History of the 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment

The history of the Third United States Artillery dates from the reorganization of the army pursuant to Act of Congress, March 2, 1821. This act reduced the military establishment and fixed the line at four regiments of artillery and seven of infantry. It marks an important epoch in the history of the army.

It is true that, prior to this, there had periodically existed in the United States army a third regiment of artillery. There was one during the Revolution; it was organized originally in 1775 by Colonel Richard Gridley, of Massachusetts, a half-pay British officer, the command soon passing to Henry Knox and finally to John Crane. Although numbered third it was, in fact, the oldest of the four continental artillery regiments. It began its career before and lasted longer than any other. Crane ranked all the other artillery colonels and, when the artillery was consolidated in 1783, he was given the command by General Washington. Excepting one company, the revolutionary artillery was soon after disbanded...

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A Summary of the 3rd US battery L&M in the Civil War

When the forces of the Confederacy fired on the United States flag at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in 1861, the total number of men enlisted in the United States Army numbered about 16,000. During the entire period of the War of Attempted Secession, while the Union Army would number about 2,000,000 men, the total number of men to serve in the United States Army would never exceed 45,000. In other words, only about two percent of the men who wore Union Blue served in the professional Army.

Of the total number of 745 line officers of the United States Army in 1860 (another 358 were staff officers), 212 were assigned to the Artillery. Most of these officers were career men from West Point or similar background, as the Army had seen the need for trained officers in the Artillery since 1828. When the regiments were expanded, it was specifically determined that the new Battery Commanders would be promoted from the line and not come from civilian life...

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Lineage and Honors

3rd Field Artillery Regiment - Department of the Army...

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