Summary:
Confederate Ordnance Officer Isaac T. Walke reports on damaged guns sent to
Staunton following the June-July, 1863, Gettysburg campaign.
Col. J. B. WALTON,
Chief of Artillery, First Army
Corps:
ORDNANCE OFFICE, ARTILLERY FIRST CORPS,
ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA
August 22, 1863.
COL.:
I have the honor to make the following report of the disposition of the guns that were "turned over, sent to the rear, and ordered to be abandoned" after the battle of Gettysburg. In the communication of Lieut. Col. G. M. Sorrel to yourself, dated July 19, which was referred to me for a report of the disposition of the guns, the guns "turned over, sent to the rear, and ordered to be abandoned" embrace the following: First, a Napoleon gun of the Washington Artillery, sent to the rear; second, a 12-pounder howitzer of Dearing's battalion, sent to the rear; third, a 12-pounder howitzer of Alexander's battalion, sent to the rear; fourth, a 12-pounder howitzer of Washington Artillery, sent to the rear; fifth, a 12-pounder howitzer of Henry's battalion, injured, and turned over; sixth, a 3-inch rifle (manufactured at Rome, Ga.) of Cabell's battalion, turned over; seventh, a 12-pounder howitzer of Alexander's battalion, injured, and ordered to be abandoned; eight, a 3-inch rifle (Richmond make) Henry's battalion, burst at Gettysburg. In obedience to orders from you to ascertain, if practicable, the present position of these guns, I telegraphed on August 4 to Maj. B. Randolph, ordnance officer at Staunton, Va., inquiring if these guns were at that depot. I at the same time wrote to Maj. Randolph, inquiring at some length about the guns and asking for the distinguishing marks of the guns received at Staunton since the battle of Gettysburg to enable me to identify those belonging to this corps. I received shortly afterward a telegram from Lieut. Cosby, assistant ordnance officer at that post, which was altogether unsatisfactory in the information it gave, and a few days later a letter, dated August 7, accompanying a list of all the guns at Staunton. From this I could only gain the number and character of the guns at that place. I sent you a communication, dated the 9th instant, giving the result of my inquiries, and received yours in reply, dated the 10th, with instructions to make further inquiries about the guns and ascertain if possible what had become of them after they passed out of the hands of this corps. I wrote to Lieut. Cosby August 10, asking him to send me a list of the marks on all the Napoleons, Rome rifles, and 12-pounder brass howitzers at Staunton. His reply, dated the 17th, put me in possession of the following facts: First, that the "injured Napoleon of the Washington Artillery" was in Staunton, Va.; second, that the 12-pounder howitzer of Alexander's battalion, "sent to the rear," was in Staunton; third, that the 12-pounder howitzer of the Washington Artillery, "sent to the rear," was in Staunton; fourth, that the 12-pounder howitzer of Henry's battalion, "injured and turned over," was in Staunton; fifth, that the 12-pounder howitzer of Alexander's battalion, "injured and ordered to be abandoned," was in Staunton. In reference to the other guns enumerated in the communication of Lieut.-Col. Sorrel, I have to report that I have in my possession no history of the guns of Dearing's battalion dated prior to the battle of Gettysburg. There were in Staunton on the 7th instant fifteen bronze 12-pounder howitzers. I identified four belonging to this corps. I have been unable to get from the battalion ordnance officers of Dearing's battalion any description of this fifth howitzer of that battalion which might enable me to identify it. It was very probably included in the fifteen reported at Staunton. The 3-inch (Rome, Ga.) rifle of Cabell's battalion has no distinguishing marks in the history of guns of that battalion. There had been at the time of Lieut. Cosby's writing two 3-inch (Rome, Ga.) rifles at Staunton. One had been sent to Richmond and the other had been given to Jackson's battery. This gun was started by me from Bunker Hill being a wagon its way to Staunton, and I am sure it reached its destination. The 3-inch rifle (Richmond make) of Henry's battalion that burst at Gettysburg, burst on 2d of July and was left behind by order of Maj. Henry. I am informed that all the guns which were in Staunton have lately been sent to Richmond.
I have the honor to be, with high respect, your obedient servant,
ISAAC T. WALKE,
Lieut. and Ordnance Officer, Artillery, First
Corps.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 51, Serial No. 108, Pages 758-759, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
