Cooper's Battery B

East Cemetery Hill

 Cooper's Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Artillery, was a part of the First Corps at Gettysburg.  The Battery was raised mostly in Lawrence County; in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania.  They were mustered into service in Philadelphia, PA 5 August 1861.

Battery B came onto the Gettysburg Battlefield on 1 July 1863 about noon, taking up position facing Herr's Ridge.  They would change position to fire at Oak Hill when the threat from there became apparent. They withdrew back to the Seminary, where they stayed covering the retreat until about 4pm.

2 July found the men of Cooper's Battery building lunettes on East Cemetery Hill for their 4 guns.  They came into the fight with 3 inch rifled guns.  At about 4pm Confederates on Benner Hill opened a cannonade on Cemetery Hill.  The number 2 and 3 gun were struck during this firing and temporarily disabled.  At about 7pm the Battery was relieved by Rickett's Consolidated Companies F and G, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery.

Hancock Ave

Having been refitted on 3 July, Cooper's Battery was moved into line south of today's 90th PA monument on Cemetery Ridge along Hancock Ave.  From this position they would fire into the right of Pickett's Division during the charge and at Wilcox's and Lang's men.

The Battery expended 1050 rounds during the battle.  They had 114 men present for duty, and lost 3 killed and 9 wounded.  Out of the 3 killed 2 of the men are buried in Gettysburg's Evergreen Cemetery, Privates Alexander P Alcorn and James McCleary.  Alcorn was wounded during the 1 July fighting, and was first buried near the Krauth House on the Seminary grounds.  McCleary was wounded on East Cemetery Hill and was first taken and placed near the pump at the Evergreen Cemetery before being buried near the White Church.

Evergreen Cemetery

The man from whom the Battery gets it's name Captain James H Cooper was born in 1840.  General John Reynolds said of Cooper after the Battle of Fredericksburg, that Cooper was the bravest man in the Army of the Potomac.  Cooper died from heart disease 21 March 1906 and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in New Castle, PA.