Item Number: US5ART-01
Item Name: Captain Charles Griffin, 5th US Artillery
Description: During the early action on Henry House Hill, two batteries were ordered to advance to a position near to the Henry House. These were batteries of the regular US army, efficient and well commanded. Both these batteries had been actively engaged from the very beginning of the battle.The batteries were commanded by Captain James Ricketts, and Captain Charles Griffin.
It is believed McDowell made a serious tactical error in giving the
order for the batteries to advance up the hill. They were told that the
11th New York Regiment were on their way to support the advance.
Charles Griffin (December 18th, 1825 -Septemeber 15th 1867) was a career
officer in the United States Army and became an Union general during
the American Civil War. He rose to command a corps in the Army of The
Potomac and fought in many of the key campaigns in the Eastern Theatre.
In 1849 as a first Lieutenant, he was to serve in the New Mexico
Territory against Navajo Indians until 1854. He then left the southwest
frontier and taught artillery tactics at West Point. He was to form an
artillery battery from the academy’s enlisted men shortly after the
southern states began seceding from the Union. Captain Griffin led the
“West Point Battery”, (officially designated as Battery D, 5th US
Artillery) at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861.