With the Havelock Battery at Gettysburg

     Second Lieutenant Wadmore Redhead of the 11th New York Battery participated in the repulse of Pickett’s charge on the afternoon of July 3rd little expecting that the Confederate assault would target his battery also. The battery had been brought into line in the midst of E. Porter Alexander’s massive cannonade that afternoon as replacements for Union batteries that had been disabled. “When our battery was taken to the front, shot and shell were flying and exploding all around us and the line on the right was wavering. It was no small matter to come into action under such a terrific fire, but neither officers nor men faltered. We had not been in position ten minutes before four horses on the guns and four men on the caissons were wounded,” he stated. But when he saw the line of gray approaching his battery’s position, the former Englishman girded himself for a continuation of the struggle.

“This time, however, it was our own battery and the two on the left of us that they intended taking,” he wrote. “But their efforts were futile for not only did we mow them down with artillery, but we had supplies close at hand of three times the strength of the attacking force, and it must have been sheer desperation that dictated such an insane attack. I had not the least fear for our batteries, but rather wished they would keep charging in that way all the balance of the day.”

          Wadmore Redhead was born March 6, 1836, in the small village of Wimblington, Cambridgeshire in east central England. By 1860, the Redhead family had migrated to the United States and Wadmore was prospering as a harness maker the lakefront town of Ashtabula in far northeastern Ohio. Wadmore first went to war as a sergeant in Co. I of the 90-day organization of the 19th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and saw action at the Battle of Rich Mountain in July 1861. Returning to Ashtabula, he enlisted on September 18, 1861, in Captain Robert C. Warmington’s battery and was mustered in as a sergeant on October 21, 1861. Warmington lacked the numbers to muster in a full battery, so he took his organization and offered it to the state of New York where Captain Albert Von Puttkammer was also struggling to raise a full battery; the state combined the two batteries on January 15, 1862 and sent them to war as the 11th Independent Battery of New York Light Artillery; early on the battery became known as the Havelock Battery and carried this nickname for the remainder of the war. One of the battery's flags used during recruiting feature an image of British General Henry Havelock; it is unknown whether the battery wore havelocks in the field but existing images of men in the battery do not show it. 

          The 11th New York Battery saw extensive service in the Army of the Potomac first seeing action at Second Bull Run while attached to John Pope’s Army of Virginia; the battery later fought at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville before rolling onto the field at Gettysburg as part of Captain Robert Fitzhugh’s 4th Volunteer Brigade of the Artillery Reserve. The 11th New York Battery by this time was attached to Battery K of the 1st New York Light Artillery and was equipped with 3” Ordnance Rifles. Sergeant Redhead had earned promotion to Second Lieutenant and was now tasked with leading a section of two guns during the battle. Lieutenant Redhead was offered a promotion to the rank of first lieutenant in August 1863, but he declined it was his did not want to serve beyond his three-year enlistment term. After fighting in numerous engagements in the spring and summer of 1864, Lieutenant Wadmore was honorably discharged November 2, 1864, and returned to his home in Ashtabula.

           Wadmore went into the grocery business after the war and as like many veterans settled down to marry and raise a family of five children. His life ended on Antietam Day 1910 when the 74-year-old was struck and killed by a streetcar. He is buried at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Ashtabula. His account of the Battle of Gettysburg originally saw publication in the July 18, 1863, edition of the Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph.

 

Private Davis Sheppard of the 11th New York Battery poses with one of his unit's 3" Ordnance Rifles. Produced by the Phoenix Iron Works in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, 3" Ordnance Rifles were made of wrought iron and had seven grooves in the barrel. These well regarded weapons produced remarkably sturdy and accurate, capable of a 9.5 lb shell over 4,000 yards, more than two miles! Private Sheppard, like Lieutenant Redhead, served just his three year enlistment and was discharged in December 1864. 

Camp at Littletown, Pennsylvania

July 8, 1863

 

Editor of the Telegraph,

          Thinking that a few items of news from the Army of the Potomac might not at this time be uninteresting to your readers I will give them a slight account of the terrible Battle of Gettysburg. You must know first that the army for the past two weeks has been making long and rapid marches a good deal of the time necessarily on short rations both for man and beast, and that they were not in the best condition to contend with the superior forces of the enemy flushed with victory and fattened with plunder on ground of his own choice. Yet they faltered not.

