Artillery Flank Flag Markers?

[Hancock the Superb]

I'm researching Civil War artillery (Union), and I come across the First Regiment New York Artillery's flank markers. What are these, when would they be used, and who would carry them? It seems to me that they are almost useless since the First Regiment New York Artillery never served as one organization at the same time, but I'm asking those questions because I do not know.

In addition, for those of you that like to create OOBs and name individual units, most states did not call their artillery units light or heavy. Thus, what SOW calls the Battery C, First New York Light Artillery, is actually Company/Battery C, First Regiment New York Artillery, which is different than Battery C, First BATTALION New York Artillery (which is also a light battery).

To make things even more confusing is Battery L, of the Second Regiment New York Artillery, which is a heavy artillery regiment, except for that battery, which was detached as light artillery. However, if you try to look up Battery L, Second New York Light Artillery, you will not find anything in rosters (although contemporary historians call it that), but you will need to look up Battery L, Second Regiment New York Artillery to find most things (although most people refer to the second as a heavy artillery unit). Not to mention that there is also a Second Battalion of New York Artillery, which was light artillery, although the Fourth Battalion of New York Artillery was heavy.

[Kerflumoxed]

In the For What It's Worth department, here is a site that shows Flank Markers for several Ohio Artillery Batteries: http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm4/results. ... coll32&t=s

Here is another view of Flank Markers from a Phillip Katcher book.http://www.artilleryreserve.org/Examples/flags.html

Essentially, Flank Markers were used for battle lines to allow the units to align their ranks between the left and right marker as well as to establish their left and right flanks while in camp. There are several "survivors" in various museums as well as artist renditions showing them carried in various manners such as in the barrel of a musket at "Shoulder, Arm" for the infantry.

J

[SouthernSteel]

I'm sorry, Baylor, posting is restricted only to players who are active. You will have to stop pretending to be a gopher/prairie dog on TeamSpeak and actually stay and play. Then you may resume contributing.[sup]:silly: [/sup] [sub]:silly:[/sub] :silly:

[Kerflumoxed]

Oops, my mistake! I guess I will have to cut back my model railroading time and "re-join" the "Player's Club".........no, wait......."Player's Club......think that is AmeriStar! Can't cut that back.

Baylor