second Lieutenant Orasmus Van Ettan was promoted to First Lieutenant.
February 27-March 2 Reconnaissance to Madison Court House
May 3-June 15 Campaign from the Rapidan to the James
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The battery lost 3 enlisted men wounded and 1 missing
May 12 Assault on the Salient, “Bloody Angle”
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31 Totopotomoy
June 1-12 Battles around Cold Harbor
June 5
Cold Harbor

First Lieutenant Van Ettan wounded
June 17-19 First Assault on Petersburg
June 18-July 9
Siege of Petersburg

The battery lost 1 enlisted man mortally wounded and 1 officer wounded
June 22-23 Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad
July 9-11 Moved to Washington, D.C.
July 12-13 Repulse of Early’s attack on Washington
August 7-
November 28		 Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
August 12 Cedar Creek
August 21
Charles Town

The battery lost 1 enlisted man wounded
August 28-29 Leetown
September 13 Opequan Creek
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester, or Opequon

Captain Cowan and five enlister men were wounded. First Lieutenant William Johnson took command of the battery until he was mortally wounded, leaving Lieutenant Orsamus R. Van Etten in command of the battery.
September 22
Battle of Fisher’s Hill
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

The battery lost Second Lieutenant Henry D. Vaughn and 9 enlisted men killed or motally wounded and 13 enlisted men wounded.
October-November Duty at Kernstown
November First Lieutenant William Johnson died of his Winchester wounds at National Hospital in Baltmore.
November 19 Second Lieutenant William Sears was promoted to First Lieutenant.
December 9-12 Moved to Petersburg, Va.
December Siege of Petersburg
1865
March 25
Fort Fisher, Petersburg

The battery lost 1 enlisted man killed and 1 officer and 3 enlisted men wounded
March 28-April 9 Appomattox Campaign
April 2
Assault on and capture of Petersburg

The battery lost 2 enlisted men wounded
April 3-9 Pursuit of Lee
April 6 Sailor’s Creek
April 7 High Bridge
April 9
Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April At Farmville and Burkesville
April 23-27 March to Danville
May 18-June 3 March to Richmond, thence to Washington, D.C.
June 8 Corps Review
June 23 Mustered out under Captain Cowan, First Lieutenants Sears and Van Ettan