The Richmond Howitzers

The Richmond Howitzers were among the oldest and most prominent volunteer militia organizations in Virginia at the outbreak of the American Civil War. Originally organized in 1859 as an independent light artillery company in Richmond, they were composed largely of young professional and merchant-class men from the city. When Virginia seceded in April 1861, the company entered Confederate service and quickly expanded into multiple companies. Under Captain George W. Randolph, later Secretary of War of the Confederacy, the Howitzers first saw action at Big Bethel in June 1861 and then gained distinction at First Manassas in July, where their well-handled guns supported Confederate positions during the decisive phase of the battle. Their early performance established the unit’s reputation within what would soon become the Army of Northern Virginia.

​

As the war expanded, the Richmond Howitzers reorganized into a battalion of several companies, serving primarily in the artillery arm of the Army of Northern Virginia. They fought in nearly every major campaign in the Eastern Theater, including the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Their guns were frequently posted in key defensive positions, providing direct support to infantry brigades and participating in counter-battery fire. During the Overland Campaign of 1864 and the long Siege of Petersburg, the Howitzers endured the grinding attrition that characterized the final year of the war. Artillery service required technical skill, discipline, and steadiness under fire, and the battalion’s consistent presence in major engagements reflected its reliability and experience.

​

By the time of the Appomattox Campaign in April 1865, the Richmond Howitzers had been reduced by four years of combat. Under Major Robert M. Stribling, the battalion surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Though diminished in number, the unit’s service record spanned from the first major battles of 1861 to the Confederacy’s final capitulation. Contemporary accounts, National Park Service records, and postwar regimental histories consistently identify the Richmond Howitzers as one of the most distinguished artillery organizations to serve Virginia during the conflict, noted for both longevity and participation in many of the war’s pivotal engagements.