Troup Light Artillery

Troup Light Artillery (HMQZ)

Location: Jefferson, MD 21755 Frederick County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 24.312', W 77° 38.364'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 868 views
Inscription
Organized in 1858 as the National Artillery, this unit changed its name to the Troup Light Artillery in honor of the former Georgia governor George W. Troup. It became a part of Cobb's Legion when the war began. During the Maryland Campaign, the battery had two ten-pound Parrott rifles and two smoothbore bronze howitzers, a twelve-pounder called "Jennie" and a six-pounder named the "Sallie Craig." Cobb's Legion, including the Troup Light Artillery, was part of Major General Lafayette McLaws' Division. As part of Lee's plan to capture Harpers Ferry, they marched to Elk Ridge on the Maryland side of the Potomac. While the two long-range, rifled pieces were manhandled to the heights above Harpers Ferry, the two shorter range bronze guns, commanded by Lieutenant Henry Jennings, remained at the foot of Maryland Heights.

Towards evening, as Jennings settled into his bivouac, orders arrived instructing them to "make all speed" for Crampton's Gap. Arriving in the gap just as the Federals were coming up, Jennings deployed his guns in the intersection to the front of you. The "Jennie" aimed down the road to your left while the "Sallie Craig" covered the road on your right. Both guns blasted the approaching Federals with canister, getting off five rounds into the faces of the Federals less than 50 yards away. He then hastily withdrew his guns, leaving several of his dead or wounded crew behind. Escape was not possible for the "Jennie," as her carriage, damaged by Federal infantry fire, broke in two as she was being withdrawn.

The Courage of Jennings' crew and the skill with which they handled their guns was not lost on Colonel Joseph Bartlett:

"Here I cannot help giving my testimony to the skill and great bravery with which a section of the enemy's artillery was retired down the road.... Their infantry had ceased firing and was nowhere in sight, but as I emerged from the woods I saw the flash of a cannon, which was within 50 yards of me and trained toward us, the cannister bursting in our very faces. It was limbered to the rear in an instance, and at 20 paces had passed the other gun of the section, which delivered its fire, limbered up, and went scurrying down the road before any but a scattering fire could be brought against it. The last gun was, however, slightly disabled, and abandoned a little further down the mountain."

Order of Battle

Confederate States of America
Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb
16th Ga., 24th Ga., Cobb's Legion, 15th N.C., Troup Light Art.

United States of America
Col. Joseph J. Bartlett (Composite Command)
32nd N.Y., 16th N.Y., 18th N.Y., 96th Pa. & Reserves

Col. Alfred T.A. Torbet
1st N.J., 2nd N.J., 3rd N.J., 4th N.J.

Presented to the people of the United States by Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Beattie of Charlottsville, Virginia.
Details
HM NumberHMQZ
Tags
Placed ByBlue & Gray Educational Society / State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 4:25am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 272743 N 4365067
Decimal Degrees39.40520000, -77.63940000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 24.312', W 77° 38.364'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 24' 18.72" N, 77° 38' 21.84" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6022-6036 Gapland Rd, Jefferson MD 21755, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?