Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 31.djvu/283

 History of Crenshaw Battery. 275

HISTORY OF CRENSHAW BATTERY,

Pegram's Battalion, Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia With a Roster of the Company.

THIS FAMOUS ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATED IN FORTY-EIGHT ENGAGEMENTS AND MANY SKIRMISHES.

Written by Private Charles P. Young, and Revised by Captain Thomas Ellett, Thirty-eight Years after Close of the War.

On Friday, March 14, 1862, there assembled at the wholesale ware- house of Messrs. Crenshaw & Co., on the Basin bank, between Tenth and Eleventh streets, Richmond, Va., one of the jolliest, most rollicking, fun-loving crowd of youngsters, between the ages of 16 and 25, that were ever thrown together haphazard, composed of clerks, book-keepers, salesmen, compositors, with a small sprink- ling of solid businessmen, from Richmond, reinforced with as sturdy- looking a lot of farmer boys from the counties of Orange, Louisa, Spotsylvania and Culpeper as one generally comes across.

The occasion of the gathering was the formation of an artillery company for active service in the field, and after the usual prelimi- naries, an organization was soon effected, with the following officers:

Captain, William G. Crenshaw. Senior First Lieutenant, James Ellett. Junior First Lieutenant, Charles L. Hobson. Senior Second Lieutenant, Andrew B. Johnston. Junior Second Lieutenant, Thomas Ellett.

The battery consisted of six guns: Two lo-pound Parrotts, two 12-pound brass Howitzers, and two 6-pound brass guns.

The company was christened "The Crenshaw Battery," in honor of its first captain. His gallant bearing on the field of battle subse- quently, and his noble generosity to the company, always, proved that the name was fitly chosen. Captain Crenshaw equipped the battery with handsome uniforms, overcoats, blankets, shoes, under- clothing, and everything necessary for its comfort, at his own ex- pense, and advanced the money necessary for the purchase of horses and guns to the Confederate government, thereby getting into the