Introduction Commonly referred to as the King of Battle, the Field Artillery branch has evolved into a powerful and multifaceted contributing member of today’s Army. The history of this evolution is a long and colorful one. Napoleon Bonaparte, an artilleryman himself, capitalized on the theory of massing the firepower of artillery at the proper time and place providing him a tactical advantage and allowed his maneuver teams to breakthrough enemy lines and secure their victory. As the Civil War approached, changes were being made that would have defining effects on the roles of Field Artillery. But when the war became a reality it was evident immediately that artillerymen were not ready to deal with close combat, and under General H.J Hunt would have to adapt their crew drills and reorganize if they were to survive and continue to be a contributing member of the force. Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon capitalized on the potential of Field Artillery by using it as an offensive weapon system. He could reach out and attack from a distance without placing his artillery assists at risk. Back then the range of his cannons was only 300 to 400 yards, while the muskets used by his enemy was no more than 150 yards. This was not the case during the Civil War as upgraded technology and weapons allowed Soldiers to engage with effective fire …show more content…
The successful employment of artillery during the Battle of Gettysburg can be directly attributed to the strong leadership of Brigadier General H.J. Hunt. He was able to see his changes to the artillery structure pay off first hand. The use of his artillery reserve allowed batteries to quickly replace damaged ones, and also provided timely resupplies when ammo was running low. The reorganization and updated employment of artillery greatly contributed to Union victory at the Battle of