The tactical employment of artillery played a key role on the Civil War battlefield. Often, the outcome of a battle pivoted on good or bad deployment of the field pieces. In parallel - or perhaps more accurately, in conjunction with - technological advances, artillery tactics evolved between the Napoleonic era to the Civil War. While derived from European thoughts in regard to tactics, American use of artillery expanded in response to somewhat unique North American requirements. Tactical doctrine evolved from the pre-war instructions of Dennis Hart Mahan, influencing wartime practitioners such as William F. Barry, Henry Hunt, and John Gibbon. By 1865, both Federal and Confederate armies possessed veteran artillery arms with skilled leadership, being employed for commanders with deep appreciation for what artillery could accomplish on the battlefield. This was due in large part to a sound, adaptable tactical doctrine established in the immediate pre-war years.
Craig Swain is the author of and genius behind the fantastic blog "To the Sound of the Guns." He blogs from Leesburg, Va. and is an avid student of Civil War artillery. If you've ever performed a Google search for any Civil War artillery-related question, the results likely included one or more of Mr. Swain's well-researched and informative blog posts. He is a graduate of Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, with a BA in history. Commissioned in the Army after college, he served as both a combat arms and communications officer. After leaving the Army, he continued his studies at Missouri State University. He is the author of numerous articles appearing in Civil War Times, America's Civil War, Artilleryman, and other magazines. His award winning blog, recently relaunched, "To the Sound of the Guns," covers various aspects of the war, but with focus on artillery and the Charleston theater of war. Mr. Swain is presently an information technology manager for the Internal Revenue Service.