Summary:
These October, 1862, orders approved by Robert E. Lee, and issued by Robert
Chilton, concern reorganization of Confederate Artillery. Among other things,
guns are ordered to Staunton, VA.
October 4, 1862.
I. The necessity of the service requires an immediate reorganization of the artillery of this army. The combination of the companies hereafter named is to be considered temporary and subject to the order of the Secretary of War. Their selection has been made entirely with a view of the efficiency of the artillery, and implies no blame or degradation to the batteries thus combined. Many of the batteries have served with distinction, and their enfeebled condition is attributable to the dangers and hardships they have encountered. Whenever circumstances will permit, the batteries will again be restored.
II. Col. Walton, of the Louisiana Washington Artillery, will retain one section of Capt. Miller's battery, with the best guns and horses of that company, and turn over the rejected guns, horses, &c., to the proper departments. The me of Capt. Leake's battery and those of Capt. Anderson's are relieved from duty with the Louisiana Washington Artillery, and will be at once returned to their proper companies.
III. The ten companies of the First Regt. Virginia Artillery, Col. Brown, will be formed into six. The officers of the batteries of Capt.'s Wyatt, Coke, and Ritter--except First Lieut. Thurmond, of Wyatt's; First Lieut. Robertson, of Ritter's; First Lieut. Pendleton and Second Lieut. Hawes, of Coke's batteries--are relived from duty with their companies, and the men of those batteries will be distributed by Col. Brown among the retained companies. Capt. Young's company, originally belonging to the infantry, will be returned to that arm of the service if it is preferred. Should they wish to continue in the artillery, the officers will be relieved from duty and the men distributed by Col. Brown among the retained companies of his regiment.
IV. The four companies of Maj. Jones' battalion will be formed into two. The officers of Capt.'s Wimbish's and Turner's batteries are relieved from duty with their companies, and the men will be distributed by Maj. Jones among the retained companies. Capt. Peyton is relieved from duty with his company, and First Lieut. Fry will assume command of it. Lieut. W. A. Deas is assigned to duty as first lieutenant; Acting Lieut. Massie is assigned as junior first lieutenant, and Lieut. Hawas is assigned as second lieutenant, of said battery. First Lieut. John L. Grubbs, of Capt. Page's battery, is also relieved from duty with his company.
V. The four companies constituting Lieut.-Col. Cutt's battalion will be formed into three. The officers of Capt. Blackshear's battery are relieved from duty with the company, and the men will be distributed as follows: Twenty-two of Capt. Ross, 29 to Capt. Lane, and the remainder to Capt. Patterson.
VI. The four companies of Maj. Nelson's battalion will be formed into three. The officers of Capt. Ancell's battery are relieved from duty with the company, and the men will be assigned to the two other Virginia companies in suitable proportions, as Maj. Nelson may direct. Capt. Huckstep and Second Lieut. Poats are relieved from duty with their company, and First. Lieut. [John] Livingston Massie is assigned to its command. Lieut. Ancell is retained as first lieutenant of this battery. First Lieut. Maddox, heretofore attached to Capt. Blackshear's battery, is attacked, with his section, to Capt. Milledge's battery. Lieut. Maddox will be the senior first lieutenant of the battery, Lieut. Rogers the junior first lieutenant, and Acting Lieut. Falligant, of Lieut.-Col. Cutts' battalion, is transferred to Milledge's battery as senior second lieutenant.
VII. The three companies of Maj. Saunders' battalion will be formed into two. The officers of Thompson's battery (late Grimes') are relieved from duty with the company, and the men will be distributed by Maj. Saunders between Moorman's and Huger's batteries.
VIII. The officers of Capt. Lloyd's battery are relieved from duty with the company, and 55 of the men will be assigned to Capt. Manly's battery, Gen. McLaws' division, and the remainder to Capt. Reily, of Gen. Hood's division.
IX. The officers of Capt. Chapman's battery, of Gen. Featherston's brigade, are relieved from duty with their company. The men and horses will be assigned to Capt. Pegram's battery.
X. The officers of Capt. Brown's battery, Wise Artillery, are relieved from duty, and the men and horses are assigned to Col. S. D. Lee's battalion.
XI. The officers of Capt. G. Washington Nelson's battery are relieved from duty with their company; 20 of his men will be assigned to Capt. Kirkpatrick's company, Maj. Nelson's battalion, and 40 to Capt. Woolfolk's battery, Col. S. D. Lee's battalion.
XII. The officers of Capt. John R. Johnson's battery are relieved from duty with the company, and the men will be equally divided between Capt. Dearing's and Capt. Stribling's companies.
XIII. The officers of Capt. Rogers' battery, Loudoun Artillery, are relieved from duty with the company. The men and horses will be assigned to Capt. Stribling's battery.
XIV. The officers of Capt. Anderson's battery, Thomas Artillery, except the two senior lieutenants, are relieved from duty with the company.The men and horses and the two senior lieutenants are assigned to Capt. Caskie's battery.
XV. The officers of Capt. Leake's battery are relieved from duty with the company. The men and horses are assigned to Capt. Thomas H. Carter's battery.
XVI. The officers of Capt. Thomas Jefferson Page's [jr.] battery are relieved from duty with the company. The men and horses will be distributed among the Virginia companies under Col. S. D. Lee, to whom Capt. Page and Lieut. Magruder will report for duty.
XVII. The officers of Capt. Fleet's battery, Middlesex Artillery, are relieved from duty with the company. The men heretofore temporarily assigned will remain with the batteries where they are now serving. The remainder of the men will be assigned to Capt. M. Johnson's battery.
XVIII. To insure the speedy and proper reorganization of the artillery as ordered, the chief of artillery will direct Col.'s Brown and S. D. Lee to assist him in the execution of this orders, and will assign to such companies as may not have their complement of officers such of those hereby relieved from duty as he may deem necessary.
XIX. In every case the best guns, horses, and equipments will be selected for the batteries retained in service. All surplus horses will be turned over to the chief quartermaster of the army, and all rejected guns, equipments, &c., to the ordnance department. The guns, &c., will be forwarded to Staunton without delay.
XXV. A board of survey, to consist of Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, Lieut. Col. J. L. Corley, chief quartermaster, and Lieut. Col. R. G. Cole, chief commissary, will assemble this evening at 5 o'clock to assess the value of the horses equipments captured from Gen. Philip Kearny, U. S. Army.
By command of Gen. R. E. Lee:
R. H. CHILTON,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 19, Serial No. 28, Pages 652-654, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
