Union monuments at Gettysburg • Maine
“Hall’s Battery”
The monument is west of Gettysburg on Chambersburg Pike at its intersection with Stone Avenue. (Stone & Meredith Avenues tour map) A marker in the National Cemetery shows the battery’s position on July 2nd. (National Cemetery tour map)
Hall’s Battery at Gettysburg
Captain James A. Hall commanded the battery at the Battle of Gettysburg. It brought 127 men to the field serving six 3″ Ordnance Rifles.
July 1
The battery came onto the field with the 1st Division of the 1st Corps in the morning of July 1. They were immediately engaged with a six gun Confederate battery. Confederate infantry was also threatening their flank within a short time. The battery drove them off with double canister. Hall ordered the battery to withdraw by sections when their own supporting infantry began retreating. One piece was left behind when all of its horses were shot down or bayoneted, but Hall was able to return and rescue it during a lull in the fighting. The 2nd Battery withdrew to Cemetery Hill, where the three remaining undamaged guns were put into battery at the current site of its position marker.
July 2
The battery went into action in the afternoon with the start of Longstreet’s attack. It continue to fire until all the guns fell silent with dusk. Another gun was disabled with a broken axle, leaving only two guns still usable. The battery was relieved by the 1st New Hampshire Battery from the Reserve Artillery. Hall’s men went to the rear and took no further part in the battle.
The battery fired 635 rounds during the battle. Eighteen men were wounded. Four were taken prisoner when they tried to save a disabled gun. All of the casualties were from the first day’s fighting. Twenty-eight horses were killed and six wounded.
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From the main monument on Chambersburg Pike:
Hall’s 2nd Maine Battery
1st Brig. 2nd Div. 1st Corps
July 1, 1863
From the National Cemetery marker:
Hall’s Battery
2nd Maine
July 2, 1863
Marker for the battery in the National Cemetery, overlooking the Baltimore Pike.
Location of the monument
The monument is west of Gettysburg on the north side of Chambersburg Road. It is at the intersection with Stone Avenue, near the monument to General Reynolds. (39°50’16.3″N 77°15’05.6″W)
See more on the history of the 2nd Maine Battery in the Civil War