Baltimore (Independent) Light Artillery Battery (U)

== Regimental History and Service Record ==
 
 
 In Brief
* Alexander's Battery
Organized at Baltimore, Md., and mustered in August 18, 1862. Ordered to Monocacy, Md., September 18, 1862. Attached to Kenly's Maryland Brigade, Defenses Upper Potomac, Middle Department, to March, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 8th Army Corps, Middle Department, to June, 1863. French's Division, 8th Army Corps, to July, 1863. Defenses of Baltimore, 8th Army Corps, to October, 1863. 3rd Separate Brigade, 8th Army Corps, to December, 1863. Artillery Reserve, 8th Army Corps, to July, 1864. Reserve Division, District of Harper's Ferry, W. Va., to January, 1865. Camp Barry, Washington, D.C., 22nd Army Corps, to June, 1865.
SERVICE.--Defense of Williamsport, Md., September 20-21. 1862. Duty at Williamsport till December. Moved to Maryland Heights December 11-12, and duty there till March, 1863. Moved to Berryville, Va., March 28, 1863. and duty there till June. Action at Berryville June 13. Opequan Creek June 13. Retreat to Winchester June 13. Battle of Winchester June 14-15. Battery mostly captured. Reorganizing battery and duty in the Defenses of Baltimore, Md., till June, 1864. Operations against Early's Invasion June and July. 
* July 7, 1864 - Skirmish at Middletown, Maryland (Section)
* July 7, 1864 - Skirmish at Solomon's Gap, Maryland 
* July 7, 1864 - Skirmish at Catoctin Mountain, Maryland
* July 7-July 8, 1864 - Skirmishes at Frederick, Maryland 
* July 9, 1864 - Battle of Monocacy, Maryland
* Pursuit of Early till July 30. 
* Duty in the Defenses of Harper's Ferry, W. Va., till January, 1865, and at Camp Barry, Defenses of Washington, D.C., till June.
* September 27-28, 1864 - Operations in Montgomery County, MarylandNot originally listed on unit homepage but referenced on Dyer summary 
* June 17, 1865 - Mustered out of federal service
 
 
 1862
THE Baltimore Battery of Light Artillery was organized in the summer of 1862 by Captain Frederick W. Alexander, of Baltimore, under the call of President Lincoln for 300,000 men to serve for three years, or during the war. It was mustered into the service of the United States by Colonel Benjamin L. Beall, United States Army, in its camp in Baltimore.
Within one month it was ordered to Monocacy Junction and assigned to the Maryland Brigade, then commanded by Brigadier General John R. Kenly, U. S. A. Marching to Williamsport, Md., it formed part of the force composing the defenses of the Upper Potomac.
The Maryland Brigade then consisted of the First, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Regiments of Infantry, Maryland Volunteers, and Alexander's Battery.
The battery remained at Williamsport until early in December, when it was ordered to take post with the brigade on Maryland Heights. During its stay at Williamsport the brigade of General Wade Hampton, C. S. A., was holding the high ground on the Virginia side. Here occurred the capture by Lieutenant MacMachen, First Maryland Cavalry, of a picket of six men of Hampton's Brigade, just as a flag of truce had returned to the Virginia from the Maryland shore, occasioning a correspondence between General's Kenly and Hampton as to the terms of the truce. Here also occurred the bursting of an experimental cast-iron breech-loading field gun, the invention of Captain Alexander, by which a well known little drummer boy of the Eighth Maryland was killed and several men severely wounded.
About the middle of December the battery arrived at Maryland Heights and went into winter quarters, brigaded with the Maryland Brigade, the 17th Indiana Battery, First Maryland Cavalry (Companies H and I) and the 6th 1ST. Y. Heavy Artillery, constituting the First Brigade, First Division, Eighth Army Corps. Anticipating the movement of Hooker's Army of the Potomac, Major General Schenck telegraphed to General
Kenly: "Send in advance, immediately, Captain Alexander's Battery to report for temporary duty to General Milroy."
 
