which has persisted with my family, and with many other New Orleans families, through three generations.

There are many old organizations in the country with distinguished records. There are a few that are older than the Washington Artillery, but most of them have lost their military character, and now exist purely as social organizations. The Washington Artillery, while very old, is still young. It even drinks at the fountain of youth, and while it holds in veneration the record of wonderful achievement of its fathers, it finds in that achievement incentive for emulation and "esprit de corps." Its reason for being today is purely for purposes of actively serving our country, and its highest ideal is to prepare itself for any duty which the country may call upon it to perform.

For some reason Louisiana has always been singularly rich in artillery. During the Civil War the State furnished a surprisingly large number of batteries to the Confederate armies. At the opening of the Spanish-American War there were seven batteries of National Guard Artillery, and for several years following there were ten batteries in the city of New Orleans alone, Up to nine years ago this city held five batteries in the service. Before the Washington Artillery was organized there were several batteries in New Orleans which drew their membership from the French or Spanish population, and it was to distinguish the new battery from these that it was first called the Native American Artillery. The exact day of its foundation is not known, but the newspapers of 1838 and 1839 occasionally refer to it or its captain, E. L. Tracey.

In 1841 the battery was attached to a body of American volunteer infantry known as the Washington Battalion, of which C. F. Hozey was Major and J. B. Walton was Adjutant. In 1843 Captain Henry Forno assumed command, Captain Tracey having been promoted to the command of the battalion. The following year three other companies were added and the battalion became the Washington Regiment, under Colonel Persifer F. Smith, who later became a Brigadier-General in the regular establishment. J. B. Walton was the Lieutenant-Colonel.

In 1845 the battery saw its first war service in General Zachary Taylor's army, leaving New Orleans on August 22 for Corpus Christi, equipped with six 6-pounder bronze guns. After three months' duty the battery was relieved by artillery of the

regular army. The following year volunteer infantry was called for and the battery again responded, equipped on this occasion as infantry, and served as Company A of the Washington Regiment, to the command of which Walton had been promoted. It embarked on May 9, 1846, and served until July 21st, and was commanded by Captain Isaac F. Stockton. The details of these two tours of duty are lacking, as all records prior to 1860 were destroyed when the old armory was fired after the fall of New Orleans during the Civil War. The only note that remains is that it embarked for the front three days after receiving the call.

Shortly after the return from Mexico, the regiment fell to pieces; the battery adopted the regimental name, and has been known ever since as the Washington Artillery. The only relic of this period now preserved is the center of a red silk standard bearing a tiger head, the emblem of the command. The seal and the badge of the active corps are crossed cannon encircled by a belt upon which is inscribed the motto, "Try Us," and the name of the organization. When and why this motto and seal were adopted is not known. On account of the tiger-head emblem the command is sometimes confused with a regiment of Louisiana infantry which was known during the Civil War as "Wheat's Louisiana Tigers." There is no connection, however, between the two.

During the fifties, the city of New Orleans offered a site for an armory "as long as the Washington Artillery remains in possession of the city's cannon," and upon the election of Colonel Walton to the command of the battery the building was begun. It was completed in 1858, and the front wall still stands in Girod Street, an interesting example of early armory design. It was the work of a member of the command, William A. Freret, who later became supervising architect of the United States. While the command was absent during the Civil War the property was confiscated, and during the reconstruction days was sold. The organization has never been compensated.

During the Civil War the organization had a long and interesting period of service, opening with the seizure of the United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge on January 10, 1861. The rush to arms at this time is shown in the expansion of the battery into two batteries on January 28, to be followed by further expansion into a battalion of four batteries March 3. On Washington's

birthday the Confederate Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, on behalf of the ladies of New Orleans, presented the battalion with an embroidered silk standard, and on May 13, the command volunteered "for the war," was accepted and mustered in on May 26, as part of the regular army of the Confederate States. The day after it was mustered in it entrained for Richmond, under the command of Major James B. Walton, with W. Miller Owen as Adjutant. The personnel was drawn from the best element of New Orleans, and many were socially and financially prominent. They brought their own equipment of nine guns to Virginia, the six guns used in Mexico with the two 12-pound howitzers, and one 8-pounder rifle. The batteries were known as, First, Second, Third and Fourth Companies, and were commanded by Captain H. M. Isaacson, First Lieutenant C. C. Lewis, Captain M. Buck Miller, and Captain Benjamin Franklin Eshleman, respectively. The battalion arrived in Richmond on June 4, was supplied with horses and placed under the instruction of Lieutenants T. L. Rosser, James Dearing and J. J. Garnet, who were fresh from West Point, and who later rose to high rank in the Confederate army.

