First Use of Railway Artillery
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archway
N 37° 31.697 W 077° 16.134
18S E 299513 N 4155897
The first known use of railway artillery occurred during the Civil War near this location on June 29th, 1862. Virginia historical marker PA-142.
Waymark Code: WM73C6
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/26/2009
Views: 3
The first known use of an armored railway gun occurred during the battle of Savage's Station on June 29th, 1862, part of the Seven Days Battles. The Confederate weapon, nicknamed the "Land Merrimack", was a 32-pounder Brooke naval rifle mounted on a flat car armored with railroad iron. The gun was pushed by a locomotive along the Richmond and York River railroad, and its shells reached as far as the field hospital at the rear of the Union line. General Robert E. Lee's weapon was far superior to anything the Union artillery possessed, but the Confederate attack was undermined by Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder's decision to commit only part of his troops to the battle and by Stonewall Jackson's delay at the Chickahominy River. The battle ended in a stalemate and the Union army withdrew to the south.
The railway battery was designed by Lt. John M. Brooke of the C.S. Navy. General Robert E. Lee had submitted the idea to the Confederate ordnance and requested that it be built immediately. The gun was delivered just five days before the battle of Savage's Station. Its impact on the battle is unknown, but the Union army was impressed enough to copy the design. Later in the war, the Union army used the "Dictator" in the Siege of Petersburg. The Dictator could fire 200 pound shells a distance of three miles.
Here Magruder's line of battle, facing east, formed in the late afternoon of June 29, 1862. Barksdale's, Semmes's and Kershaw's brigades, extending from south of this road to the railroad, made a desperate effort to prevent the Union withdrawal. After a fierce struggle the Confederates fell back. In this battle they made the first known use of railway artillery.
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