U . S . Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War . Made up almost entirely of individual , company - strength batteries from the Regular Army ’ s five artillery regiment s , the Horse Artillery operated under the command umbrella of the Cavalry Corps . The Horse Artillery differed from other light artillery ( also known as " mounted " artillery ) in that each member of the unit traveled on his own horse , rather than the traditional light artillery practice of some riding horses , while others rode on the limbers and caissons , with still others traveling on foot . With each man on his own horse , the unit could travel faster and more efficiently . It was the brainchild of former artillery captain and Brig . Gen . William Farquhar Barry , Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac , in 1861 . With such a large percentage of the U . S . Horse Artillery being artillery batteries from the regular U . S . Army , it developed a superb reputation for military efficiency , accuracy of fire , and command presence in the field and in battle . Originally under the direct command of Lt . Col . ( and future Brigadier General ) William Hays , and later under the two - brigade command of captains James Madison Robertson and John C . Tidball , the Horse Artillery served with distinction during most of the major engagements in the Eastern Theater . Tidball ' s brigade later was commanded by Capt Dunbar R . Ransom . It is notable that each of these men - Barry , Hays , Robertson , and Tidball - came from the officers corps of the 2nd Regiment of Artillery . One of their chief champions , Henry Jackson Hunt , commanded the Reserve Artillery in the Army of the Potomac , and was also an officer of the Second U . S . Artillery . Organization . 1862 - Peninsula Campaign . Commander : Lieutenant Colonel William Hays , USV ( Captain , USA , 2nd U . S Artillery ) , of Tennessee Battery A , 2nd U . S . Artillery ( 2nd Regiment of Artillery ) Commander : Captain John C . Tidball , USA , of Ohio ( Combined ) Batteries B & L , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain James Madison Robertson , USA Battery M , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain Henry M . Benson , USA , of New Jersey Battery C , 3rd U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain Horatio Gates Gibson , USA , of Pennsylvania 1863 - Gettysburg Campaign . First Brigade , Horse Artillery Commander : Captain James Madison Robertson , USA Acting Assistant Adjutant General : 1LT J . H . Bell , 6th New York Cavalry Batteries of the First Brigade : 9th Michigan Battery , US Volunteers ( 6 : 3 ” ) Captain Jabez James Daniels , USV , commanding Independent Battery , 6th New York Light Artillery , US Volunteers ( 6 : 3 ” ) Commander : Captain Joseph W . Martin , USV Batteries B & L , 2nd US Artillery ( 6 : 3 ” ) Commander : First Lieutenant Edward Heaton , USA Battery M , 2nd US Artillery ( 6 : 3 ” ) Commander : First Lieutenant A . C . M . Pennington , Jr . , USA Battery E , 4th US Artillery ( 4 : 3 ” ) Commander : First Lieutenant Samuel Sherer Elder , USA Second Brigade , Horse Artillery Commander : Captain John Caldwell Tidball , USA Batteries of the Second Brigade : Batteries E & G , 1st US Artillery ( 4 : 3 ” ) Commander : Captain Alanson Merwin Randol , USA Battery K , 1st US Artillery ( 6 : 3 ” ) Commander : Captain William Montrose Graham , Jr . , USA Battery A , 2nd US Artillery ( 6 : 3 ” ) Commander : Second Lieutenant John Haskell Calef , USA Battery C , 3rd US Artillery ( 6 : 3 ” ) * Commander : First Lieutenant William Duncan Fuller , USA Light Battery H , 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery , US Volunteers ( 2 : 3 ” ) Commander : Captain William D . Rank , USV Battery C , 3rd US Artillery was not present during the battle of Gettysburg 1864 - Overland Campaign . The Horse Artillery remained organized into two brigades until June , when it was reduced to one . The units that were cut from the ranks left their best equipment with the remaining units , and reported to Washington , DC for further orders , elsewhere . The following are the final list of command and staff and order of battle of the larger organization and the list for the reduced roster . January – June , 1864 1st Brigade , U . S . Horse Artillery Commander : Captain James Madison Robertson , USA ( Brevet Colonel ) Quartermaster : Captain William Goldie , USV ( formerly Captain , 56th Illinois Infantry ) Commissary of Subsistence : Captain Henry Loud Cranford , USV ( formerly First Lieutenant , 84th New York Infantry ) Organization : 9th Battery , Michigan Light Artillery Commander : Captain Jabez Daniels , USV 6th Independent Battery , New York Light Artillery Commander : Captain Joseph W . Martin , USV Batteries B & L , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Edward Heaton , USA Battery D , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) Edward B . Williston , USA Battery M , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington , Jr . , USA Battery A , 4th U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Captain ) Rufus King , Jr . , USA Battery E , 4th U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain Samuel Elder , USA 2nd Brigade , U . S . Horse Artillery Commander : Captain John Caldwell Tidball , USA ( Brevet Lieutenant Colonel , USA ; Colonel , 4th New York Artillery , USV ) Quartermaster : Captain Ira F . Payson , USV ( died , July 30 , 1864 ) Commissary of Subsistence : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Captain ) William Murray Maynadier , USA Organization : Battery E , 1st U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain ( Brevet Major ) Alanson M . Randol , USA Battery K , 1st U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain ( Brevet Lieutenant Colonel ) William Montrose Graham , USA Battery A , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Robert Clarke , USA Section Chiefs : First Lieutenants John H . Calef , USA ; N . A . Cameron , USV ( TDY from 4th New York Heavy Artillery ) ; and B . J . ( Benjamin Franklin ) Littlefield , USV ( former US Sharpshooter , on TDY from 4th New York Heavy Artillery ) Battery G , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) John Hartwell Butler , USA Battery C , 3rd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) William Duncan Fuller , USA From June 1864 Horse Artillery Reserve , Army of the Potomac Commander – Captain ( Brevet Colonel ) James M . Robertson , USA Organization : Batteries H & I , 1st U . S . Artillery Commander : Captain ( Brevet Major ) Randol , USA Battery K , 1st U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) John Egan , USA Battery A , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Clarke , USA Batteries B & L , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Heaton , USA Battery D , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Lieutenant Colonel ) Edward B . Williston , USA Battery M , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) ACM Pennington , Jr . , USA ( later Colonel of New Jersey Cavalry and Brevet Brigadier General , USV ) Batteries C , F , & K , 3rd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) James Rigney Kelly , USA ( formerly enlisted Engineers Artificer and later enlisted 3rd Artillery Sergeant ) Batteries C & E , 4th U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Charles Lane Fitzhugh , USA , ( later Colonel , 6th New York Cavalry and Brevet Brigadier General , USA and USV ) Units separated & sent to DC for further orders : Batteries E & G , 1st U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant David Essex Porter , USA Battery G , 2nd U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant ( Brevet Major ) William Neil Dennison , USA Battery A , 4th U . S . Artillery Commander : First Lieutenant Rufus King , Jr . , USA 6th New York Independent Battery Commander : Captain Joseph W . Martin , USV 1865 . By 1865 , the Horse Artillery Brigade still existed on paper , but the various units were dispersed and assigned to a number of commands , as was the typical practice of regular foot artillery in the field .