BACKGROUND

1st Section hosted a fully immersive Soldier Life Experience event near Sharpsburg, Maryland. We portrayed the complete Battery C, 1st New York Light Artillery as it recuperated and resupplied in the weeks after the Battle of Antietam.

IMPRESSION GUIDELINES:
BATTERY C, 1st NEW YORK LIGHT ARTILLERY

A member of Battery C in his fatigue dress, appearing as much of the company would have in the weeks after Antietam.

Battery C, 1st New York Light Artillery was raised in Watertown, NY in August 1861. Arriving in Washington, D.C. by the end of October, the Battery was quartered at Camp Barry. Battery C remained there until April 1862, when, finally equipped with four 3-inch Ordnance Rifles, horses, and harness, it would be sent to the city’s defenses at Alexandria, Virginia. The battery would see no action until the night of August 26 when a section on guard duty near Manassas was overrun by Jackson’s advancing troops, leaving behind two guns and two caissons as they beat a hasty retreat with what horses they could save. The remainder of the battery would soon be ordered to march to join the 5th Corps with General Humphreys’ newly formed division, with its two guns taking up position near Sharpsburg, MD and firing what were recorded as the last shots of the Battle of Antietam. The underequipped battery would spend the following weeks camped near Sharpsburg as the Army of the Potomac licked its wounds. Battery C would use this time to drill, repair equipment, and tend to their remaining animals while awaiting their replacement guns and arrival of stores that had been left behind in Alexandria.


UNIFORM

JACKET

  1. Artillery Mounted Services jacket, Schuylkill Arsenal or contract make. Very few proper Mounted Services Jackets have been made, and if you do not have a high quality one, do not wear one. NO TEAL JACKETS, NO PURPLE JACKETS, NO EXCEPTIONS.

  2. Fatigue Blouse, lined or unlined, Schuylkill Arsenal or contract make. No altered blouses, no shortened blouses, no extra buttonholes, no reenactor grade homemade blouses with giant stitches in white thread, NO TEAL BLOUSES, NO PURPLE BLOUSES, NO EXCEPTIONS.

SHOULDER SCALE HARDWARE

For those wearing a Mounted Services Jacket ONLY, having shoulder scale hardware sewn to your jacket is acceptable. The battery had worn them on their jackets while in Washington and Alexandria, and hardware may have still been present on some jackets.

NCO CHEVRONS

All NCOs are required to wear appropriate chevrons.

OVERCOAT

  1. None.

  2. Mounted Overcoat, Schuylkill Arsenal or contract make, even for cannoneers are acceptable but not required. Very few proper Mounted Overcoats have been made, and if you do not have a high quality one, do not wear one.

    *Footman Overcoats are not acceptable.

PANTS

  1. Sky blue kersey Mounted Pants, Schuylkill Arsenal or contract make. Mainstream mounted pants made of sub-par powder blue cloth or pants with unhemmed cuffs are unacceptable. As Mounted Service Jackets and Mounted Overcoats are not required, getting a pair of Mounted Pants should be priority for participants.

  2. Dark blue mounted pants are acceptable in limited numbers.

  3. Footman pants in limited numbers.

NCO PANTS STRIPES

ALL NCOs are required to wear appropriate insignia on their pants. All corporals should have a ½” stripe on their pants and all sergeants should have a 1 ½” stripe on their pants.

SHIRT

  1. A U.S. Army domet flannel or wool flannel issue shirt is REQUIRED. “Homespun” cotton shirts are still among the most overrepresented items in the hobby and may not be the only shirt you bring.

  2. Extra citizen’s wool flannel shirts, calico shirts, knit shirts, and undershirts, are all acceptable in addition to your U.S. Army shirt.

DRAWERS

  1. U.S. Army canton flannel issue drawers.

  2. Citizen’s drawers of wool or cotton flannel, knit, or muslin.

  3. None. Being seen with modern underwear is unacceptable.

HEADGEAR

  1. Forage cap, “Type 1” or “Type 2” or commercial caps in limited numbers. NO TEAL CAPS. Modest brass insignia is acceptable.

  2. Citizen’s hats, ideally black, are perfectly acceptable.

FOOTWEAR

  1. U.S. Army issue shoes.

  2. Citizen’s shoes or boots.

SPURS

  1. All mounted men in the battery, to include drivers, were provided with spurs.

*Cannoneers should not have spurs.


BAGGAGE

Mounted sergeants, artificers, and buglers will carry their baggage on their saddles. Drivers will strap baggage to the off horses. Cannoneers will pack their baggage in knapsacks to be strapped to the carriages, while carrying their haversacks and canteens on their persons.

KNAPSACK

  1. Cannoneers with a high quality U.S. knapsack should bring it. Those who do not have one may use a bedroll.

BLANKET

  1. Grey or brown U.S. Army sleeping blanket.

PONCHO

  1. Rubberized poncho, even for cannoneers.

  2. Rubber or painted gum blanket is acceptable if you do not have a poncho.

SHELTER HALF

  1. None. The Battery had its compliment of Sibley Tents with them.

HAVERSACK

  1. Painted haversack copied from any surviving original.

CANTEEN

  1. U.S. Army canteens of the “early war” Philadelphia or New York styles. “Smoothside” New York canteens should have a stopper capped with a domed tin washer and a chain attachment, a sewn cotton drill sling, and be covered in grey, brown, or blue jeans, or uniform cloth. “Smoothside” Philadelphia canteens should have a long straight stopper capped with a plain washer and string attachment, a sewn cotton or leather sling, and typically be covered in grey satinette “canteen cloth.”

    *Corrugated Philadelphia “bullseye” canteens are not acceptable.


WEAPONS

REVOLVER

Sergeants, Trumpeters, and the Guidon ONLY should bring a .44 or .36 revolver with appropriate early holster. They did not have cartridge boxes or cap boxes.

SABER

Sergeants, Trumpeters, the Guidon, PLUS the Artificers ONLY should bring a U.S. enlisted saber, with preference given to CAVALRY sabers rather than artillery sabers, which the Ordnance Returns show to have been more prevalent in the battery.


ACCOUTREMENTS

SABER BELT (Sergeants, Trumpeters, Artificers, and Guidon)

  1. Cavalry or artillery saber belt made of blackened buff, waxed, or bridle leather, ideally constructed without rivets.

    *Cannoneers should not have any waist belts or other accoutrements.

HORSE EQUIPMENT

All Sergeants, Trumpeters, Artificers, and Guidon will ride an 1859 McClellan saddle with cavalry halters and bridles. Red saddle blankets are required. The Ordnance Returns show that many, but not all, had nose bags. None were provided with lariats and picket pins.

ADDITIONAL ARTILLERY EQUIPMENT

The battery was ill-equipped in the aftermath of the loss of half of their guns and caissons in August, the march to Sharpsburg, and the rush to get into battery at the conclusion of the Battle of Antietam. They were short a sponge bucket, guns only had one rammer each, they were short worms, only half their limbers had tar buckets, and the battery had only 6 watering buckets in total. Those bringing guns and other equipment will coordinate with the organizers both before the event and on site before the event goes live to ensure what it being put on the field matches what the battery had.