Existing comment:
Field Artillery:
These guns are among the types used here in 1863.
Artillery, together with infantry and cavalry, was one of the most important branches of a Civil War army. The big guns could easily devastate assaulting infantrymen, who often advanced in mass formations, shoulder-to-shoulder.
At Chickamauga, artillery batteries were handicapped by woods and undergrowth which limited visibility and maneuverability. The guns were most effective when used behind breastworks overlooking open fields.
In front of you are examples of six types of muzzle-loading field guns used at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. The iron and bronze tubes are authentic Civil War pieces; the carriages are reproductions. More than 200 other cannon visible on the battlefield today were placed by veterans in the 1890s. These guns mark the positions of batteries during the fighting.
Bridges' Independent Company of Illinois Light Artillery drills in camp at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in the spring of 1863. The Union battery later fought in the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
An experienced six-man crew could fire a field gun up to four times a minute, following a strict procedure. Note the sequence demonstrations in the photo: the gun crew on the far left begins to load, while the crew on the far right stands ready to fire. |