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Civil War

2nd US Artillery Battery B & L Heaton

Cumberland Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

Army of the Potomac Cavalry Corps First Brigade Horse Artillery Batteries B and L 2nd United States Artillery Six 3 inch Rifles Lieutenant Edward Heaton commanding.

The Story

This monument marks the position of Batteries B and L of the 2nd United States Artillery, horse artillery attached to the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg. Armed with six 3-inch ordnance rifles under Lieutenant Edward Heaton, the combined battery provided the mobile firepower that supported Union cavalry operations in July 1863. Horse artillery like this could gallop into position and unlimber alongside fast-moving mounted troops.

Why it matters

Gettysburg's battlefield monuments mark the exact ground where the war's turning-point battle was fought, honoring the regular-army gunners whose fire helped decide the Union's most consequential victory.

The story behind this marker

AI context

The era

In the first days of July 1863, two great armies converged on a quiet crossroads town in southern Pennsylvania. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had pushed north, and the Union Army of the Potomac hurried to meet it. What followed at Gettysburg became the largest battle ever fought on American soil.

The ground here in Cumberland Township was part of that vast, three-day struggle. Across these fields and ridges, tens of thousands of men fought in choking heat and smoke, and the outcome would ripple across the whole course of the war.

This marker stands where a very particular kind of unit did its work: horse artillery, the fast-moving guns that rode with the cavalry. To understand its place, picture a battlefield in constant motion, where cannon had to keep pace with galloping riders rather than plodding infantry columns.

People & events

The monument records the position of Batteries B and L of the 2nd United States Artillery, combined into a single command under Lieutenant Edward Heaton. These were regular-army gunners — professional soldiers of the United States Army — attached to the Horse Artillery of the Cavalry Corps' First Brigade.

Their weapons were six 3-inch rifles, slim and accurate muzzle-loading cannon prized for their range and precision. Horse artillery of this kind was built for speed: every crewman could ride, so the guns could gallop into a threatened spot, unlimber, and open fire alongside cavalry that moved far faster than foot soldiers ever could.

A young lieutenant commanding two combined batteries was carrying real responsibility. In the swirling cavalry actions around Gettysburg, guns like Heaton's gave mounted troops the punch they needed — covering their movements, breaking up enemy formations, and holding ground until help arrived.

Its place in the American story

Gettysburg is often remembered for its infantry charges, but battles are won by the coordination of many arms, and artillery was central to Union success. Markers like this one honor the regular-army gunners whose steady, disciplined fire helped decide the war's most consequential victory.

The horse artillery represents something easy to overlook: the mobility that let the Union cavalry screen the army, probe the enemy, and fight on ground of its own choosing. Fast guns riding with fast horsemen were a crucial part of how the Army of the Potomac met and blunted the Confederate invasion.

When that invasion was turned back here, it marked a turning point in the Civil War. The North had halted the South's boldest thrust onto Union soil, and the momentum of the war began, slowly, to shift. The professional gun crews commemorated on this field were part of that hinge of history.

If you visit

Gettysburg is unusual among battlefields because it is so densely and precisely marked. This monument does something quietly powerful: it tells you that on this exact patch of ground, a specific battery stood, aimed, and fired more than a century and a half ago.

Look for the details that name the unit and its commander, and picture the six rifled guns in line, their teams of horses nearby, ready to move at a moment's notice. Unlike the heavy siege pieces you might imagine, these were built to travel — think speed and maneuver, not a fixed fortress.

If you're touring the battlefield by car, the marker rewards a pause. Stand where the guns stood, look out across the fields, and let the openness of the ground remind you why mobile artillery mattered here. It's a small monument that opens a window onto one of the fast, fierce corners of the larger battle.

Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.

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Related people

  • · Edward Heaton

Related events

  • · Battle of Gettysburg

Themes & tags

Civil WarMonument

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