BATTERY G,

2ND ILLINOIS LIGHT ARTILLERY

ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT

Cannons     Ammunition  Other Ordnance Equipment  Artillery Links
At varying times, Battery G was equipped, re-equipped, or was using the following types of cannons.
The number in superscript following the type of cannon indicates the
source for the information (see list following table).

DATES TYPE OF CANNON # OF GUNS
Dec. 1861 – unknown 2 Napoleans and 4 Rodmans 2 6
Jan. 18, 1862 – unknown the above guns were probably received at this time
June-Dec. 1863 6 pounder bronze gun model 1840-41, rifled

(James rifle) 1

 4
May 1864 6 pounder bronze gun model 1840-41, rifled

(James rifle) 1

 4
May 1864 Model 1861 (3 inch) Ordnance rifle 1 4
Ordnance reports show 8 guns, as above, in May 1864.

Probably temporary.
May 22, 1864 recruited to a 6 gun battery 4 6
July 29, 1864 – unknown received 2 12-pdr. Napoleans  6 ?
Dec. 15, 1864  Type of guns not mentioned.5 6
Dec. 15, 1864 At least one of the guns was a 12-pdr. Napolean 6
April 1865 10 pounder Parrott rifles 3 4
1. “Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance
Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867.”
Record Group 156. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281. Roll 1,
Artillery Organizations.
2. Illinois-Vicksburg Military Park Commission. Illinois at Vicksburg.
(n.pl.: n.pub. 1907), p. 350-52.
3. Baumann, Ken. Arming the Suckers: 1861-1865. (Dayton, Ohio:
Morningside Books, 1989).
4. Barnickel, Linda. We Enlisted as Patriots: The Civil War Records
of Battery G, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery. (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage
Books, 1998).
5. War of the Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies. Series I, Vol. XLV, part 1, p.497.
6. Churchill, Samuel J. Genealogy and Biography of the Connecticut
Branch of the Churchill Family in America (Lawrence, KS: Journal Publishing,
1901), pp. 75-76.

Ammunition Issued

Ammunition issued, according to “Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867.” Record Group 156. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281. Roll 1, Artillery Organizations:

Report for second quarter, ending June 30, 1863 (submitted Dec. 4, 1863).
100    12-pdr. Wiard canister, 3.67 bore (Hotchkiss)
1265   6-pdr. James cartridges
1645   friction primer
955     assorted paper fuzes

Report for third quarter, ending Sept. 30, 1863 (submitted Feb. 4, 1864).
110    12-pdr. Wiard percussion shell, 3.67 bore
955    12-pdr. Wiard fuze shell, 3.67 bore
100    12-pdr. Wiard canister

Report for fourth quarter, ending Dec. 31, 1863 (submitted May 23, 1864).
566    Hotchkiss shell, time fuze, for 20-pdr. Parrott & 12-pdr. Wiard guns, 3.67 bore.
80      canister, Hotchkiss, for 20-pdr. Parrott & 12-pdr. Wiard guns, 3.67 bore
746    6-pdr. field gun shot & spherical case cartridge bags
566    assorted paper fuzes
895    friction primers

Ordnance Equipment Issued

An example of some of the equipment carried by a battery on the march
according to the report for the second quarter, June, 1863:

QTY. ITEM
1 traveling forge
1 battery wagon
3 felling axes
4 6 pdr. James gun breech sights
4 iron tar buckets for field gun
1 wood bucket for forge
11 (18?) leather buckets for watering
4 cannon spikes
11 gunner’s gimlets for field gun
8 gunner’s haversacks
5 gunner’s pincers
13 handspikes, trail, for field gun
10 (11?) sets of harness for 2 wheel horses
20 sets of harness for 2 lead horses
11 common tin lanterns
8 lanyards for friction primers
45 (95?) nose bags
4 pick axes
5 (8?) priming wires, field
4 prolonges
6 cast steel shovels or spades
4 shovels, long handled
8 sponge covers, 6-pdr. gun
8 tarpulins, 12×15
8 thumbstalls
10 tow hooks
8 tube pouches
4 vent covers
4 vent punches
40 whips
3 worms & staves, field guns
1 battery wagon stocks
22 packing boxes
2 1 gal. tin cans
2 2 gal. tin cans
1 5 pds. paint (tin)
2 25 pds. paint (tin)

Artillery Links

For more information on Civil War Artillery and Ammunition, visit one
of these pages:

The Civil War Artillery Page   Loads of info! History, units, drill,
weapons.

Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery  A portion of the preceding site, this
provides much information on weaponry and projectiles.

civilwarartillery.com
(Warning! Graphics and frames intensive!) An excellent site, with images
of a wide variety of cannon projectiles, shot and range tables, a glossary
of artillery and ordnance terminology, and much more!

A Storm of Shot and Shell: Weapons of the Civil War – an online exhibit
from the Chicago Historical Society, featuring artillery artifacts and
images.

How Do You Shoot A Cannon? – (564K .pdf file, a mere 4 pages, with color
illustrations.) A step-by-step guide to cannon loading and firing, according
to Andrews’ Mounted Artillery Drill (Confederate).

“Horsepower Moves the Guns” – full text article from America’s Civil War.