Early U.S. Artillery formations

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Early U.S. Artillery formations (1789–1814)

In the early years of the United States Army, artillery units changed several times. At first, the Artillery Branch and the Engineer Branch sometimes shared duties. Units did not yet use the terms “Field Artillery” or “Coast Artillery,” though later branches would trace their lines back to these early formations.

1789–1794: The Battalion of Artillery
- The Battalion of Artillery formed on September 29, 1789, with four companies.
- The first company was kept from the Continental Army. Other companies were raised in 1784 and 1786 to deal with Shays’s Rebellion.
- Commandants included Captain John Doughty (later major), followed by William Ferguson and Henry Burbeck. The other company commanders were Captains James Bradford, Henry Burbeck, and Joseph Savage.
- In 1792, the Army reorganized into the Legion of the United States, with one artillery company in each of the four sublegions. The Battalion of Artillery no longer existed as its own unit during that time.

1794–1802: Mergers to form the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers
- On May 9, 1794, the Battalion of Artillery was merged into the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers.
- Congress had been examining coastal defenses, leading to the creation of a larger corps organized for fort defense (the First System).
- The Corps started with four battalions, each with four companies. By 1795 it was known as the First Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers.
- The regiment was reorganized and expanded in the following years as tensions with Europe increased.

1802–1812: Regiments of Artillerists and the rise of the Artillery
- On April 1, 1802, the First and Second Regiments were combined to form the Regiment of Artillerists, with five battalions of four companies each. Henry Burbeck served as the commander during much of this period.
- In 1808, a Regiment of Light Artillery was created with ten companies.
- In 1812, two additional artillery regiments were created—the Second and Third—while the original was still referred to as the First Regiment of Artillery (often called the Artillerists in official reports).

1814–1821: The Corps of Artillery takes shape and then dissolves
- On May 12, 1814, the three artillery regiments were consolidated into the Corps of Artillery, with a total of 12 battalions (each with four companies).
- In 1815, during peacetime, some infantry regiments and dragoons were merged with the Corps of Artillery, giving it a larger force.
- On June 1, 1821, the Corps of Artillery ceased to exist. Its assets were distributed to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Regiments of Artillery.

Pre-war and post-war notes
- Before the War of 1812, only one artillery company was equipped as field artillery; during the war, more companies were mounted as horse artillery or field artillery.
- The early terms “Field Artillery” and “Coast Artillery” did not appear yet, but the modern artillery branches would later trace their roots to these early formations.