William Hexamer
Encyclopedia
William Hexamer commanded an artillery battery in the American Civil War
. Hexamer was born in Koblenz
, Germany on April 12, 1825. During the 1848 Revolution he served as an aide to Franz Sigel
. Both of them had to go into exile when the revolution failed.
By 1861, Hexamer, with the rank of major, was commander of a militia
battery called the Hudson County Artillery.
and Hexamer offered his battery to the federal government. At first it was refused, but it was added to the volunteer service after a four month delay, being mustered into service on August 12, 1861. Thereafter it was known as Battery A, First New Jersey Light Artillery. The battery served at first with First New Jersey Brigade
of BG Philip Kearny
in the Peninsula Campaign
, where it was part of VI Corps
in the Army of the Potomac
.
Hexamer’s battery next saw action in the Antietam Campaign.http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=466 It served with VI Corps at the Battle of Crampton’s Gap
and the Battle of Antietam
, assigned to the division of MG Henry W. Slocum. The battery also served at the Battle of Fredericksburg
with the same division under BG William T. H. Brooks
.
Hexamer was ill and missed the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church
, both fought by VI Corps. The battery was commanded by Lt Augustine N. Parsons. Battery A covered the Union force’s crossing of the Rappahannock River
on May 3, 1863. The guns accompanied the federal advance toward Salem Church and supported an attack on the brigade of BG Cadmus Wilcox near the church. When VI Corps was forced onto the defensive, Parsons’ guns supported the infantry line until their ammunition ran low. The battery also supported the federal retreat across the river on May 4.
Parsons remained in command for the Battle of Gettysburg
, in which Battery A was assigned to the Reserve Artillery.http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Searchable_Publications/civilwar/NJCWn1369.htm The battery was sent to the front on July 3, 1863 to resist Pickett's Charge
. Its guns supported the Philadelphia Brigade
to their left front at the crisis of the attack.
Hexamer returned to command in the fall of 1863. His battery served in the Reserve Artillery in the Bristoe Campaign
and the Battle of Mine Run
. In 1864, Hexamer’s battery continued in the Reserve Artillery in the Overland Campaign until the Battle of Cold Harbor
, when it was assigned to VI Corps. The battery supported the failed attacks of the Union army at Cold Harbor. The Battery remained with VI Corps in the early stages of the Siege of Petersburg
.
Hexamer was mustered out of the service on August 18, 1864. Capt Parsons succeeded him in command.http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Searchable_Publications/civilwar/NJCWn1369.html
in North Bergen, New Jersey
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Hexamer was born in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, Germany on April 12, 1825. During the 1848 Revolution he served as an aide to Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. Both of them had to go into exile when the revolution failed.
By 1861, Hexamer, with the rank of major, was commander of a militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
battery called the Hudson County Artillery.
Civil War Service
At the beginning of the war, Governor Charles Smith OldenCharles Smith Olden
Charles Smith Olden was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 19th Governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War.-Biography:...
and Hexamer offered his battery to the federal government. At first it was refused, but it was added to the volunteer service after a four month delay, being mustered into service on August 12, 1861. Thereafter it was known as Battery A, First New Jersey Light Artillery. The battery served at first with First New Jersey Brigade
First New Jersey Brigade
The First New Jersey Brigade is the common name for an American Civil War brigade of New Jersey infantry regiments in the Union Army of the Potomac...
of BG Philip Kearny
Philip Kearny
Philip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly.-Early life and career:...
in the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, where it was part of VI Corps
VI Corps (ACW)
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...
in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
.
Hexamer’s battery next saw action in the Antietam Campaign.http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=466 It served with VI Corps at the Battle of Crampton’s Gap
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
and the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, assigned to the division of MG Henry W. Slocum. The battery also served at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
with the same division under BG William T. H. Brooks
William T. H. Brooks
William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
.
Hexamer was ill and missed the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church
Battle of Salem Church
The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford, took place on May 3–4, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War....
, both fought by VI Corps. The battery was commanded by Lt Augustine N. Parsons. Battery A covered the Union force’s crossing of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
on May 3, 1863. The guns accompanied the federal advance toward Salem Church and supported an attack on the brigade of BG Cadmus Wilcox near the church. When VI Corps was forced onto the defensive, Parsons’ guns supported the infantry line until their ammunition ran low. The battery also supported the federal retreat across the river on May 4.
Parsons remained in command for the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, in which Battery A was assigned to the Reserve Artillery.http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Searchable_Publications/civilwar/NJCWn1369.htm The battery was sent to the front on July 3, 1863 to resist Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
. Its guns supported the Philadelphia Brigade
Philadelphia Brigade
The Philadelphia Brigade was a Union Army brigade that served in the American Civil War. It was raised primarily in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the exception of the 106th regiment which contained men from Lycoming and Bradford counties.The brigade fought with the Army of the...
to their left front at the crisis of the attack.
Hexamer returned to command in the fall of 1863. His battery served in the Reserve Artillery in the Bristoe Campaign
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
and the Battle of Mine Run
Battle of Mine Run
The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign , was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War....
. In 1864, Hexamer’s battery continued in the Reserve Artillery in the Overland Campaign until the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, when it was assigned to VI Corps. The battery supported the failed attacks of the Union army at Cold Harbor. The Battery remained with VI Corps in the early stages of the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
.
Hexamer was mustered out of the service on August 18, 1864. Capt Parsons succeeded him in command.http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Searchable_Publications/civilwar/NJCWn1369.html
Post war
Hexamer died of a throat infection at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey on August 25, 1870. He was buried at Grove Church CemeteryGrove Church Cemetery
The Grove Church Cemetery is a nonsectarian cemetery, located on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades, along with several other cemeteries in a string of green open space, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The Grove Church, who owns the cemetery, is one of the oldest religious...
in North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one...
.