05/06/2026
The Purcell Artillery – McGraw’s Battery, Pegram’s Battalion, Hill’s Corps Artillery Reserve
The Purcell Artillery was a Confederate light artillery battery raised in Virginia in 1861 and commanded by Captain William A. Purcell. Drawn largely from the Shenandoah Valley, the unit served with the Army of Northern Virginia, taking part in major campaigns including the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, and Antietam. Equipped with standard field pieces such as 6-pounders and 12-pounder Napoleons, the battery provided both close infantry support and counter-battery fire, adapting over time to the Confederate army’s more centralized artillery organization.
At the Battle of Gettysburg, the Purcell Artillery was assigned to the Confederate artillery reserve and participated in the extensive artillery operations that preceded and accompanied the infantry assaults. On July 3, 1863, the battery was engaged in the massive cannonade that supported Pickett’s Charge, one of the largest artillery bombardments of the war. Positioned along Seminary Ridge, the battery fired on Union positions on Cemetery Ridge, contributing to the effort to weaken Federal lines before the assault. Like many Confederate batteries that day, it faced intense counter-battery fire from Union artillery, resulting in heavy strain on men and equipment.
Following Gettysburg, the Purcell Artillery continued to serve through the later Virginia campaigns, including the prolonged operations around Petersburg. By 1865, reduced but still active, the battery was part of the retreating Confederate forces that ultimately surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, closing out its wartime service.
