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Federal Battery

4th United States Artillery, Battery E

 

Commanding Officers on the Antietam Campaign:
  Capt. Joseph C. Clark, Jr.
  1Sgt. Christopher F. Merkle

 

Arms:
  4   10-pdr. Parrott

 

This Battery's Chain of Command:
  Army - Army of the Potomac
  Corps - Ninth Army Corps
  Division - 2nd Division, 9th Corps
  Brigade - 2nd Division, 9th Corps Artillery


On the Antietam Campaign

From the battlefield tablet for the Battery:

At daybreak Battery E, 4th U.S. Artillery, was in bivouac in rear of the high ground east of the Burnside Bridge. Soon after daybreak it took position on the ridge overlooking the Antietam and the field of battle north and west, and about 685 yards a little east of north from the bridge, and opened fire upon the Confederate Infantry north of Sharpsburg. When this fire ceased to be effective, the Battery moved to the western slope of the bluff immediately opposite the bridge and but 240 yards from it, and shelled the Confederate Infantry defending it. It followed the infantry of Sturgis' Division across the bridge and went into battery on the crown of the ridge due west of the bridge and about 580 yards northeast of this point. While going into position spherical case shot from a Confederate battery killed Lt. W. L. Baker, severely wounded Capt. Clark, and the command devolved on Sergeant C. F. Merkel, who fought the battery until the close of the action.

Statistics

Initial Strength: 59; Killed in Action (KIA): 2; Wounded (WIA): 1;
Losses, % of Initial Strength: 5.1%

Maps Showing this Unit

Battlefield Tablets for this Unit

Tablet #56: Ninth Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 16 Sep, 3 PM
Tablet #58: Sturgis' Division, Ninth Army Corps - 16 Sep, 9 PM to 17 Sep, 5 PM
Tablet #122: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 10 AM to 17 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #70, cont: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 3 PM to 17 Sep, 5 PM
Tablet #107: Battery E, 4th US Artillery - 17 Sep, 5 AM to 17 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #70: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 3 PM
Tablet #57: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 5 PM

We have 4 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:

 

Co. Rank Name Casualty? Details*
ESgtMerkle, Christopher Frederick        We have some details for this person
--LtBaker, William L.KIA   09/17     We have a picture for this person We have some details for this person
--CaptClark, Jr., Joseph ClaypooleWIA   09/17     We have a picture for this person We have some details for this person
--LtDickenson, George         We have some details for this person

 

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