6th Corps Artillery Continued - Massachusetts and New York

1st MA Light Battery A

The last three Artillery Batteries belonging to the 6th Corps at Gettysburg are the Massachusetts 1st Light Battery A, the New York 1st Battery, and the New York 3rd Battery.

The Massachusetts 1st Light Battery A arrived on the Gettysburg Battlefield about sunset 2 July, with 145 men and six 12 pound Napoleons.  They were commanded by Captain William H McCartney.  McCartney was a 28 year old Boston, MA lawyer.  He mustered into service as a First Lieutenant 3 October 1861.

They were held in reserve behind Little Round Top until about 2pm on 3 July, when under heavy Confederate artillery fire, they moved to the relief of the 1st New Hampshire Battery located on Cemetery Hill.  The men of this Battery fired only 4 rounds and sustained no casualties.

Their monument in located in the Soldiers National Cemetery, and was dedicated 8 October 1885.  William McCartney traveled quite a bit after the war, before marrying Katherine Searle in 1872 and opening a law practice in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  He died while on a fishing trip 11 May 1894.

Capt Andrew Cowan

The New York 1st Battery, also known as Cowan's Battery arrived on the field with the rest of the Corps and were initially held in reserve.   They came with six 3 inch Ordnance Rifles and 113 men.

Captain Andrew Cowen commanded this unit.  He was born 29 September 1841 in Ayrshire, Scotland, migrating to the United State with his family as a child.  When the Civil War began Cowan was living in Upstate New York.

Cowen's Battery

The Battery was moved into position just south of the Copse of Trees to relieve the 1st Rhode Island Battery B, just Pickett's Charge got underway.  As the Confederate troops broke through the Union line and advanced to within 10 yards; Captain Cowen ordered his gunners to fire double canister into them.  Brigadier General and Chief of Artillery Henry Hunt who was near this unit had his horse shot out from under him during this action.  They had 14 horse killed, 4 men killed and 8 wounded.

A monument to Cowan's Batter was dedicated in 1887 in the area of their action.  Andrew Cowen died 23 August 1913 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The final battery of the 6th Corps to be covered is the New York 3rd Independent Battery.  This Battery became a part of the 6th Corps when it was formed in May 1862.

The forced march of 36 miles brought Captain William Harn, 119 men and six 10 pound Parrott guns to the field.  Harn had been with the unit since late in 1862, but had been it's Captain only since 13 April 1863.  The 3rd New York was not engaged, but held in reserve near where it's monument is located on the Taneytown Road, just south of the National Cemetery.

After the war, William Harn became the keeper of the St Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.  He died 31 May 1889.

This concludes the 6th Corps Artillery at Gettysburg.