|
HISTORY OF ANDREWS' BATTERY |
|
Co F (Heavy Artillery) of the 10th NC Regiment (originally 1st NC
Artillery,) was formed in the first part of 1861 by then newly promoted
Captain W.S.G. Andrews and Lt. Daniel Cogdell, both original members of
the "Goldsboro Rifles", Co. A, 27th NC. Mustering in Goldsboro, the
majority of its members were Wayne County farmers, merchants, and various
other tradesman. As standard practice during the day, it was known as
"Andrews' Battery" after its captain. The battery spent its first year
in garrison at Ft. Macon, NC, taking part in its defense in April of 1862,
and were subsequently captured and paroled, going home until exchanged.
The exchange did not occur until August 1862, and when the call went out
to re-form, about a third of the original roster did not answer the
call. The ranks were quickly filled with new recruits from neighboring
counties, and the battery was stationed in garrison at various gun
emplacements in the Wilmington area, including Smithville
(Southport) and Bald Head Island. At the dawn of 1865, the men were
manning the guns of Ft. Fisher, taking part in its failed defense. The
majority of the men were either killed or captured. Prior to the battle,
a small detachment had been ordered to provost duty in Wilmington, and was
ordered into the field as part of Robert F. Hokes command when the order
came to evacuate the Cape Fear Region. This detachment would have taken
part in the Battle of Wyse Forks, Kinston NC, probably as
"red-leg infantry" and were not a contained unit by this time. The
records indicate that these last few men were either captured or
surrendered in and around Goldsboro, NC, by the time of the Battle of
Bentonville. The battery had come full circle.
In order to honor these men, a few local reenactors decided, in 2002, to
once again pick UP the banner of "Andrews' Battery," re-activating this
unit in order to carry out our modern day mission, that for the purposes
of education. In order to carry out the mission properly, our unit has
to portray both sides of the conflict. It was decided that our Union
impression would be one that also served in Eastern North Carolina.
Battery H, 3rd New York light artillery, also known as "Riggs'
Battery," served in this part of the state in 1862 and 1863, and
was partly equipped with the Model 1841 Mountain Howitzer. This is the
same ordnance used by the unit today, mounted on the First Model Prairie
Carriage (Prairie Howitzer.)
|