Ahl's Independent Company, Heavy Artillery (officially known as the 1st Delaware Heavy Artillery) was a heavy artillery battery that served in the Union army in the American Civil War. The company was mainly composed of former Confederate prisoners of war who had sworn allegiance to the Union (over 200 so-called "galvanized Yankees").
The company (Delaware's only heavy artillery company during the war) was organized at Fort Delaware on July 27, 1863, not long after the Battle of Gettysburg. The company was assigned to garrison and guard duty at Fort Delaware during their entire period of service. Its commander was Capt. George W. Ahl, and nearly all the officers had come to the fort with Independent Battery G, Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery. The company mustered out on July 25, 1865.
Famous quotes containing the words heavy, artillery and/or company:
“Now the hungry lion roars,
And the wolf behowls the moon;
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night,
That the graves, all gaping wide,
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In the church-way paths to glide:”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1845)
“I shall never send for a priest or recite an Act of Contrition in my last moments. I do not mind if I lose my soul for all eternity. If the kind of God exists Who would damn me for not working out a deal with Him, then that is unfortunate. I should not care to spend eternity in the company of such a person.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)