 
 1863
Accordingly the battery arrived at Berryville, April 27, 1863, and relieved two sections of Battery B, First West Virginia Light Artillery.
Milroy's troops constituted the outposts in the Shenandoah Valley, and were kept constantly employed in active reconnoissance until the advance of Lee's Army, of Northern Virginia, which opened the Gettysburg Campaign.
The first information of Lee's advance was received at Berryville, on Friday afternoon, June 12, when Colonel McReynolds, commanding the brigade, made preparations for resistance. Early on Saturday morning, June 13, the enemy made its appearance and some slight skirmishing was begun.
The battery had been engaged in the construction, with the other troops of the brigade, of the defensive works around Berryville for some weeks after their arrival in March. These were now successfully used in delaying the advanced guard of Rhodes' Division of Ewell's Corps by compelling its deployment, and thus fulfilled the purpose of their construction; for two sections of the battery, under Lieutenants Evans and Leary, were assigned to the infantry of the brigade, which was pushed out on the Winchester Road, while the First New York Cavalry and the right section, under Lieutenant Alexander, formed the rear guard and succeeded so well in delaying the enemy, that only their advanced cavalry were able to accomplish any annoyance of the retreating forces.
McReynolds' Brigade consisted of the First N. Y. Cavalry, the Sixth Maryland Infantry, the Sixty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry and Alexander's Battery.
This movement was made in obedience to orders from Major General Milroy, who recalled the brigade to Winchester, where it arrived late at night. It was assigned to a completed redoubt, designed for a force of 1500 men, with emplacements for eight guns and rifle trenches, known as the Star Fort, built on a ridge running due North from Winchester, about two miles from the town and one mile west of the Martinsburg Pike. At the crossing of Opequon Creek, about five o'clock on Saturday afternoon, the
rear guard was handsomely charged by a squadron of Georgia cavalry of the brigade of General Jenkins. The assault was speedily checked by a double charge of canister shot, fired down the road into the cavalry column with crushing effect by one of the guns of Lieutenant Alexander's section.
Early on Sunday morning one section, under Lieutenant Leary, reported to Brigadier General Washington L. Elliott, and operated with his brigade all day, until, after some sharp fighting it was ordered to rejoin the battery in the afternoon in the Star Fort.
It is noticeable that the first Confederate battery to go into position and engage the battery was the Baltimore Light Artillery, composed mainly of Maryland soldiers in the confederate service.
The army of Lee was now closing round Milroy's Division ; his artillery fire was concentrated on the Star Fort, and an artillery duel was maintained until about 9.30 o'clock at night. General Milroy, realizing his desperate situation, sent orders out at midnight directing the guns to be spiked and the carriages and harness destroyed.
This was effectually done, and before dawn the men and horses joined the retreating column of Milroy, outside the defenses of Winchester.
At dawn, on the morning of June 15, Milroy's Second Division, Eighth Corps, marched out, having, for three days, with 9,000 men, delayed the advance of the Army of Northern Virginia towards Pennsylvania, in the second battle of Winchester.
All wheeled vehicles, including the guns and carriages, had been abandoned and left in the works by order of General Milroy, and the command hoped to be able to break through the cordon of Lee's troops.
As many cannoneers as could be mounted rode the off and spare horses, the drivers riding their team horses. The casualties during the actions of the 13th and 14th of June had been light. Arriving at a point near Stevenson's Station, on the Winchester and Potomac Railway, about five miles from Winchester, the retreating forces were met by Johnson's Division, Ewell's Corps, consisting of the Stonewall Brigade and the brigades of Steuart and Nicholis, with the division batteries.
Johnson had marched on the night of the 14th to Stevenson's Station, in anticipation of Milroy's retreat by the Martinsburg pike.
The action was brief but sharp, resulting in the dispersal and capture of a large part of the division. The battery lost about forty-eight men captured. All who escaped went out by the Harper's Ferry road and cross country towards Berkley Springs, the latter crossing the Potomac at Sir John's Run.
Captain Alexander and Lieutenants Evans and Hall arrived at Harper's Ferry with the remnant which escaped in that direction, and Lieutenants Alexander and Leary with that which went out by way of Sir John's Run.
The battery, except the men who were captured, was assembled at Baltimore, the headquarters of the corps, and was remounted and re-equipped with three-inch rifled guns as soon as possible after the battle of Gettysburg. It remained as part of the garrison of Baltimore until the summer of 1864, when the Maryland campaign of that year began with the advance down the valley of the Confederate forces, under the command
of Lieutenant General Early.
 