Never did this army march so many miles in so short a time and in such good spirits as they did on the mission to drive the enemy from the soil of Pennsylvania. They have sometimes marched 30 miles in a day and bivouacked in the fields without any supper and started in the morning again without any breakfast. This, however, has been the exception and not the rule for we have usually been well supplied. We marched from the Rappahannock by way of Dumfries, Fairfax Courthouse, Edward’s Ferry, Frederick City, and Taneytown; thence to Gettysburg where we encountered the enemy in large force on July 1st.

The monument to the 11th New York Battery at Gettysburg is located along Hancock Avenue in the Federal center near General George Meade's statue. The battery had suffered heavy casualties during the Chancellorsville Campaign and was consolidated with Battery K of the 1st N.Y. Light Artillery for the duration of 1863. The flags of the 11th New York were displayed at the New York Sanitary Fair in April 1864 and are now property of the New York State Military Museum. 

          Only the 1st and 11th Corps were engaged on the first day and they fought bravely and well against overwhelming numbers for a long time, but finally gave way and fell back to a position about two miles from the town. Here the balance of the Army of the Potomac came up on the night of the 1st and during the day of the 2nd of July. Not much fighting took place on the 2nd until about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when a vigorous attack was made upon our left wing by both infantry and artillery. The troops here consisted of the 3rd and 5th Corps, and they fought splendidly and held their ground firmly, suffering terribly, especially in their artillery. Never in any battle on record did batteries suffer so severely as here, some losing two-thirds of both men and horses, rendering them unable to take their guns off the field when the infantry was pressed back. The guns, however, did not fall into the hands of the enemy for just as the line was wavering and had commenced retreating, the 6th Corps came up with such a shout and a cheer for the old flag that it infused new carnage into the hearts of the brave boys of the 3rd and 5th Corps and they dashed at the Rebels again and repulsed them, regaining the ground they had previously lost, and the guns were retaken.

First Lt. John E. Burton
11th New York Battery

During this fight, Lieutenant Francis W. Seeley of Battery K of the 4th U.S. was severely, though I understand not dangerously, wounded. His battery has the reputation of being the best in the service and I believe it fully maintained that reputation in this conflict. As an officer and gentleman, Lieutenant Seeley cannot be exceeded. The fighting ceased here at dark, and the night was occupied by the different ambulance corps in gathering up the wounded.

On the morning of the 3rd, the battle was again renewed by the Rebels making another desperate attack on our left, but they were again repulsed with heavy loss both in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Failing to turn our left, they moved their forces around to the right and tried to force that, but here they also failed for not only was their attack repulsed but General Slocum resumed the offensive and attacked their position and carried it at the point of the bayonet after an obstinate fight of nearly three hours. By this time, it was near 10 o’clock and every attempt of the enemy had signally failed to make any impression on our lines, but we all felt sure that another attack would be made at some point, but where we could not tell.

The different commanders held their men in readiness to mass them at any time on the most dangerous point. The cessation of hostilities, as it were, lasted about three hours when all of a sudden, a couple of guns were fired which appeared to be a signal for the whole artillery of the enemy for an immense firing was at once opened upon our center from at least 100 guns. It was as promptly replied to by our guns and such a thundering of artillery as then took place was never before heard on the continent and I doubt if there was on any other. We knew at once that this was to decide the fate of the battle for had the enemy succeeded in piercing the center, he would have thrown his whole army on each wing separately and beaten us in detail. How near he came to doing it was, fortunately, not known to him.

