The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-30
COFFEE COOLERS" OF THE LIGHT
ARTILLERY.

"EOE1EE- COOLERS" OF THE LIGHT
ARTILLERY.
In previous articles we have discussed the
coilee-coolers" among the volunteers from
different States, referring mainly 10 regi-
ments of infantry and cavalry. These rec
ords are, as a rule, moro easily accessible
than those of the batteries of light artillery,
whose services were usually performed as
independent commands, or in Artillery Bri-
gades, whose composition was frequently
changed. Hence, it has been work of no
little difficulty TO ascertain and collate the
official statistics which show the services
and sufferings of the light batteries. As u
rule, their losses were not large when meas
ured by the proportion of many infantry
commands, but some of them seem TO have
been literally marked for the slaughter"
as the following records show:
The list of the whole Union army, East
and West, Regular or volunteer, for nggre-
gate casualties in battle during the four
years, is headed by Battery b, 4th U. s. Art,
generally known as Stewards" This bat
men and seven officers, had 81 men killed or
MORALLY wounded, and 12I wounded, in 30
battles, including one officer killed, one
mortally wounded, and three wounded. This
is 15S battle casualties out Of 32i souls, or a
trifle under so per cent. But it should be
borne in mind that Of this total of 3I7, -
were Regulars, who were discharged in the
Spring of 1862, before the battery had been
in battle. subtracting these leaves 2sG men
who did the fighting, and their loss appears
TO be nearly 81 per cent
Next among the Regulars comes Roder'a
X, 4lh U. s., with a total of q killed and
IS wounded, or 100 in all, out Of total
enrolment of 25G, or 424 per cent.
Next comes Cushing's A and C, 4th U. s.,
consolidated, with IS killed and - wounded
or LOG in all, out Of a total Of 2G0, or 40 per
cent
Next appears Grfln's d, 9th u. S., with
20 killed and SO wounded, or 1913 total; but
we could not ascertain the total enrolment
Of this battery. These four are the only
| Regular Batteries whose total casualties
! during the war exceeded 100 each. Quite a
number show ~ high as G0-odd and Battery
| /, lat u. s., appears with record of IL killed
and o. wounded, or SIS in all total enrol
ment not known.
Among the volunteers, Greenleaf Stevens's
| 9TH Me. battery leads the list with % killed
and 105 wounded, or 125 total; closely fol-
lowed by Phillips 9th Mass, with 10 killed
and 81 wounded, 100 total Weeden's c.
LIST r. J., with 10 killed and SO wounded
102 total; Cooper's Il. LIST Pa, with 81 killed
and 20 wounded, 101 total; and Cowan'e
| (aiterward Van Etten's) let n. Y. Indp't bat
terry, with Is killed and SO wounded; JOG
total. These five are the only volunteer
| batteries East or West whose total casualties
required three figures for their expression
Winslows (Richardsons), d, 1st N. Y, with
Is killed and 81 wounded, or 80 total, comes
50 near the 100-mark that it must have Q
place in the roll of honor.
Other volunteer batteries suffering heavily
were Kern's g, LIST Pa, II killed and 81
wounded, or 80 total; Houghtaling's c. Isl
ILL.,. with II killed and 62 wounded, o,
10 total; Ricketts, f, LIST Pa, 10 killed
So wounded, or rs total; Easton's A
LIST Pa, II killed and GO wounded, or n
total; Randolph's L, LIST Il. l., II killed and
81 wounded, or 7s total; Bigelow's 9th Mass.
is killed and 63 wounded, or 70 total
Pettits (afterward Sheldon's) b, 1st NY, 16
killed and SO wounded, or ~ total, and
sands's 18th Ohio, with 30 killed and AZ
wounded, or 81 total.
The following table shows the heavy losses
suffered by light batteries in single battles,