Six weeks later, July 18, the Third Company, under Captain Miller, with four 6-pounders, and three rifles of the First Company, under Lieutenant C. W. Squires, drove Battery E, Third U. S. Field Artillery, with two 10-pounder Parrot rifles, two 6-pounder howitzers, and two 6-pounders, together with a platoon of Battery G, Fifth U. S. Field Artillery, with two 20pounder Parrot rifles, from the field at Blackburn's Ford, Bull Run. By a strange coincidence it was the present commanding officer of Battery E, Third Field Artillery, Captain Fred T. Austin, who made the Federal Inspection under which the Washington Artillery mustered in under the Dick Bill in 1909.

In the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, the positions of the batteries were as follows:

The Second Company under Lieutenant T. L. Rosser with four 12-pounder howitzers, at Union Mills Ford.

The Third Company, under Captain W. B. Miller, with two 6-pounder smooth bores, at McLean's Ford.

A platoon of the Third Company, under Lieutenant J. J. Garnet, with one 6-pounder, smooth bore, and one 6-pounder rifle, at Blackburn's Ford.

Three sections of the First Company, under Captain C. W. Squires, with three 6-pounder smooth bores, and a platoon of the First Company, under Lieutenant J. B. Richardson, with two 6-pounder rifles, at the Henry House.

The opposing batteries near the Henry House were those of Briffin and Ricketts. Eleven guns were captured, one disabled, one caisson exploded and Captain Ricketts taken.

In January, 1862, $1,499.16 was subscribed by officers and men for the relief of fire-swept Charleston.

The Spring was spent in manoeuvering on the peninsula, and on May 13, the Third Company, under Captain Miller with three 14-pounder howitzers, blocked the advance of Federal gunboats on the James River at Drewry's Bluff.

On May 31, the Battalion was not engaged, but while the battle of Seven Pines was being fought, Captain Buck Miller of the Third Company, carried off an abandoned battery of four Napoleons, which, by a singular coincidence, had been commanded by a Captain Miller in the Federal service. An ambulance of the Second Rhode Island Infantry was also taken and was used throughout the war for a headquarters wagon and always referred to as "The Second Rhode Island."

On June 6, the First Company, under Captain Squires, engaged in a two-hour artillery duel at New Bridge at Garnett's Farm on the Chicahominy, exploding a caisson, after which the opposing force withdrew.

On June 20, Colonel Walton was appointed Longstreet's Chief of Artillery, and the Washington Artillery was assigned as the reserve artillery of Longstreet's Division.

After the departure of the Battalion from New Orleans, those members whose family or business affairs had not permitted their leaving, began the organization of a fifth and a sixth battery. The call of General Beauregard in February of 1862, for troops to serve in the army of Tennessee, resulted in the consolidation of these two batteries into what was known as the Fifth Company, Washington Artillery. This battery was mustered in on March 6, under Captain W. I. Hodgson, with 156 men and two 6-pounder smooth bores, two 6-pounder rifles, and two 12-pounder howitzers. It entrained on March 8, for Grand Junction, where horses were supplied, and on the 27th marched to Corinth, Miss., where it was assigned to Anderson's Brigade,

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Ruggle's Division. On April 6th and 7th fought at Shiloh from five successive advanced positions, firing 738 rounds, losing 7 killed, 27 wounded and 28 horses killed; 3 caissons, a battery wagon and forge were abandoned for want of teams.

The battery under the command of Captain C. H. Slocomb played a conspicuous role in the capture of Mumsfordsville, Perryville, Knoxville, Murfreesboro and Jackson. It distinguished itself in the great battle of Chickamauga, and lost six guns on Missionary Ridge. It captured other guns and fought desperately in fight after fight throughout the Georgia campaign. After the siege of Atlanta, back they went to Nashville, spiked their four guns and ended their career in the siege of Spanish Fort in Mobile Bay.

The details of much of the service of this battery are difficult to obtain, as the papers of the Company were lost in the Tennessee campaign. In all, 418 men served in its ranks; 50 were killed and over a hundred were wounded. It fought twentythree battles and fifteen minor engagements, lost 143 horses, expended 5,906 rounds of ammunition and marched 3,285 miles.

At Beverly Ford, near Rappahannock Station, on August 23, 1862, the First Company, under Captain Squires, with four 3-inch rifles, and the Third Company, under Captain Miller, with four 12-pounder Napoleons, were engaged in what was purely an artillery battle which lasted four hours and resulted in the repulse of the enemy. The losses were 10 killed, 13 wounded, and 22 horses killed; 756 rounds were fired.

In the second battle of Manassas on August 29th, the First Company, under Captain Squires, with three rifles, and the Third Company, under Captain Miller, with four Napoleans, together with twelve other guns of other batteries, were placed between the flanks of Jackson's and Longstreet's Corps and fought for two hours, when the Third Company was sent to a new position on Longstreet's left. On the 30th, the Second Company, under Captain J. B. Richardson, occupied a position near the Chinn house with two 6-pounder bronze guns and two 12-pounder howitzers, and captured a battery of four Napoleons, fully horsed, which they manned and turned upon the retiring foe. The Fourth Company, under Captain B. F. Eshleman, with two 6-pounders and two 12-pounder howitzers, also occupied a position near the Chinn house and was hotly engaged. It later