The Madison Louisiana Light Artillery was a Louisiana artillery unit that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed as an infantry company, it arrived in the Eastern Theater in May 1861 and was converted to an artillery battery in August. The unit was armed with six guns in 1861, but by September 1862, it had only four guns. It served at Garnett's and Golding's Farm, Savage's Station, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg in 1862. The battery fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and in the Knoxville campaign in 1863. The Madison Light Artillery served in the Overland campaign and at the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. The unit surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.
Formation
The Madison Light Artillery originally formed at New Carthage, in Madison Parish, Louisiana, as an infantry company. The company traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, where it mustered into Confederate service on 23 May 1861. The unit was converted to an artillery battery on 23 August 1861. It moved to Richmond, Virginia, in October, where the company was equipped with two M1841 12-pounder howitzers, two 3-inch Ordnance rifles, and two M1841 6-pounder field guns. George V. Moody was appointed captain in command of the battery. From Richmond, the battery moved to Manassas, Virginia.
Service
1862
The first actions of the Madison Light Artillery were at the Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farm on 27–28 June 1862 and the Battle of Fair Oaks Station on 29 June during the Seven Days Battles. The battery was assigned to Lieutenant Colonel John J. Garnett's artillery battalion in Major General John B. Magruder's command. On the evening of 27 June, Brigadier General Robert A. Toombs was ordered to probe the Union lines near James Garnett's farm. Toombs exceeded his orders by launching an attack which was beaten back. Ordered to reconnoiter the Federal lines the next morning, Toombs repeated his mistake of the previous day and was repulsed again. Between the two actions, the Confederates sustained 438 casualties while inflicting only 189 on the Federals. In the 29 June fighting, Union losses totaled 1,038 against only 473 Confederate casualties.
The Madison Light Artillery was assigned to Major General James Longstreet's wing in the Northern Virginia campaign but was not engaged. The battery is not listed in Longstreet's order of battle for the Second Battle of Bull Run on 28–30 August 1862. At the Battle of Antietam on 17 September, Moody's battery was armed with two 3-inch Ordnance rifles and two M1841 24-pounder howitzers. The battery suffered losses of 4 killed and 28 wounded at Antietam. The battery was part of Colonel Stephen D. Lee's 2nd Reserve Artillery Battalion in Longstreet's corps. During the morning's second assault by the Union I Corps, three Confederate batteries were withdrawn and replaced by Moody's battery. One section of the battery unlimbered in front of the Confederate infantry and opened a very effective fire on the Union soldiers. Moody's battery was "badly cut up" and pulled back to refit. At 2:00 pm, Union troops mounted an attack across the Middle Bridge. With the help of the refitted guns of Moody's and other batteries, this effort was defeated by 3:30 pm.
Moody's battery shelled the Union-occupied town early in the Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 December 1862. In the afternoon, two guns were sent to defend Marye's Heights in relief of the Washington Artillery. These two guns fired until they ran out of ammunition, then withdrew. At Fredericksburg, the Madison Light Artillery was assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Edward Porter Alexander's artillery battalion in Longstreet's First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
1863–1865
The Madison Light Artillery was still part of Alexander's artillery battalion in the First Corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville on 1–4 May 1863. On 3 May, as soon as Union troops abandoned Hazel Grove, Alexander immediately ordered his guns to occupy the key position. First, he unlimbered 18 guns from four Virginia batteries, then he added 10 more guns from the batteries of Moody, Captain William W. Parker, and Pichegru Woolfolk Jr. The Hazel Grove position completely dominated the Federal defenses near Fairview. As the Hazel Grove batteries ran out of ammunition, Alexander replaced them with other fresh batteries. The guns were tremendously effective, their crews' only complaint being the poor quality of the Confederate-made shells. The 4th U.S. Artillery, Battery K, closest to Hazel Grove, suffered 45 casualties out of 120 gunners and lost 59 horses. In the Salem Church action of 4 May, Alexander's battalion took position in the center near Hazel Run.