4th New York Battery

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > Artillery & Engineers

The 4th Independent Battery lost 5 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 1 officer and 11 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
  Organized at New York as Company L, Artillery Company, Serrell’s New York Engineer Regiment
October 25 Mustered in at Staten Island, N.Y.
October 25 Left State for Washington, D.C. Designated Battery C and later Battery D, New York Light Artillery
November Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C.
December 7 Designated 4th New York Battery
1862
January Attached to Hooker’s Division, Army of the Potomac
March Ordered to the Peninsula, Va. and attached to Artillery, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
April 5-May 4
Siege of Yorktown
May Attached to Artillery Brigade, 3rd Army Corps
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg
May 31-June 1
Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks
June 25-July 1 Seven days before Richmond
June 25 Battle of Oak Grove near Seven Pines
June 29 Peach Orchard and Savage Station
June 30 White Oak Swamp and Glendale
July 1
Malvern Hill
July At Harrison’s Landing
August 16-26 Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Centreville
August 26-September 2
Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia
August 27
Bristoe Station
August 29
Battle of Groveton (Brawner Farm)
August 30
Second Battle of Bull Run
September Duty in the Defenses of Washington at Fairfax Station, Va.
November 10-12 Operations on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad
December
Rappahannock Campaign
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
February 5-7 Operations at Rappahannock Bridge and Grove Church
February-April At Falmouth
April 27-May 6
Chancellorsville Campaign
May 1-5
Battle of Chancellorsville
June 3-August 1
Gettysburg Campaign
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

The battery brought 135 men to the field serving six 10-pounder Parrott Rifles under Captain James E. Smith.

From the monument to the battery at the Devils Den:

July 2, 1863 2 to 5 p.m.

At the time of the assault by Hood’s Division of the Confederate army this battery supported by the Fourth Maine Infantry, formed the extreme left of the Third Corps line. Three guns of the two sections in action on this crest were captured by the Confederates. The third section was in position to the right and continued the action until nearly 6 p.m.
Casualties 2 killed – 10 wounded 1 captured

From the nearby marker:

Fourth New York Independent Battery
Six 10 Pounder Parrots, Capt. James E. Smilth Commanding
July 2 Arrived from Emmitsburg at 9 a.m. Four guns posted on the height above Devil’s Den at 2 p.m. Two guns in this position. after the capture of three of the guns in the advanced position and the repulse of their supports this action openened fire with great effect on the Confederate forces advancing up the valley. At 6 p.m. this section was moved to the right near Winslow’s Battery and subsequently to the rear.

July 3 Not engaged.

Killed 2 men wounded 10 men missing 1 man
11 horses killed 240 rounds of ammunition expended
July Attached to 1st Volunteer Brigade, Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac
August On line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan
October 9-22
Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 26-December 2
Mine Run Campaign
December 4 Battery broken up under Special Orders No. 538. Men transferred to 1st New York Engineers, 5th and 15th New York Independent Batteries