His artillery firing was never before so destructive. For two hours the blowing up of caissons, the smashing of carriages and killing of horses and men was the order of the day. Battery after battery was disabled and sent to the rear and replaced by the reserve artillery. At the time we took our place in the front there were four batteries relieved at the same time. The two on the right of us were charged by one of Longstreet’s divisions and they actually got their hands on the guns and our infantry supports were giving way when they saw two fresh batteries coming into their place. This gave the infantry new courage and they stood and fought foot to foot with the bayonet until the batteries got into position when the Rebs, seeing themselves in a bad fix, dropped their arms and ingloriously surrendered. Not a man or officer of the whole division went back to tell the story. Over 1,600 able-bodied Rebels here surrendered besides the wounded. This operation I saw myself being with my battery but a little more than a hundred yards to the left and on the same line. Several stands of colors were also taken and cheer after cheer went around the Union lines amidst the roar of artillery which still kept up the work of destruction.

Private John H. Metcalf of Ashtabula
Died of wounds received at Petersburg
June 19, 1864

Several Rebel batteries, however, had been silenced and disabled by ours; three of which were so destructive that the Rebels decided to try and capture them by another charge. This time, however, it was our own battery and the two on the left of us that they intended taking. But their efforts were futile for not only did we mow them down with artillery, but we had supplies close at hand of three times the strength of the attacking force, and it must have been sheer desperation that dictated such an insane attack. I had not the least fear for our batteries, but rather wished they would keep charging in that way all the balance of the day. Probably about a hundred of them who started on this charge got safely back while at least 1,200 were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. This virtually ended the battle on our center and the fate of the day was decided. We had won a glorious victory over superior numbers and shown to the world that the Army of the Potomac can fight and win when upon anything like equal grounds with the enemy.

The formation of our line of battle was skillfully chosen, its great advantage consisting of easy and rapid concentration of our forces from one point to another. It was somewhat ion the shape of a letter U being about three-quarters of a mile from one side to the other and two or two-and-a-half miles around the front. I suppose that General Meade selected the line. It was admirably chosen. Too much praise cannot be given to the commanding officer for the manner in which the army was handled. The batteries, under the command of General Hunt, could not have been better posted and never was an artillery reserve shown to be of so great a necessity to the army for it was very evident that the reserve alone saved the center. When our battery was taken to the front, shot and shell were flying and exploding all around us and the line on the right was wavering. It was no small matter to come into action under such a terrific fire, but neither officers nor men faltered. We had not been in position ten minutes before four horses on the guns and four men on the caissons were wounded. Sergeant Orlando Chesney was wounded before we got on the field by a stray shell. This was the only accident that occurred to any of the Ashtabula boys.

We are now in pursuit of the Rebels and hope to destroy their whole army before they reach the Potomac. Our army is in fine spirits. Every man feels that he participated in fiving the Rebel army the soundest thrashing it ever had, and it gives them confidence in themselves and strengthens the army in the ratio of 20,000 men. Hoping to catch the enemy soon and that victory may again perch upon our banners, I remain very truly yours,

Wadmore Redhead

 

Source:

Letter from Second Lieutenant Wadmore Redhead, 11th New York Independent Light Artillery Battery, Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph (Ohio), July 18, 1863, pg. 2

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on their way to
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of how Confederate jacke
Read more

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Maryland, performing provost duty at Cumberlan
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on securing all the Enfi
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my
Read more

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
Read more

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm at the outset of the
Read more

Revisiting Snodgrass Hill: Memories of a 21st Ohio Officer

Image
Captain Isaac Cusac, Co. G, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry proudly displaying his rank as captain in an image likely dating from early 1863. One of his shoulder straps was shot off in the final stages of the 21st Ohio's fight atop Snodgrass Hill on September 20, 1863. Cusac brought it back to Chickamauga 50 years later.  I n September 1913, 83-year-old Isaac Cusac, a retired Presbyterian minister from the little town of McComb, Ohio, returned to Chattanooga to attend the national G.A.R. encampment. The former captain of the 21 st Ohio returned to Snodgrass Hill on the old Chickamauga battlefield on the 50 th anniversary of the battle carrying with him a precious relic of his wartime experiences. “He carried with him there an epaulet that was shot from his shoulder at the battle,” it was reported. “The bullet clipped off the epaulet and then struck him on the left hand, injuring two fingers.”           The flood of memories as he walked the grounds must have been overwhelming. The f
Read more