Of the conduct of officers and men … of Battery A, First New Jersey Artillery, … I cannot speak too highly. Coming into position at a critical point of the rebel charge on our center and under a galling fire, the guns were worked with great deliberation and a most decided effect.” – Capt. R.H. Fitzhugh, following the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
Battery A, First New Jersey Artillery that Capt. Fitzhugh speaks so highly of was from Hoboken. It was organized and commanded by Capt. William Hexamer of Hoboken and was affectionately known throughout the Army of the Potomac as “Hexamer’s Battery.”
It had a brilliant battle record, serving in 30 major engagements and was on the right of Gen. Phil Kearney’s division when that famous New Jersey general was killed at Chantilly.
The 151 men and five officers composing the battery were all volunteers, coming mostly from the many German families then living in Hoboken.
The battery, in its four years of service, was frequently mentioned in dispatches and was – in addition to Gettysburg – at Antietam, the mine explosion before Petersburg, and at Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, among other places.
Its first engagement with the enemy took place at West Point, Va., in May 1862. The official dispatches report that the battery displayed “great gallantry” that day. The battery then went on to fight at Mechanicsville, then Gaines Mills, and later on in the Wilderness Campaign.
Its first casualty was a private who was struck by lightning while manning the guns before Mechanicsville on May 30, 1862. Other battle casualties, as well as some from exposure and disease, were suffered later.
Call to service answered
Hexamer had organized the battery in Hoboken as part of the militia force of the State of New Jersey. It was attached to the Third Regiment, Hudson Brigade.
When the Civil War broke out, the services of the battery were tendered to the governor of the state, but, because the state had not received authority from the federal government to accept this branch of the service, the offer was declined.
The organization of the battery continued, however, and once it was at full strength, it waited only for an opportunity to enter the service. The battery was finally accepted under the provisions of an Act of Congress approved on July 22, 1861, and by authority received from the Governor of the War Department on July 29, 1861.
The battery was mustered into the service of the United States for three years or the duration of the war by Capt. Frederick S. Larned, of the 12th Infantry, U.S. Army, on Aug. 12, 1861, in Hoboken. It left Hoboken on Aug. 20 on its way to Washington, D.C., where soon after its arrival it was equipped with guns and horses. The battery was then assigned to the First New Jersey Brigade and ordered to Virginia to join this outfit in operations against Lee.
Almost immediately, the battery began to build a reputation for its skill and valor. One observer has remarked that “from the time of Antietam forward, Hexamer’s was one of the most famous batteries of the war. It fought first to last with a heroism unsurpassed by any other volunteer organization.”
Editor’s note: A full version of this column was originally printed in Hoboken History Issue No. 22, published by the Hoboken Historical Museum. Please visit the museum at 1301 Hudson St. for more information. To read past columns from this year-long series, visit www.hobokenreporter.com.