A Brief
History of the Batteries
Formed originally from the remnants of the Newtown Artillery, the Stuart Horse Artillery battery was formed in late, 1861 as an assisting element for J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry. Made up of men from various states, including Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, the battery held quite a character that few other units carried with them. The following year, Pelham's single battery participated in numerous engagements from the Peninsula Campaign to Sharpsburg. In the Fall of 1862, with the reorganization of the horse artillery, Pelham's Stuart Horse Artillery battery was divided into two four gun batteries which were labeled the 1st and 2nd Stuart Horse Artillery, respectively. These two batteries were also placed into a battalion that came to bear the name of the original battery (the Stuart Horse Artillery Battalion), though it included several other batteries.
The 1st Stuart Horse Artillery battery was formed as a result of the division of batteries around August 9, 1862, Captain Pelham being promoted to Major and battalion commander, while James Breathed was promoted to Captain and battery commander. With the promotion to major in 1864, Breathed commanded a "demi-battalion" of horse artillery within the Stuart Horse Artillery Battalion structure, while Philip Preston Johnston was promoted to captain and battery commander. Likewise, Johnston was promoted in March, 1865, leaving Daniel Shanks promotion to captain and final battery commander.
The 2nd Stuart Horse Artillery was also formed around August 9, 1862 with the split of the initial Stuart Horse Artillery battery. Captain Mathias W. Henry served as first battery commander, succeeded by William M. McGregor and G. Wilmer Brown.
Both batteries served in numerous actions and were rarely idle for any long period of time. The 1st and 2nd Stuart Horse Artillery batteries are perhaps the best known, along with Chew's Ashby Artillery, of the horse artillery batteries from Virginia. With the names of Pelham, Breathed, Henry and McGregor attached to these two units, they always seemed to be in the thick of the action.
Both the 1st and 2nd would continue to serve somewhat together through 1864, seeing service in countless battles from Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station and Gettysburg to the less recognized battles of Rector's Cross Roads, Haw's Shop and Rio Mill before being separated in two separate arenas of the war in Virginia. The 1st Stuart Horse moved into the Shenandoah Valley and fought in the 1864 Valley Campaign. Meanwhile, the 2nd Stuart Horse remained around Richmond and Petersburg, fighting well into the closing days of the war at Five Forks.
For more detailed information on
these batteries, and the men who fought in them, I recommend
The 1st & 2nd Stuart Horse Artillery
by Robert H. Moore, II
Available from
The Virginia Regimental Histories Series
Or Can be Obtained through:
The John Pelham Historical Association
The John Pelham Battery Reenacting Organization. (This takes quite a while to load but worth it)
Return to The Virginia Light Artillery
The Virginia Civil War Home Page
Forward the Colors to the Virginia Regimental Histories Series
The Civil War Artillery Page (For those who love Civil War Artillery!)
These pages authored and maintained by Robert H. Moore, II.
©1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 All rights reserved.
Robert Moore, II and
Jeffrey C. Weaver;
H. E. Howard, Inc.
Rt. 2 Box 496H
Appomattox, Virginia 24522
Page established: 10/30/97
Last revised: 1/5/01
