COAST. I ARTILLERY JOURNAL, - Air Defense Artillery

The Coast Artillery Corps
[Reprinted hy permission from the Recruiting News]
IN 1789 the entire Artillery ,?rganization of the Army consisted of a
single battalion of four companies with a strength of 14 officers
and 280 men, known as "The Battalion of Artillery," and the proportional
part of a total military establishment of less than 900 officers
and men of all branches of the service.
Congress increased the artillery personnel in 1794 to a total of 95
Q:fficersand 992 men, and in the reorganization which then'took place
they became the "Corps of Artillerists and Engineers."
In 1798 Congress increased this corps by one regiment of three
battalions of four companies, and in the following year changed the
corps and regiment into two regiments of four battalions of four companies
each and a total strength of 182 officers and 2088 men.
The Artillery and Engineers were separated in 1802 and the Artillery
reorganized as the "Regiment of Artillerists," with five battalions
of four companies and a strength of 106 officers and 1520 men.
Congress authorized the addition of one regiment of Light Artillery
of ten companies in 1808, and in 1812 two regiments of Artillery. Thus
for the War of 1812 the Artillery consisted of one regiment of Artillerists,
one regiment of Light Artillery and two regiments of Artillery,
with an authorized strength of 237 officersand 6018 men.
In 1814 the "Artillerists" and the two regiments of Artillery were
combined into a "Corps of Artillery," leaving the Regiment of Light
Artillery as a separate unit. In 1821 all of this Artillery and the
ordnance personnel were reorganized into four regiments of nine companies
each, and thus continued with only minor changes, for over
forty years.
The 5th Regiment of Artillery was authorized in 1861, and during
the Civil War the total authorized strength was 273 officers and 4666
men. Mter the Civil War the authorized strength ~as reduced, and in
1885 the Artillery consisted of five regiments, comprising sixty company
organizations, with a personnel of 280 officersand 2600 men.
During the period 1812-1885, the functions of the Artillery were
many and varied. In the War of 1812 the four existing regiments were
actively engaged as artillery or as infantry, the latter role predominating.
In the Mexican War forty-five of the total forty-eight companies
took active part, again playing the double role of artillery and infantry.
During the Civil War fifty-six of the then existing sixty companies served
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