Overview
Independent Pennsylvania Battery F (Light Artillery) was organized at Pittsburgh and mustered into United States service at Williamsport, Maryland, on December 7, 1861, for a three-year term. Serving as an independent battery, it was part of the Union Army and operated primarily in the Eastern Theater. The battery participated in numerous campaigns and engagements, earning commendations from commanding generals for its performance.
This unit is distinct from other Pennsylvania independent batteries. Battery F was notable for its early service with General Banks’ army, its consolidation with Battery C in 1863, and its later role in the defenses of Washington, D.C.
Organization & Service
Battery F was recruited in Pittsburgh and mustered in at Williamsport, Maryland, on December 7, 1861. The battery initially joined General Nathaniel P. Banks’ army on the upper Potomac and saw its first action at Dam No. 5 in December 1861, followed by Hancock, Maryland, in January 1862. Throughout the spring of 1862, Battery F was actively engaged in skirmishes between Banks’ forces and those of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, including the closing engagement at Winchester.
After Winchester, the battery was stationed at Front Royal for approximately three months and did not return to active campaigning until late August 1862. It then joined General John Pope’s Army of Virginia, participating in the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Chantilly, and related engagements. Battery F was present at South Mountain and Antietam, after which it was posted at Harper’s Ferry with the XII Corps. The battery was active at Charlestown in November and Winchester in December 1862, but arrived too late to participate in the Battle of Fredericksburg. Winter quarters were established at Aquia Creek.
In May 1863, Battery F took part in the Battle of Chancellorsville, where it played a significant role and suffered the loss of Captain R. B. Hampton. Due to heavy losses, the battery was consolidated with Battery C in June 1863, and the two units served together for the remainder of the year. In the spring of 1864, an influx of recruits allowed Battery F to resume independent status. The battery was refitted at Camp Barry in Washington, D.C., and assigned to the city’s defenses until July 4, 1864, when it was ordered to Harper’s Ferry. It remained in that vicinity until April 1865.
The original members who did not reenlist were mustered out at Maryland Heights at the end of 1864. The remaining veterans and recruits returned to Washington in April 1865 and were mustered out on June 26, 1865.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
- Dam No. 5 (December 1861)
- Hancock, Maryland (January 1862)
- Skirmishes with Stonewall Jackson (April 1862)
- Winchester (May 1862)
- Second Bull Run (August 1862)
- Chantilly (September 1862)
- South Mountain (September 1862)
- Antietam (September 1862)
- Charlestown (November 1862)
- Winchester (December 1862)
- Chancellorsville (May 1863)
- Defenses of Washington, D.C. (1864–1865)
- Harper’s Ferry and vicinity (July 1864–April 1865)
Casualties
Specific casualty figures for Independent Pennsylvania Battery F are not fully detailed in available primary sources. It is recorded that the battery suffered significant losses at Chancellorsville, including the death of Captain R. B. Hampton. Other losses occurred throughout its service due to battle and disease.
Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Captain R. B. Hampton (killed at Chancellorsville)
- Captain Nathaniel Irish
- Captain Edward R. Geary
Regimental Roster
The full roster of Independent Pennsylvania Battery F (Light Artillery), including officers and enlisted men, is available on the regiment’s roster page. This resource provides names, ranks, and service details for those who served with the battery during its term of service.
To view the complete roster, visit the Independent Pennsylvania Battery F (Light Artillery) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts.
- Pennsylvania Adjutant General’s Report, annual volumes.
- Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion.
- Fox, William F. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War.
- The Union Army, Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Volume 1.