 
 1864
Under specific instructions from General Grant, Major General Hunter had advanced to Lynchburg, but had retreated before Early without a battle, and was effectually put out of the campaign until nearly the middle of July, his forces, short of ammunition and rations, retreating by way of Gauley Bridge into the mountains of West Virginia.
Early reached the Potomac July 4th. By the 7th his cavalry was at Urbana, Md., and his army, having passed the Potomac and the mountains by Boonsboro and Fox's and Crampton's Gaps, was advancing on Frederick. His force consisted of the divisions of Gordon, Edward S. Johnson, Rhodes and Breckenridge, two brigades of cavalry, commanded by Brigadier Generals McCausland and Bradley T. Johnson, and four batteries of artillery, of four guns each. The divisions of Gordon and Breckenridge were formed into one corps, commanded by Breckenridge.
To meet this force of confederate veterans, Major General Lewis Wallace had only the following troops: The First and Third Regiments Infantry, Maryland Potomac Home Brigade, Eleventh Maryland Infantry, seven companies of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth and three companies of the One Hundred and Forty-fourth Ohio National Guard, consolidated; Alexander's battery of six three inch rifles ; one hundred men of the One
Hundred and Fifty-ninth Ohio National Guard, mounted as cavalry, and two hundred and fifty men of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. Of this force the Ohio troops and the Eleventh Maryland were one hundred days' men; the only three year's troops being the two regiments of the Potomac Home Brigade, the Eighth Illinois Cavalry and the battery.
On the night of July 8, the force was increased by the arrival at Monocacy Junction, by rail, of the Third Division, Sixth Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Ricketts, 3350 strong, making in all 5850 men and six field guns.
With this small force General Wallace confronted Early's 16,000 veterans, and by the actions at Middletown and Catoctin Mountain on the 7th, Frederick the 8th, and Monocacy the 9th of July, delayed the Confederate advance and saved Washington from capture.
On July 7th the left section, commanded by Lieutenant Leary, reported to Lieutenant-Colonel David R. Clendenin, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, at daylight, and at 5.30 o'clock marched with the cavalry on a reconnoissance out the Hagerstown Pike. About two miles southeast of Middletown they met the advanced cavalry of Brigadier General Bradley T. Johnson's brigade. After three hours' fighting the command was driven back towards Frederick. In this action was fired a shot which, in its destructiveness, was considered phenomenal. A Schenkel case shot (shrapnel) burst so close to the head of General Johnson's column as to kill six men and wound other men and horses.
In his official report Major General Wallace says : le I wish to make honorable mention at this time of Captain F. W. Alexander, whose battery was well served through-out the day."
Brigadier General Tyler reports as follows :
" Captain Alexander, with his officers and men, behaved in the most gallant manner, serving their guns with great coolness and effect, and I desire particularly to call the commanding general's attention to their conduct during the three days we were in front of the enemy."
In his memoirs General Grant writes: " Whether the delay caused by the battle amounted to a day or not, General Wallace contributed on this occasion, by the defeat of the troops under him, a greater benefit to the cause than often falls to the lot of a commander of an equal force to render by means of a victory."
It is a fact established beyond question that Wallace's " forlorn hope " battle at Monocacy saved Washington.
The defeat of Wallace was followed by Early's advance on the capital and his retreat on the 12th of July. It was followed in due course by the advance of the forces commanded by Major General Wright, consisting of the Sixth and Nineteenth Army Corps.
The battery participated in these operations until July 30, when it was practically dismounted at Halltown, Va., by General Wright. Its horses, which by the best of care, had gone through the campaign and were in excellent condition, were transferred to favored batteries of the Sixth Corps and the broken down mounts were turned over to the battery. It was then attached to the defenses of Harper's Ferry, where it continued on duty until January, 1865, when it marched to Camp Barry, Washington, D. C.
 
 
 1865
The Maryland Campaign was its last active service, In the spring of 1865, Captain Frederick W. Alexander was appointed by President Lincoln a commissary of subsistence of volunteers. The vacancy was filled by the promotion of his brother, First Lieutenant H. Eugene Alexander to be captain. Second Lieutenant Leary was promoted First Lieutenant and First Sergeant Marion A. Brian Second Lieutenant.
It was'honorably mustered out June 17, 1865.
The casualties were as follows : Killed in battle, one (1) enlisted man ; death by disease and wounds, seven (7) enlisted men ; total eight (8).
The battery participated in the following engagements : Berryville, Va., June 13, 1863 ; Opequon Creek, Va., June 13, 1863; Winchester, Va., June 14, 1863; Martinsburg Pike, Va., June 15, 1863 ; Middletown and Catoctin Mountain, Md., July 7, 1864 ; Frederick, Md., July 8, 1864, and Monocacy July 9, 1864.
 
 
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== Regimental Roster ==
 
 
 Baltimore Light Artillery Battery
 
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== Regiment Statistical Information ==
* Battery lost during service 1 Enlisted man killed and 7 Enlisted men by disease. Total 8.
== Legacy ==
== Notes ==
== Sources == 
* (Pages 763, 764, 1231)
* (Pages 816-823)
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